Did you choose not to exercise your right to vote?

Penalty notifications for the 2022 State election

You might receive a 'Notice of penalty reminder' for failing to vote in the 2022 State election, if before the deadline:

• you didn't settle your fine (the 'Notice of infringement') or
• you didn't address your fine in another manner, such as requesting a reconsideration or opting for court appearance.

The 'Notice of penalty reminder' implies that you will need to pay the original fine in addition to a $27.70 charge.

What you can do at this moment

You can settle your fine and charge, request a reconsideration, or opt for court appearance. Discover more information on these choices.

If you do not take action promptly

If you fail to pay your fine or contact us to address it using another method, we will refer your case to Fines Victoria. Following that, you will be unable to request a reconsideration from us, although you can request a reconsideration from Fines Victoria.

The procedure

Step 1: Apparent failure to vote notification

We will send you a letter titled 'Notification of apparent failure to vote' if it appears that you did not cast your vote in an election.

The letter presents an opportunity for you to clarify why it seems that you didn't vote. If you did not vote, you can provide a reason in writing. If you did vote, you can inform us where you voted so that we can verify our records.

Do not disregard it, or you might receive a fine later.

Step 2: Notice of infringement (a fine)

You will receive a 'Notice of infringement' (a fine) if:

• you do not respond to the 'Notification of apparent failure to vote' or
• you responded, but the explanation you provided was not accepted or
• you responded, but we did not receive your response on time.

The fine for failing to vote is .

At this stage, you can request a reconsideration, request a payment plan, or opt for court appearance. Discover more information on these choices.

Step 3: Notice of penalty reminder

If you fail to pay your fine by the deadline or contact us to address it, you will receive a 'Notice of penalty reminder'.

This means you will need to pay the original fine plus a charge.

At this stage, you can request a reconsideration, request a payment plan, or opt for court appearance. Discover more information on these choices.

What are my alternatives?

If you receive a 'Notice of infringement' or a 'Notice of penalty reminder', your alternatives include:

Did not vote in an election?

In Victoria, if you are registered to vote, you are obligated to vote in all Federal, State, and council elections. Failure to vote may result in a fine. Transcript Did not vote? Voting is mandatory in Australia. This means that if you are registered to vote, then you must vote in all Federal, State, and local council elections.

The Australian Electoral Commission operates Federal elections while the Victorian Electoral Commission oversees state and local council elections.

What occurs if you do not cast a vote in a State or local council election? To start, you will receive an 'Apparent failure to vote notice' from the Victorian Electoral Commission. This is your chance to clarify why you did not vote. It is not a penalty, but it is crucial to respond to it. You will have 28 days to reply to this notice.

If you disregard it, or if your justification for not voting is not accepted, you will receive an Infringement Notice. This includes a monetary penalty. You will have 28 days to pay the penalty or take alternative action, such as requesting a review. You can also request a payment plan if you are facing financial hardship.

If you neglect the Infringement Notice, you will receive a Penalty Reminder Notice. This includes an additional charge. You can still seek a review at this stage, but only if you have not already requested one. You are entitled to one review per election offense.

There is a list of grounds on which you can seek a review. If you ignore all the notices, the matter will be forwarded to Fines Victoria.

After this stage, the VEC cannot consider requests for payment plans, payment extensions, or internal reviews.

To learn more about what to do if you receive a notice or non-voting penalty, call 1300 551 575 or visit vec.vic.gov.au.

- Pay your fine: The notice will contain all the payment options.

You can make payment:

- using BPAY phone or internet banking Biller code: 120279 Reference number as shown on your infringement notice

- mailing a bank cheque or money order to the VEC using the reply-paid number shown on your notice (include your name, address, phone number, and infringement number)

- Request a payment plan or extension: If you are struggling to pay your fine in full and on time, you can apply for a payment plan or payment extension.

We will evaluate applications on an individual basis. Your application may be assessed based on the following factors:

- outstanding fine amount

- income

- financial status

- payment history

- any hardship that you are experiencing.

You must submit a written request and include the following details:

- infringement number

- name, address, and contact number

- reason for the request.

To apply, download an Application for a payment plan form (PDF, 1.2MB), complete it, and return it by email or post it to the VEC using the reply-paid number shown on your notice.

Call 1300 551 575 if you require additional information.

Request an internal appraisal You have the option to request an internal appraisal if you believe:

• the decision was in opposition to the law
• there has been an error in identity
• you were uninformed of the notice and it was not personally given to you*
• you had special or extraordinary circumstances.

* If you are submitting an appraisal based on being uninformed, you must do so within 14 days of becoming aware of the notice.

For more information, visit Internal appraisals and special circumstances

To initiate an appraisal, download the Application for internal appraisal form (PDF, 738kB)

Complete it and send it via email or mail it to the VEC using the reply-paid number on your notice.

Call 1300 551 575 if you need more information.

Elect to proceed to court You possess the right to take your matter to the Magistrates’ Court for it to be determined at a formal hearing. If you elect to proceed to court, a magistrate will decide the case and any appropriate penalty.

For more information, visit Proceeding to court

If you do not pay or take action to deal with a 'Penalty reminder notice', we will refer your matter to Fines Victoria for further enforcement action.

When a matter is with Fines Victoria, we cannot consider requests for payment plans, payment extensions or internal appraisals.

Pay your fine with Fines Victoria.

Additional information

If you are unsure about what to do, or you need more information call 1300 551 575.

Want this information in your language? Contact us through an interpreter.

Simple English

• Simple English: what takes place if I do not vote (pdf, 1.5 mb)

Warrandyte District by-election

If you were mandated to participate in the Warrandyte District by-election in August but failed to cast your vote, you could potentially receive a 'Notice of Alleged Non-Voting' from our organization in the upcoming months.

The details provided on this webpage will aid in comprehending the necessary actions to be taken upon receiving such a notice.