| Election Name: | 1961 Victorian state election |
| Country: | Victoria |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1958 Victorian state election |
| Previous Year: | 1958 |
| Next Election: | 1964 Victorian state election |
| Next Year: | 1964 |
| Seats For Election: | All 66 seats in the Victorian Legislative Assembly and 17 (of the 34) seats in the Victorian Legislative Council |
| Election Date: | 15 July 1961 |
| Leader1: | Henry Bolte |
| Leader Since1: | 3 June 1953 |
| Party1: | Liberal and Country Party |
| Colour1: | 080CAB |
| Leaders Seat1: | Hampden |
| Popular Vote1: | 521,777 |
| Percentage1: | 36.44% |
| Swing1: | 0.74 |
| Last Election1: | 39 seats |
| Seats1: | 39 seats |
| Seat Change1: | 0 |
| Leader Since2: | 7 October 1958 |
| Party2: | Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch) |
| Leaders Seat2: | Midlands |
| Popular Vote2: | 552,015 |
| Percentage2: | 38.55% |
| Swing2: | 0.86 |
| Last Election2: | 18 seats |
| Seats2: | 17 seats |
| Seat Change2: | 1 |
| Leader Since3: | 20 April 1955 |
| Party3: | Country Party (Victoria) |
| Popular Vote3: | 102,184 |
| Percentage3: | 7.14% |
| Swing3: | 2.16 |
| Last Election3: | 9 seats |
| Seats3: | 9 seats |
| Seat Change3: | 0 |
| 1Blank: | TPP |
| 2Blank: | TPP swing |
| 1Data1: | 57.94% |
| 2Data1: | 0.18 |
| 1Data2: | 42.06% |
| 2Data2: | 0.18 |
| Premier | |
| Posttitle: | Premier after election |
| Before Election: | Henry Bolte |
| Before Party: | Liberal and Country Party |
| After Election: | Henry Bolte |
| After Party: | Liberal and Country Party |
Elections were held in the Australian state of Victoria on 15 July 1961 to elect the 66 members of the state's Legislative Assembly and 17 members of the 34-member Legislative Council. MLAs were elected for three year terms and MLCs were elected for six year terms. All were elected in single-member districts or provinces using preferential voting.
The Liberal and Country Party (LCP) government of Premier Henry Bolte won a third term in office. It was the first Victorian election at which all seats in both houses were contested by at least two candidates, and the first at which both houses were contested on the same day.
| Date | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 May 1961 | The Parliament was prorogued. | |
| 1 June 1961 | Writs were issued by the Administrator to proceed with an election. | |
| 23 June 1961 | Close of nominations. | |
| 15 July 1961 | Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. | |
| 28 July 1961 | The Bolte Ministry was reconstituted, with two new ministers sworn in. | |
| 1 August 1961 | The writ was returned and the results formally declared. | |
| 1 August 1961 | Parliament resumed for business. |
See also: Results of the 1961 Victorian state election (Legislative Assembly).
The election produced almost no change in the electoral balance.
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See also: Results of the 1961 Victorian state election (Legislative Council).
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| Seat | Pre-1961 | Swing | Post-1961 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Member | Margin | Margin | Member | Party | ||||||
| Moorabbin | Liberal and Country | Bob Suggett | 9.4 | N/A | 8.7 | Bob Suggett | Independent Liberal | ||||
| Oakleigh | Labor | Val Doube | 1.8 | -4.2 | 2.5 | Alan Scanlan | Liberal and Country | ||||