The October Hobart council elections are at risk of being corrupted unless significant changes are made to the way the local government electoral roll is managed, former lord mayor Sue Hickey says.

Key points: An ancillary electoral roll allows non-residents to vote in council polls

An ancillary electoral roll allows non-residents to vote in council polls Business owners who live in the council area get two votes

Business owners who live in the council area get two votes Aldermen fear the list has been rorted by recruiting university students to register

In state and federal elections, Australian citizens over 18 years of age are listed on the electorate roll and can vote.

But for council elections, there is an ancillary list of voters called the General Manager's Roll (GMR) that allows any resident of Tasmania to vote, even non-citizens ineligible to vote in state or federal polls.

Ms Hickey, who is now the Speaker in the House of Assembly, said it was too easy to get on the list.

"I have phenomenal problems with the General Manager's Roll," she said

In the three days before the GMR closed for the last Hobart City Council elections in 2014, 327 names were added to the list.

Aldermen were so concerned about the potential rorting of the General Manager's Roll they went to the police, says Sue Hickey. ( ABC News: Tony King )

Almost all appeared to be from international students living in and around Sandy Bay.

Alderman and Greens lord mayoral candidate Bill Harvey said the system was at risk of being rorted.

"I'm pretty confident there have been efforts to stack the roll at times to enrol international students onto the roll in order to benefit a particular candidate at a particular election," he said.

After the 2014 election, Alderman Harvey was part of a delegation that took its concerns to Tasmania Police.

Ms Hickey, then lord mayor, was with him.

"I've been worried for the past three elections, and so have several other aldermanic colleagues," she said.

"We were so concerned we took it to the police, but it's not a crime unless you actually fill in someone's ballot form."

Business owners can vote twice

In some cases, the GMR allows individuals to vote twice.

Business owners can vote on behalf of their corporate entity, if they register on the GMR.

So if you own a business and live in the council area you can vote twice, and if you own a property in the council area but live outside it, you can still vote.

And finally — if you live in the council area, whatever your citizenship status, you can vote so long as you register.

Alderman Harvey and Ms Hickey suggested international students were being recruited to vote for particular candidates.

The practice is completely legal.

Council wants to offload roll responsibility

Getting on the GMR was easier than getting a parking permit, says Nick Heath. ( ABC News: Leon Compton )

The Hobart City Council no longer wants to manage the GMR.

"It's not core business for us; running elections is not core business," Hobart City Council general manager Nick Heath said.

"I think it's good governance to have the management of the roll at arm's length from the council, from the council's administration, from the council's political body as well."

The council wants the Tasmanian Electoral Commission to take it over, a call supported by the Local Government Association of Tasmania.

This has not happened, and so, with less than two weeks until the roll closes for the upcoming council elections, the council is bracing for the possibility another deluge of nominations to vote.

But the council said it has made eligibility slightly harder this year.

"It was easier to get on the roll than it was to get a resident parking permit," Mr Heath heath.

This year, proof of residence is required, such as a driver's licence, utility bill or university enrolment form.

Two weeks out from the roll closing, the council said it had completed the most time-consuming part of the administration.

"We've got a duty under the act to make sure the roll is kept contemporary," Mr Heath said.

"It's how we go about the culling and the auditing that takes the time."

'We don't want to be accused of racism'

The ABC door-knocked a residence in Sandy Bay that, according to the council, has six people living there, all of whom signed up to vote in the day prior to the roll closing in 2014.

Despite the Council saying it had worked to update the roll, the new tenants told the ABC the previous household had moved out eight months ago.

Hobart Lord Mayor Ron Christie said he had a range of concerns with the GMR, but on the issue of who was eligible he said, "the last thing we want to be accused of is racism".

"We have 116 communities in Hobart. Some of them are not citizens of Australia. Some of them want to be citizens of Australia but they still do invest in our city and therefore under the GM's roll and according to law they have a right to vote," he said.

"But there needs to be more scrutiny."

International students are part of the community too, says Hans Zhuang. ( ABC News: Leon Compton )

'Students live here, they pay tax'

International students officer at the Tasmanian University Union Hans Zhuang, who is studying accounting, enrolled to vote two weeks ago.

"On the one hand, they [international students] are part of the local community. They live here. On the other hand, they are also taxpayers," he said.

Mr Zhuang said while there were candidates for the Hobart City Council election encouraging international students to enrol, he wanted students to educate themselves about all the candidates and the elections themselves.

"It's more about encouraging international students to learn about what's happening around them," he said.

Mr Heath said the council was watching the GMR applications closely but had not yet seen any evidence of mass nominations.

The GMR closes on September 13.