Local government elections give Tasmanians the opportunity to stand for council and help shape their local community.
Councillors, mayors and deputy mayors are elected across Tasmania’s 29 municipal areas every four years. Casual vacancies may be filled by recount or by-election. If you’re thinking about running, it’s important to understand the eligibility criteria, how to nominate, and the responsibilities of candidates.
This page outlines key information to help you get started and provides links to more detailed instructions, forms and resources.
To nominate as a candidate in a Tasmanian local government election, you must be enrolled to vote in the council area you wish to represent and have your principal place of residence in Tasmania.
There are a number of situations that make a person ineligible to nominate. These include being a current councillor for another council, being employed by the council you're nominating for, or having been previously disqualified or removed from office. People who are bankrupt, serving a prison sentence, or disqualified under relevant legislation are also not eligible. You can only stand as a candidate for one municipal area at a time.
More detailed eligibility information can be found in the Candidate Handbook.
Anyone eligible to nominate as a councillor can also nominate for mayor or deputy mayor. However, you can’t be a candidate for both mayor and deputy mayor at the same time and you must be elected as a councillor to be elected to one of these offices.
To nominate as a candidate, you need to complete and submit a nomination form. This form must be signed by you as the candidate and supported by at least two electors from the municipal area in which you are standing.
It’s important to make sure your nomination is submitted before the close of nominations—late forms will not be accepted.
Nomination forms are made available in the lead-up to a general election or by-election. If you are running for more than one position (e.g. councillor and mayor), only one nomination form is required.
For full instructions on how to nominate, refer to the Candidate Handbook.
Ahead of each local government election and by-election, candidates can submit a personal statement and a photograph for inclusion in a candidate information brochure. This brochure is mailed to all eligible voters at the start of the polling period.
The submission process is completed online and is separate to the process for nominating as a candidate. All candidate submissions must be received before the close of nominations.
After an election, candidates are required to declare all forms of advertising costs in an ‘electoral advertising return’. This includes a signed declaration, along with invoices, accounts and receipts. Candidates need to consider:
To assist in the verification of candidates’ compliance with legislation, any person who prints, publishes or broadcasts electoral advertising is also required to lodge a return with the Electoral Commissioner. The Tasmanian Electoral Commission (TEC) publishes advice for printers, publishers and broadcasters to help them meet their obligations in relation to campaign advertising.
Candidates should refer to the local government candidate handbook for further information about electoral advertising returns.
Electoral advertising returns are available for public inspection for 12 months following an election, at the TEC office and at relevant council offices. It is an offence not to complete and lodge a return.
The local government candidate handbook contains detailed information about relevant procedures and timelines, processes for nominating, and rules regarding advertising and campaigning. It is published ahead of each local government general election period and updates are issued ahead of each by-election.