The South West ward by-election nominations will open on Thursday, October 22, and close at 12pm Wednesday October 28.

Electoral commissioner Warwick Gately encouraged anyone interested in representing their local community to nominate and reminded prospective candidates to check their eligibility before nominating.

"The eligibility requirements for candidates have changed," he said.

"If you are thinking about standing for election, make sure to confirm your eligibility and complete the mandatory online candidate training before lodging your nomination.

MORE ELECTION NEWS:

"This includes candidates who are currently or have previously been a councillor."

Prospective candidates are strongly encouraged to attend the online candidate information session.

The candidate session will be held online via Cisco Webex at: 7pm on Tuesday October 20.

A link will be available at vec.vic.gov.au before 6.30 pm on Tuesday 20 October.

Candidates must make an appointment with the Election Manager during business hours in order to lodge their nomination form and pay their $250 nomination fee.

They must have completed the online candidate training, as this is required by law and will need to be confirmed on each candidate's nomination form.

Candidates may make a nomination appointment with the Election Manager by calling 1300 128 940.

Candidates can also pre-fill their nomination and other candidate forms using the online Candidate Helper at candidatehelper.vec.vic.gov.au, available from 15 October.

Late nominations cannot be accepted.More information on nominating as a candidate is available at vec.vic.gov.au, and Candidate Information Kits can be downloaded from the VEC website or requested from the Election Manager.

While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Stawell Times-News. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the region, sign up here.

If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Stawell Times-News, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Stawell's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great town.