Nominate
As the closest level of government to the community, councils make decisions every day that impact the lives of all people.
Becoming a councillor allows you to influence local directions and make a long-term, positive difference in your community.
Strong and effective councils reflect the diverse communities they serve and include people from various backgrounds, abilities, genders and ages.
We have prepared a handbook to help you understand the roles and responsibilities of a councillor. The handbook will help you to decide whether to nominate and run for council. Please click on the link below to download an electronic version of the guide.
At the time of writing, the Tasmanian Electoral Commission (TEC) had not released the final dates for the 2026 elections. However, it is likely they will be as follows:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Notice of elections | 5th September 2026 |
| Candidate nominations open | 7th September 2026 - 9:00am |
| Candidate nominations close | 21st September 2026 - Midday |
| Nomination period | 7th - 21st September 2026 |
| Polling period (at least) | 5th - 27th October 2026 |
| Close of polls | 27th October 2026 - 2:00pm |
| Counting commences | 28th October 2026 |
Checklist
If you're considering becoming a councillor, please look through the following resources:
You first need to be enrolled with the TEC to vote. Then you can nominate by following the process outlined below.
Can I stand for council?
You need to make sure you are eligible to stand for council.
The Local Government Act 1993 lays out the criteria candidates need to meet:
- Be enrolled to vote in the council area.
- Live in Tasmania.
- Not be a councillor in another council.
- Not be an employee of the council you are standing for.
- Not be bankrupt, in prison, or be under Mental Health or Guardianship Orders.
- No history of being barred from nominating or being removed from office.
For more information, head to the local government section on the TEC website.
To nominate, make sure you:
- Obtain a nomination form from the TEC website
- Get it signed by at least two people with the right to vote in your council area.
- Sign it yourself.
- Lodge, post, email or fax the form to the TEC’s Returning Officer or the Electoral Officer at the relevant council. Make sure it arrives on or before midday on 21 September 2026.
After nominations close, the TEC will publish the details of all confirmed nominees.
Before you begin campaigning it’s important to ensure you understand:
- How the election is run.
- How many votes you are likely to need to be elected.
- Your area, including maps and population data.
- Any local issues and concerns.
- Your council’s current programs, strategies, plans and policies.
- Laws and regulations that relate to council election campaigning.
Your campaign needs to encourage people to vote for you. Voting in council elections is compulsory and people will typically vote for a candidate they think will make a positive difference in their community.
Ballot papers are distributed at least two weeks prior to the closing day for polling. A significant proportion of people complete and return their ballot paper straight away, so you should aim to have your campaign underway well before distribution commences.
While elections are competitive, candidates are encouraged to focus on their own positive messages, rather than making negative comments about opponents.
Some key things to consider in planning your campaign include:
- What issues will you campaign on.
- What you stand for and the message(s) you wish to convey.
- What resources (time and money) you are willing to commit to campaigning, noting that there are strict limits on and reporting requirements for all advertising costs.
- Whether you wish to seek campaign donations or undertake fundraising activities.
- If there are other people you can enlist to help with your campaign.
- Whether there are high-profile individuals who might endorse your candidacy.
- If you want to have a scrutineer at the vote count.
Candidates also need to note that there are expenditure limits in place for the local government elections. The spending is determined under the Local Government (General) Regulations 2025 which sets the total expenditure for campaigning. This total is different depending on which council area you are running in.
The following resources may be helpful:
- LGAT Candidate Handbook
- Frequently Asked Questions
- TEC Advertising FAQs 2022 (Updated version to be released in mid-2026)
- TEC Candidate Booklet
- Local Government Act 1993
- Tasmanian Electoral Commission website
- Your council’s website
Councillors serve the community by listening to residents' and local businesses' views and representing them on council.
You will work with your fellow councillors to make strategic decisions about how the council will address the community's needs.
Councillors do not get involved in the day-to-day running of the council, which is the responsibility of the General Manager or Chief Executive Officer.
One of the most important roles you will have as a councillor is to participate in making policy decisions within the parameters of laws set by State Parliament.
For more details about being a councillor, read the LGAT Candidate Handbook and the LGAT Councillor Handbook. If you are considering standing for mayor, we have prepared a Mayor Handbook that provides additional information about the role.
This list of additional resources, thanks to Suzy Cooper, may help you on your journey to become elected:
Get Elected – Ruth McGowan – https://ruthmcgowan.com/get-elected-book – A step by step campaign guide to winning public office: local, state, and federal.
"Thank Goodness You’re Here!" now get elected and make a difference – Suzy Cooper – https://suzycooper.com.au – a practical, encouraging and gently irreverent how-to guide for getting elected to a decision-making role at a school, club, committee, board, local council, state or federal government.
Raise Our Voice – https://raiseourvoiceaustralia.com – aims to amplify diverse young female and non-binary voices to actively lead conversations in politics, domestic policy and foreign policy.
Australian Youth Affairs Coalition: https://www.ayac.org.au – the national voice and a powerful advocate for all young people. They work together so that young people are respected and have the power to lead change for a better world.
Australian Local Government Women’s Association: https://www.algwa.net.au – ALGWA has branches in every state and territory in Australia. It seeks to strengthen networking, mentoring and innovative opportunities that encourage and support women in local government.
Women for Election: https://wfe.org.au - WFE aim to inspire, equip and sustain women to successfully stand for, and thrive in, public office in Australia. They run a course called EQUIP and offer masterclasses and other great resources.
The Pathways to Politics Program for Women: https://pathwaystopolitics.org.au – Pathways to Politics for Women is a national, proudly non-partisan initiative that aims to change the face of politics by equipping women with the skills, knowledge, confidence and networks they need to run for elected office and thrive as political leaders.
National Council of Women of Australia (NCWA): https://ncwa.org.au – is a national non-government umbrella organisation with broadly humanitarian and educational objectives, which seeks to raise the awareness of women and girls to their rights and responsibilities as citizens and to encourage the participation of women in all aspects of community life.
Centre of Multicultural Political Engagement and Leadership (COMPELL): https://compell.com.au – The Centre of Multicultural Political Engagement, Literacy and Leadership (COMPELL) is dedicated to advancing multicultural Australian representation in Australian politics.
UN Women: https://unwomen.org.au/our-work/focus-area/leadership – Women are still under-represented in government, business, civil society, and key positions of influence. UN Women works to change this by:
- Providing training for women political candidates to help build their capacities.
- Running voter and civic education and sensitisation campaigns on gender equality.
- Calling on political parties, governments and others to do their part in empowering women.
- Encouraging young men and women to engage in advocacy around making gender equality central to public policy-making.
- Promoting women’s rights, including their right to vote and to violence-free campaigning.
Politics in Colour - https://politicsincolour.com - helping diverse Australians considering a career in politics to overcome barriers and challenges and get elected.
We have developed a Local Government Learning and Development Framework with the Office of Local Government that aims to increase the knowledge and skills of councillors.
Access to the LGAT Learning Management System (LMS), which houses online training modules, will be provided to all new and returning councillors post-election. The online modules
will be supported with a series of face-to-face induction sessions in your region.
For further information on the Framework, refer to the Learn to Lead website.