User:ColonialGrid/sandbox
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The 2012 Victorian council general elections occurred on 27 October with 78 of Victoria's 79 municipal councils being elected.[1][2] All but one of Victoria's municipalities elected their councils, the one exception was Brimbank City Council, which was under administration.[2][3][4]: v Eight councils had walk-up voting, while the other 80 opted for postal voting.[5] The previous general council elections were held on 29 November 2008, with all of Victoria's 79 councils being elected.[1] The next council elections will be held on 22 October 2016, with all council elections now being fixed-term for four years.[6]
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78 of Victoria's 79 municipal councils | ||||
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The elections saw 2004 candidates compete for 631 positions across Victoria. 464 incumbent councillors re-contested the election, with 331 re-elected, representing 52% of those elected with the remaining 48% being new councillors. The percentage of women elected to councils rose to 34% from 29% at the 2008 election; 214 women were elected, with ten councils now have a female majority.[4]: vi [7]
There were accusations of smear campaigns; a focus on negative campaigning; the running of dummy candidates;[8][9][10] and physical altercations,[11] with the Local Government Inspectorate receiving 530 complaints, leading to 32 criminal investigation.[10][11][12] These problems are compounded by the fact that candidates for Victorian council elections are not required to disclose political affiliations, and major parties do not back candidates.[8] The Greens are the only party to publicly endorse candidates.[8][13] Voter turnout was also low, with some wards recording voting participation below 50%, and those not voting facing fines.[10][14] To ameliorate these issues and address voter confusion, a review on electoral procedures was undertaken, and set down 55 recommendations in late 2014.[5][10] The report recommendations include capping political donations; mandatory political disclosure; a complete move to postal voting; better, compulsory, education of candidates; and stricter requirements to run for council. Its release was welcomed by Victorian Local Governance Association chief executive Andrew Hollows and Municipal Association of Victoria president Bill McArthur.[5]