Council is made up of 9 councillors, including 1 mayor and 1 deputy mayor.
Council elections are held every four years and all councillors, the mayor and deputy mayor are elected for four-year terms.
The next local government elections are due to be held across September and October 2026.
The Tasmanian Electoral Commission is responsible for the supervision of local government elections. The Electoral Commission appoints returning officers to run the election.
VOTING SYSTEM
Council elections are conducted by postal ballot.
All elections for councillor positions are required to be conducted by using a multi-member proportional representation electoral system. This is directly modelled on the Hare-Clarke system used for Tasmanian House of Assembly elections.
A feature of the Hare-Clarke electoral system is that vacant seats are filled by recount rather than by elections.
Under the postal ballot system there is a polling period rather than a single polling day.
COMPULSORY VOTING
Since the 2022 Local Government elections is compulsory for all eligible electors on the State roll.
Please note that compulsory voting does not extend to electors on the General Manager’s (GM) roll.
Advertising and Election Signs
There are also rules on where an electoral sign may and may not be placed as provided in By-laws and the Planning Scheme.
This information is available in the Electoral Signs Huon Valley Requirement document at the following link: Electoral Signage – Council requirements.pdf
Enrolment information
If you are currently on the State Electoral Roll for State and Federal Elections for your address in the Huon Valley Municipal Area you are automatically on the Local Government Roll.
To check your enrolment on the Electoral Roll please visit the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website at www.aec.gov.au and click on the “Check Enrolment” button. An enrolment form can also be obtained from that website or by calling the AEC on 132 326 or from any post office.
You are also eligible to enrol on the “General Manager’s Roll” if you:
- Own land within the municipal area, but you do not live in the area and are registered on the State Electoral Roll at the address outside of the area, or
- Occupy land within the municipal area, but are not eligible to be on the State roll for the area –
Enrolment Form (General Manager’s Roll – Individual) or - Are the nominated representative of a corporate body that owns or occupies land in the Huon Valley – Enrolment Form (General Manager’s Roll – Corporate)