Nearly 50 candidates will waltz into council chambers across the state, elected unopposed. Even some of the lucky winners fear the impact on democracy.
This is precisely how nearly 50 candidates will waltz into council chambers across Victoria after no one else nominated – and even some of the winners fear the impact on democracy.This year, 2231 candidates have put their hands up to compete for 646 spots on councils across Victoria, with voting due to take place in October.
In Melbourne’s south-east, long-time Monash councillor Geoff Lake has already won because no one else nominated to run in his ward. Ben Raue, an election analyst at The Tally Room website, said the record number of unopposed councillors in Victoria was a bad outcome for voters.The change will mean most Victorian council areas – 46 out of 79 – are carved up into smaller wards. One councillor will represent each area, rather than larger wards represented by multiple councillors.“It’s not good for democracy – it reduces political competition and reduces options for voters,” Raue said.
“Uncontested elections are much more common when you only elect one person because the election is much less competitive,” he said.“It’s harder to get elected, so people don’t put their hands up because they know they can’t win.”
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