PLEASE explain letters are in the mail to people who did not vote in last October’s Loddon Shire Council elections.
They will be among more than half a million people across Victoria being asked to explain why they should not be fined $99.
Electoral Commissioner Sven Bluemmel said the Victorian Electoral Commission wanted people who receive a notice to respond with a detailed explanation “as the VEC is required to issue a fine of $99 if a person fails to respond in writing within 28 days”. 
“An ‘apparent failure to vote notice’ is not a fine – it’s a chance to explain why you appear not to have voted,’ Mr Bluemmel said.  
:If you respond to the notice in writing with a valid reason and evidence, you are much more likely to be excused.  
“Completing and sending the notice back to us within the 28-day timeframe gives us a chance to consider your explanation and whether you can be excused.”