Liberal candidate Anthony Marsh has been tipped as the favourite to win Saturday's election for the Mornington Peninsula seat of Nepean.
But asked why he wouldn't be voting for himself, Mr Marsh was forced to admit he didn't actually live in the electorate.
"I currently live in Mount Martha, which is part of the electorate," he said.
However, the Nepean electorate only covers part of Mount Martha and does not include Mr Marsh's address.
"People don't care where my street sign is - I've been the mayor of this electorate three times over the past five years," he said.
"I show up every day to work for this community."
With Labor opting not to field a candidate in the by-election, One Nation's Darren Hercus and community independent Tracee Hutchison presented as the other main contenders to win the seat.
After casting a vote for himself, Mr Hercus told reporters it was a tight race with a mixed response from voters fed up with empty promises.Â
"We've had a few Liberal voters come over to us for frustrations they've been feeling with their own party," he said.
"I think that people want change. The two-party government system has let a lot of people down."
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who campaigned alongside Mr Hercus, was absent on polling day.
"People will vote for her rather than me. She's incredible ... she just keeps going," Mr Hercus said.
After casting her vote, Ms Hutchison said the area had been overlooked and let down by the major parties for decades.
"I am a very proud Rosebud girl," she told reporters.
"I am putting myself forward as someone who is of this place, who cares deeply about this place."
With no Labor candidate, Ms Hutchison said a lot of voters were looking for an alternative, and she would represent and unify both sides of politics.
Saturday's by-election was triggered by the sudden resignation of Victorian Liberal deputy leader Sam Groth, with the party holding the seat since its inception for all but four years when it fell to Labor.
A strong One Nation showing could back up national polling and the South Australian election result, and bode poorly for the Liberals in the November Victorian election, senior politics lecturer at Monash University Benjamin Moffitt said.
"If they even do somewhat well in Nepean, that's a real problem for the Liberal Party," Dr Moffitt said.
Victoria's Opposition Leader Jess Wilson handed out how-to-vote cards alongside Mr Marsh and acknowledged how important the by-election was for her prospects of becoming the next premier.
"We don't take anything for granted," Ms Wilson said.
"We're the only party down here who are running on a plan to deliver the Rosebud Hospital, to fix the roads, to put more cops on the beat down here."
The electorate takes in the wealthy postcodes of Sorrento, Portsea and Flinders, and low socio-economic areas such as Capel Sound, formerly known as Rosebud West.
The Mornington Peninsula is officially part of metropolitan Melbourne, but does not have comparable services, with public transport and a planned revamp of Rosebud Hospital among key issues for locals.
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