The first official candidates have been nominated in the Ovens Valley electorate as the Victorian election nomination period opened this week. As of Thursday afternoon, four candidates have officially declared themselves to stand for the Ovens Valley electorate including incumbent Tim McCurdy (Nationals), Steve Manning (Independent), Benjamin Gilbert (The Greens) and Bronwyn Murphy (Victorian Socialists). There’s been seven candidates publicly declaring for Ovens Valley, which includes a last minute Labor candidate who was added to the party page’s website earlier in the week. Jennifer Smith was preselected by Labor to stand as their candidate in the Ovens Valley, who will follow in the footsteps of Zuvele Leschen who secured 20pc of the primary vote in the 2022 state election. The nomination period for candidates of the 2026 Victorian election will be open until midday on Monday 9 November. Early voting opens on 18 November and will be operating until the day prior to election day on 28 November. Victory Church on Ryan Avenue in Wangaratta will serve as the Ovens Valley’s sole early voting centre. The Victorian Electoral Commission is anticipating 60 per cent of voters across the state would be heading to the pre-polls.
