Tasmania’s local government elections are conducted by postal ballot that runs for several weeks.
Enrolled electors vote to elect councillors, a mayor and a deputy mayor for each council.
Running elections for all 29 councils at the same time takes months of preparation, hundreds of election staff and the production and distribution of more than 400,000 ballot packs.
The people elected to Tasmania’s 29 councils are part of the communities they represent. They may live in your suburb, work in your town, visit the same local places and use the same services as you every day.
Local government elections are how you choose the councillors, mayor and deputy mayor who will represent your community on council for the next four years.
Unlike elections for our federal and state parliaments, voting in local government elections is by post. There are no polling places or election-day queues. Instead, enrolled electors receive a ballot pack at their enrolled address and return their completed vote in the reply-paid envelope provided.
Running an election this way involves much more than sending mail. Work begins long before ballot packs reach voters and continues until the final results are declared.
Many of the rules for Tasmania’s local government elections are set out in the Local Government Act, passed by the Tasmanian Parliament in 1993. They affect almost every part of the process, including who can vote, when key events happen, how votes are cast and counted, and the roles of the TEC and local councils.
The rules can also change over time, affecting how people take part in elections, how councils are structured and what voting options are available. For example, legislation passed in 2022 made voting at local government elections compulsory for enrolled electors. And in 2026, legislation changed the number of councillors elected to Tasmania’s councils. Five local government areas now elect 9 councillors, while the remaining 24 elect 7.
Legislative changes also introduced Telephone Assisted Voting to local government elections—a service made available to electors who are interstate or overseas during the voting period and to electors with a print disability.
Every four years, elections for all 29 Tasmanian councils are held at the same time. That means 213 councillors are elected across the state, with a mayor and deputy mayor also chosen for each council.
For the TEC, this is a large statewide operation that begins months in advance. It involves recruiting and training staff, processing candidate nominations, preparing electoral rolls and ballot packs, supporting voters, receiving returned votes and conducting the count.
Behind every postal ballot pack is a workforce most voters will never see.
The TEC has a permanent team of around 30 people. During local government elections, that workforce expands to around 800.
These are the people who might help you on the phone, arrange a replacement ballot pack when the dog gets to your first one, or help process your returned vote.
There is a familiar rhythm to election time at the TEC. Many experienced casual staff return, new faces join them, and the workforce grows quickly as preparations gather pace.
Bringing such a large temporary workforce into a complex, time-critical process means training is essential. Staff need clear, up-to-date guidance so work is carried out accurately and consistently, particularly where legislation, technology or election processes have changed.
The publication of the Notice of Election marks the formal start of the election process and sets several things in motion, when candidates are invited to nominate and the electoral rolls are prepared soon after.
During the two-week nomination period, the TEC typically receives nominations from around 500 intending candidates. All paperwork is checked carefully to confirm that the person is eligible to stand and has provided the required information.
Candidates can also submit a statement and photograph, giving voters more information about the people standing for election. These are included in the ballot packs sent to electors.
But before ballot packs can be sent, the TEC needs to know who is entitled to vote. That information comes from the electoral roll — the list of electors for each local government area.
For local government elections, the electoral roll brings together two sources. The first is the State roll, which includes Tasmanians enrolled to vote in state and federal elections. Each council also provides a General Manager’s roll for people who qualify under different local government eligibility rules. Together, they form the final election roll for each local government area.
The rolls close several weeks before voting begins, setting the deadline for enrolment details to be included in that election. In the lead-up to this date, the TEC promotes enrolment awareness, working with schools and community organisations and sharing information through its website and social media. The aim is to encourage eligible Tasmanian voters to check their enrolment and make any necessary updates in time, ensuring every eligible voter has a chance to have their say.
Local government elections are conducted over a polling period of several weeks rather than around a single polling day, so ballot packs need to be prepared and sent out before voting gets underway.
Within hours of nominations closing, while candidates are being announced, teams are already at work preparing the data, layouts and print files needed to produce ballot papers for all 29 councils. It is a large-scale production process, with accuracy critical at every stage.
Each ballot paper is produced in multiple versions using the Robson Rotation. This is the name given to the practice of placing candidate names in different positions, so no candidate gains an advantage by appearing at the top of every ballot paper.
Each postal ballot pack contains an information booklet, the ballot papers for that council, a postal vote envelope for the completed ballot papers, and a reply-paid envelope to return your vote. More than 400,000 packs are produced and sent to electors across Tasmania.
As these packs leave the warehouse and start making their way to letterboxes, the TEC turns its attention to supporting voters: answering calls, issuing replacement packs and providing Telephone Assisted Voting services for electors who are interstate or overseas, or have difficulty using printed voting materials.
As voters begin filling out their ballot papers, the election reaches a major milestone after months of preparation. But the work is far from over. As votes make their return journey to the TEC, teams are already assembling for the next crucial stage: counting the votes.