When is the next local government election? The next ordinary election will be held on Saturday 18 October 2025.
City elections are conducted as postal elections by the Western Australian Electoral Commission (WAEC).
The WAEC will appoint a Returning Officer in August 2025 to oversee the election. The Returning Officer is responsible for candidate nominations, management of polling places and polling place staff, and supervising the election.
The Returning Officer's contact details will be published here once available.
For queries relating to the election, contact Mark Thornber, Senior Governance Advisor, on 9272 0614 or Karen D’Cunha, Coordinator Governance, on 9208 2402, or email governance@bayswater.wa.gov.au
- One North Ward Councillor position
- Two West Ward Councillor positions (One 4-year term and one 2-year term)
- One South Ward Councillor position
- One Central Ward Councillor position.
In 2023, the State Government introduced optional preferential voting for local government elections.
Optional preferential voting is similar to the way you vote in State and Federal elections; however, with optional preferential voting in the local government elections, you do not have to assign every candidate with your preference. You can vote for one, some, or all candidates on the ballot paper.
With optional preferential voting, if the candidate you have given your first preference to is eliminated from the count, your vote will be redistributed to your next preference on the ballot paper. This process continues until one candidate has the majority of votes.
The WAEC will begin lodging election packages with Australia Post on 17 September 2025. Delivery is dependent on normal Australia Post standards.
Your election package will include ballot papers, instructions on how to vote, a list of candidates and a declaration.
You may vote at home and post the completed ballot papers directly to the WAEC using the reply-paid envelope.
If you are using the postal service, we recommend posting your completed ballot papers by Wednesday 8 October 2025 to ensure they are received in time.
Alternatively, you can drop your completed ballot papers into the ballot box at the City of Bayswater Civic Centre reception at 61 Broun Avenue, Morley no later than 6pm, Saturday 18 October 2025.
The Civic Centre reception is open from 8.30am to 4.30pm on weekdays.
The City of Bayswater will be open from 8.30am until 6pm on Saturday 18 October 2025.
No. Voting in a local government election is not compulsory in Western Australia; however, all electors are strongly encouraged to vote.
No. Early or absent voting is not available for postal elections. If you are going to be away at the time of the election, you will need to have someone forward your ballot voting package to you.
You may vote if you are on the City's resident roll or on the owner/occupier roll if you are a non-resident in the City of Bayswater. Please note the requirements for being on the owner/occupier roll changed from 1 January 2024.
Refer to How to enrol to vote for more.
You are automatically enrolled to vote if you are on the State electoral roll. The roll closes at 5pm, Friday 22 August 2025. If you are not already on the State electoral roll and meet the eligibility criteria, or if you have changed address or turned 18 years of age recently, you must complete an enrolment form. You may enrol online or check your enrolment status on the WAEC website: Check Your Enrolment.
If you are a resident in the City of Bayswater, you are likely already enrolled to vote in the ward in which you reside. Check the status of your enrolment at Check Your Enrolment (elections.wa.gov.au).
If you do not live in a ward of the City of Bayswater but own or occupy rateable property in that ward (and are on the State or Federal electoral roll), you may be eligible to vote in the City election for that ward by enrolling to be on the non-resident owner/occupier roll.
Please note the requirements for being on the owner/occupier roll changed from 1 January 2024.
Refer to How to enrol to vote for more.
A corporate body or a body corporate is a separate legal entity. It may be a business that has been incorporated (Pty, Ltd), an incorporated association or a strata.
A corporate body can nominate up to two nominees to vote on behalf of the entity. The nominees must be an officer or employee of the corporate body who is is not already on the residents roll, or the owner/occupier roll, in a different capacity.
If you are a nominee for a body corporate, your nomination will expire when you are no longer an employee or officer of the body corporate.
Please refer to How to enrol to vote for more.
If you are the owner of the property, your enrolment will expire when you cease to own the property at which you are enrolled.
If you are the occupier of a property, your enrolment will expire when you cease to occupy the property, or six months after the holding of the second ordinary election after your enrolment claim is accepted (whichever comes first).