More than 1,000 candidates will contest Victoria’s state election on 28 November, with the final nominations revealing crowded contests across Melbourne and a sharp reduction in the number of upper house candidates following major changes to electoral laws.

A total of 1,037 candidates have nominated, including 734 for the 88-seat Legislative Assembly and 303 for the 40-seat Legislative Council, according to figures released following the close of nominations on Monday, 9 November.

The number is down from 1,194 candidates at the 2022 election, a reduction of 157, or approximately 13 per cent.

However, the decline has been concentrated in the upper house, where candidate numbers have fallen from 454 in 2022 to 303 this year.

The number of lower house candidates has barely changed, dropping from 740 to 734, suggesting voters will still face a wide field of candidates in individual electorates.

The Victorian Electoral Commission has published candidate lists for all 88 lower house districts and eight upper house regions, allowing voters to identify who is standing in their electorate and the order in which candidates will appear on ballot papers.

The election comes as Premier Ben Carroll seeks another term for Labor, while Opposition Leader Jess Wilson leads the Liberal-National Coalition’s campaign to end more than a decade of Labor government.

One Nation, the Greens, Victorian Socialists, Family First, independents and other smaller parties are also contesting seats.

Labor, the Greens, One Nation and Victorian Socialists have nominated candidates in all 88 lower house electorates, while the Liberals and Nationals are contesting seats across the state.

Some of the most crowded contests are in Melbourne’s established and rapidly growing suburbs.

Footscray has attracted 15 candidates, the highest number of any lower house electorate, while Prahran has 13.

Tarneit, Sydenham and Ripon each have 12 candidates, while Sandringham has just five.

In Melbourne’s west, Tarneit has emerged as one of the most crowded electoral contests.

Labor MP Dylan Wight is seeking re-election against Liberal candidate Venkat Ram Upparlapalle, the Greens’ A. Raheem Rifai and One Nation’s Walter Villagonzalo, among others.

The 12-candidate field also includes representatives of the West Party, Family First, Animal Justice Party, Victorian Socialists and The Republican, alongside other candidates.

In neighbouring Point Cook, Labor’s Mathew Hilakari faces Liberal candidate Raja Reddy and the Greens’ Ponraj Krishna Pandi, with candidates from One Nation and other smaller parties also contesting the seat.

The contests are taking place in communities experiencing continuing population growth, where housing affordability, transport connections, schools, healthcare and the cost of living are among the issues residents will be weighing as they consider their choices.

Across Melbourne’s outer south-east, Pakenham will be contested by Labor’s Alessandra Soliven, Liberal candidate Radmila Dyson and One Nation’s Victorian leader Warren Pickering, alongside other candidates.

The seat was narrowly won by Labor at the 2022 election and will have a new member following the retirement of Emma Vulin.

The election will also see a major change to the way Victorians vote for the Legislative Council.

Group voting tickets, which previously allowed political parties to direct preferences through registered arrangements when voters marked a single box above the line, have been abolished.

Under the new system, voters choosing to vote above the line must number at least five groups in their order of preference. Those voting below the line must number at least five individual candidates.

Political parties can no longer determine the onward distribution of above-the-line preferences through group voting tickets.

Electoral analysts have linked the reform to the smaller number of upper house candidates, as minor parties reconsider where to contest seats without the previous preference arrangements.

Election analyst Ben Raue reported that upper house ballot papers will have between 11 and 15 groups in each region, compared with more than 20 groups in most regions in 2022.

The changes represent one of the biggest differences between this election and the previous state poll.

In Western Metropolitan Region, candidates include Liberal Roshena Campbell, Labor’s Lizzie Blandthorn and Ingrid Stitt, along with candidates from One Nation, the Greens and other parties.

The region will elect five representatives to Victoria’s upper house.

For multicultural communities across Melbourne’s west, north and south-east, the growing diversity of candidates also reflects the increasing involvement of Australians from migrant backgrounds in state politics.

Candidates with Indian and other South Asian backgrounds are among those contesting lower and upper house positions, including candidates standing for major parties and smaller political organisations.

However, a candidate’s cultural background is only one aspect of the contest, with voters also assessing party policies, local commitments and the record of sitting representatives.

The 2026 election will determine all 88 members of the Legislative Assembly and all 40 members of the Legislative Council.

Early voting opens on Wednesday, 18 November and continues until Friday, 27 November.

Election day is Saturday, 28 November, with polling centres open from 8 am until 6 pm.

The Victorian Electoral Commission has urged voters to check their electorate and voting arrangements before polling day.

With nominations now closed and ballot positions determined, the final stage of the election campaign will focus on candidates presenting their policies and seeking support from voters across the state.

Voters can find the complete list of candidates for their lower house electorate and upper house region on the Victorian Electoral Commission website.

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