Candidate information

Candidates and their supporters play a vital role in the democratic process. If you're considering standing for election, it's important to understand the nomination process and your responsibilities under Northern Territory electoral laws.

With 16 councils going to election, you can nominate to run for mayor (in some councils) or as a councillor to represent your local community.

To be eligible to nominate as a candidate, you must be:

an Australian citizen
18 years of age or older
enrolled to vote in the local government area you are nominating for
a resident within the local government area.

Learn why you should nominate and how to run a campaign on LGANT website.

Campaigning and advertising

To protect the integrity of elections, there are laws that regulate campaign material and activities.

Campaign material is defined as an advertisement, document or any other thing that is intended to promote the electoral prospect of a particular candidate or group of candidates for an election, including (but not limited to):

an electoral advertisement
a printed document containing an electoral matter (for example, a handout, pamphlet or how-to-vote card)
a message containing an electoral matter sent by telephone or broadcast by electronic means
published materials containing electoral matter
car stickers or decals
a campaign sticker.

Campaigning activity involves actions such as:

canvassing for votes: actively seeking the support of potential voter; this includes handing out campaign material.
soliciting votes: asking individuals to vote in favour of a particular candidate
encouraging people not to vote for a specific candidate
displaying election-related notices or signs: putting up signs or notices about the election
broadcasting content that can be heard by the public using sound amplification tools such as loudspeakers, public address systems, or similar devices.

For more information about campaigning view the following resources:

At a voting centre during the voting period

Campaign materials are not allowed within 10 metres of the entrance to the voting centre during voting hours.

The NT Electoral Commission only enforces the placement of campaign material around voting centres throughout the voting period.

All other placement of campaign material

Outside of the voting period, some local councils and the Department of Infrastructure and Logistics (DLI) have rules in place for campaign material, this may include:

Location
Size
When signage can be displayed and when signs must be removed.

If you wish to place signs on private property, check with the local council, as there may be rules you must abide by.

Before placing campaign material on private property, you must get permission from the building and/or property owner.

No campaign materials can be placed on Power and Water assets.

The NT Electoral Commission does not regulate all other placement of campaign material.

Speak with the local council and relevant government departments for the most up-to-date information.

Councils with published policies:

Department of Logistics & Infrastructure (DLI):

Election signage and mobile roadside booths policies

Scrutineers

Scrutineers for candidates play an important role in maintaining the integrity of the election process.

As a scrutineer you can observe the conduct of the election, including the counting of votes, and provide assurance that everyone has followed the electoral rules and procedures.

Scrutineers can observe the following activities during the voting and counting period:

sealing of ballot boxes at the start or end of voting
voting at early voting centres, mobile voting centres and election day voting centres (this does not include viewing how voters cast their vote)
issuing officers asking voters their name, enrolled address and whether they have voted before in the election
the voting centre manager providing voter assistance
election night counts at voting centres and scrutiny centres
entering of voter preferences on ballot papers into the Easy Count system
admittance and rejection of declaration votes at a scrutiny centre
admittance and rejection of postal votes at a scrutiny centre.

Candidates can appoint scrutineers to represent them during the voting and counting period.

Each candidate may appoint the following at any time:

voting centre during the voting period: one scrutineer per voting centre
security centre during the count period: one scrutineer per candidate for each count table that is counting ballot papers that include that candidate.

Download a scrutineer appointment form PDF (218.7 KB).

Scrutineers must present their completed appointment forms, signed by the candidate before entering a voting or counting centre to scrutineer. The form includes a commitment which the scrutineer must sign that they will not attempt to influence voters or reveal confidential information about a voter’s choice.

Additional approval processes are required for scrutineers to attend urban mobile voting locations including correctional facilities and hospitals. These requirements are determined by the facility.

Donation disclosure

Candidates in the 2025 Local Government Elections must follow rules for reporting donations and loans.

If you receive donations totalling $200 or more from the same donor during the disclosure period, you must submit a campaign donation return with details of the donation and donor.

If you receive a loan of $1,500 or more (not from a bank or financial institution) during the disclosure period, you must also submit a campaign donation return with details of the loan and lender.

You must not accept any anonymous donations or loans during the disclosure period.

If you do not receive any donations or loans, or the amounts are below $200 for donations or $1,500 for loans, you do not need to submit a return. You also do not need to submit a ‘nil’ return.

Donors and lenders do not have to submit returns for local government elections.

Download the

The disclosure period for the 2025 Local Government Elections starts on Tuesday 1 July 2024 and ends Monday 22 September 2025.

Campaign donation returns are due on 1 November 2025.

Candidates only need to submit one campaign donation return for the entire disclosure period (unlike Legislative Assembly elections, which require multiple returns).

Candidates must keep all records related to donations or loans reported in a campaign donation return for at least 4 years.