Local Government elections are held on the third Sunday in October every two years, with the next ordinary election occurring Saturday, 16 October 2027. Councillors are elected for terms of four years in Western Australia. Elections are held every two years for half of the council, and candidates are elected using the optional preferential voting system. If a vacancy occurs within a term, an extraordinary election is held.
Council recently appointed Cr Alex Pearse back to fill one of two vacancies remaining after the 2025 ordinary election and a subsequent extraordinary election in December 2025.
One 2-year term vacancy remains.
See below on How to Nominate!
One Councillor vacancy remains (2-year term)
Enrolment and Voting
As part of the Local Government Act reforms, new legislation has been passed to introduce an optional preferential voting (OPV) system for local government elections. What this means is that a candidate must receive more than half the votes to win. Under OPV if no candidate receives more than 50% of first preferences, the candidate with the least number of votes is excluded and the preferences are distributed to the remaining candidates. This process is repeated until a candidate has enough votes to be elected. If you choose to rank the candidates in order of your preference, this system ensures your vote still has power, even if your favourite candidate does not win in the first round. Of course, because this is optional preferential voting, you have the option to choose just to place a 1 next to one candidate and not number every candidate — it’s up to you.
More information will be made available to electors in the lead up to the next Local Government elections.
You are automatically enrolled to vote if you are on the State Electoral Roll as at close of enrolments. If you are not already on the State Electoral Roll and meet the eligibility criteria, or if you have changed address recently, you must complete an enrolment form.
You can check your enrolment online here, or contact the WA Electoral Commission on 13 63 06. You can learn more about enrolment here.
People who own or occupy property within a local government district can apply to their local government to be included on the roll as an owner/occupier, as long as they are eligible electors. A body corporate may apply to have up to two eligible electors to be included on the owner/occupier roll.
All eligible electors are allowed to vote once in any district or ward for which they are enroled. If a person lives within one local district and owns or occupies property in a different district then they may be entitled to a vote in both areas provided they are enroled for those addresses. For more information or to enrol as an owner/occupier, contact the Shire. To apply you will need to complete and return this form to the Shire before rolls close.
If you are not sure if you are on the owner/occupier roll, we strongly encourage you to contact the Shire to confirm your eligibility.
On polling day (third Saturday in October election year), or beforehand for early voting, electors go to designated polling places (the Shire Administration Office on Victoria Street, Mingenew) to cast their vote. Polling places are open from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. If an elector can’t attend a polling place on polling day, they can apply for an absent, early or postal vote. To apply for postal voting papers, download and complete this form.
If you also own or occupy property in another district you may eligible to vote in that district. For example, if you own property in the Shire of Irwin, you may eligible to vote in the Irwin district. Contact the relevant Local Government to query your enrolment status and make any necessary applications.
At the Shire’s August 2020 Ordinary Council Meeting, Council voted to abolish the Town and Rural Wards. Mingenew is now a single electoral district.
In accordance with Section 4.39(2) of the Local Government Act 1995, the local government is required to give notice of the time and date of the close of enrolments.
This notice includes information on:
- How to become an elector
- How to check your enrolment status
Becoming a Councillor
Become a Mingenew Councillor in 2026!
Are you passionate about your community and ready to make a difference? Becoming a Shire Councillor is your opportunity to shape the future of Mingenew, from driving major projects and supporting local clubs, to protecting our environment and heritage. With exciting developments on the horizon, like the Town Hall upgrade and a purpose-built childcare facility, and three vacancies there’s never been a better time to get involved.
Councillors are elected to represent the interest of all electors and residents and provide leadership and guidance to the community. They play an important community leadership role and create policies and resolve decisions that the Council makes about what happens locally. Councillors generally do not have any authority to act or make decisions as individuals. They are members of an elected body that makes decisions on behalf of a local government through a formal meeting process.
If you haven’t already, we recommend you have a look at the Minutes from past Council meetings to see what decisions Council makes or come along to a Council meeting to see one in person; Council meets on the third Wednesday of every second month (except January).
For more information, check out these fact sheets from the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety:
If you think you might be interested in the role, have a look at this video from the WA Local Government Association.
To be eligible, you must:
- be 18 years of age or older;
- be an Australian citizen or a British subject prior to 26 January 1984;
- be an elector of the district (if you are only an elector because you are a nominee of a body corporate then you are not eligible to stand for council);
- if a current council member, have a term that ends on election day, unless you are standing for mayor or president directly elected by the public; and
- have completed the mandatory Local Government Candidate Induction available on the Department’s website.
You are not eligible if you:
- are a member of State or Federal Parliament
- are an insolvent under administration
- are serving a prison sentence for a crime
- have been convicted of a serious local government offence within the last 5 years, (unless the court has waived the disqualification)
- have been convicted on indictment of an offence for which the penalty was or included imprisonment for life, or imprisonment for more than 5 years
- are a member of another council
- are subject to a court order disqualifying you from being a council member because you have misapplied local government funds or property
- are on the local electoral roll as the nominee of a body corporate
- propose standing for 2 positions on council (unless you are standing for mayor or president as well as councillor)
- are currently disqualified by the State Administrative Tribunal from holding office as a member of a council.
Before nominating for local government elections, all candidates must complete the online Candidate Induction.
This free induction is designed to help potential councillors understand the role and responsibilities of being a local government councillor. It covers topics such as:
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The duties of council and councillors
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Election rules and campaign requirements
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Recent changes in councillor obligations
It also serves as a useful refresher for former councillors.
The induction is available on the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety website.
If you don’t have internet access, you can complete the module at the Shire offices.
At the end of the induction, candidates must complete a registration form. This generates a confirmation email with a reference number, which must be recorded on your nomination form. All candidates will be required to declare they have completed the induction at the time of nomination. The Shire will verify this with the Department.
For assistance, please contact the Shire’s Manager Governance & Community on (08) 9928 1102.
The following documents are available to assist with your nomination:
Code of Conduct for Council Members, Committee Members and Candidates
To nominate yourself
Nomination for Election by Candidate
To nominate someone else
Nomination for Election by Agent
Helpful Resources
It is important that Candidates are aware of their obligations. The Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety Resources also provides a range of resources to help you understand the role and requirements of becoming a councillor:
Mandatory Induction
Candidate Fact Sheets and Sessions
Recommended Strategic Documents
The Shire encourages prospective candidates to review the following key documents to better understand community priorities and local government strategy:
You can obtain a nomination form from the Shire Office, 21 Victoria Street Mingenew, or download a copy below:
To nominate yourself
Nomination for Election by Candidate
To nominate someone else