Received a fine relating to failure to vote and need more information?

Published on 27 Aug 2021

If you failed to vote in the 2020 local government elections, and you did not resolve your fine with the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC), a Notice of Final Demand is issued by Fines Victoria.

What steps were taken to inform me about my fine?

After you did not vote, an Apparent Failure to Vote Notice would have been sent to you by the VEC, to give you the opportunity to explain.

After this notice was sent, if:

• a response to the Apparent Failure to Vote Notice was not received from you, or
• your excuse for not voting was not considered valid or sufficient

an Infringement Notice would then have been issued to you.

If you did not pay this Infringement Notice, a Penalty Reminder Notice was issued.

If you still did not pay, the fine was then registered with Fines Victoria. A Notice of Final Demand has now been issued to you.

What are my options?

If you have received a Notice of Final Demand, you can:

• pay the fine
• apply for a payment extension
• apply to pay by instalments
• request a review if you believe the fine was unfairly issued or there is a valid reason why it should be withdrawn.

We are unable to grant a review application on the ground of person unaware if you did not update your authorised address within 14 days of moving house (s 33(4) of the Fines Reform Act 2014).

For more information, see Notice of Final Demand.

Can I deal directly with the VEC, instead of Fines Victoria?

No – once a matter is registered with Fines Victoria, the VEC cannot consider requests for payment plans, payment extensions or reviews.

For more information regarding fines issued for this election, please visit Victorian Electoral Commission.