Victoria's Northcote by-election date set

Voters in the inner-northern Melbourne seat of Northcote will head to the polls in less than two months to select a new state MP.

The November 18 by-election was prompted by the death of Labor's Fiona Richardson from cancer in August.

Union official and speech pathologist Clare Burns will run for Labor while the Greens have nominated Lidia Thorpe, who hopes to become the first Aboriginal woman elected to Victorian parliament.

The minor party is expected to hotly contest the seat after eating away at the ALP's inner-Melbourne vote for some time.

Voters have been urged to check their enrolments ahead of the poll after the November date was confirmed on Thursday.

The electoral roll closes on September 28 and the nomination cut-off for candidates will be October 19.

Ms Richardson held Northcote since 2006 and was Australia's first minister for the prevention of family violence.