Council elections - Scrutiny, count and results
Preliminary scrutiny
Ballot paper envelopes received throughout the course of the election are checked daily by electoral officers to determine whether they can be accepted for further scrutiny.
An envelope will be rejected (not included in the count) if:
- the declarations are unsigned or signed by an unauthorised person
- the declaration flaps are missing
- ballot papers are returned outside the ballot paper envelope
- it is a duplicate of an envelope already received.
All envelopes are then stored securely until the start of the count.
Scrutiny and count
When
The scrutiny and count of all periodic elections commences at 9am on the Saturday following the close of voting. For supplementary elections, it commences at a reasonable time after the close of voting, as determined by the Returning Officer. Candidates will be advised when the scrutiny and count will commence.
How
The declaration flaps on accepted envelopes are removed and kept to one side. This ensures the anonymity of the ballot. The envelopes are then rearranged and opened. Any ballot papers removed should be for the Council and ballot paper type indicated on the envelope.
If there are more ballot papers removed from an envelope than were mailed out, or different ballot papers than the voter’s entitlement, then they are rejected.
When all ballot papers have been extracted from the envelopes, informal ballot papers are set aside.
Formal ballot papers are sorted, according to first preference votes for each candidate, and counted. Preferences are then distributed, until the required number of candidates are elected.
Ballot paper formality
In Council elections for a ballot paper to be formal, it must have the number 1 against one of the candidate's names, and if there is more than one vacancy, it must have further consecutive numbers against other candidate's names at least up until the number of vacancies to be filled.
For example, if there are 4 vacancies a ballot paper must contain the number 1 against one candidate's name, and at least the numbers 2, 3 and 4 against the names of other candidates. Numbers up to 4 cannot be duplicated or omitted.
A ballot paper is informal if:
- There is no vote marked on it.
- The 1st preference is not indicated.
- A preference is duplicated, or missing, in the sequence of numbers up to the number required.
For more information about ballot paper formality, and to see examples of formal and informal ballots, download the following document: Ballot paper formality (PDF 261 KB).
Scrutineers
One or more scrutineers may observe the conduct of the election and counting of votes. No more than two scrutineers per candidate are permitted in the vote counting place at the same time.
Scrutineers must identify themselves to the electoral officer in charge and submit on the day a completed LG15 Scrutineer Authority Form (228 KB), signed by the candidates.
Scrutineers may observe all proceedings but must not handle ballot papers or other electoral materials. They may query any aspect of the process.
Procedures to conclude the election
| Provisional Declaration |
After the count has been completed, the Deputy Returning Officer will make a provisional declaration of the result, in the presence of any scrutineers. |
| Results |
Electoral Commission SA will publish progressive results on our 2018 Council Elections Results Page from the afternoon of Saturday 10 November. |
| Recounts | An unsuccessful candidate may request the Returning Officer for a recount, provided the request is in writing, specifying the reason, and made within 72 hours after the provisional declaration. The Returning Officer will decide whether the request will be granted. Alternatively, the Returning Officer may initiate a recount. |
| Final Declaration | Where a recount is conducted, the Returning Officer, in accordance with the result of the recount, makes a final declaration. |
| Concluding election procedures |
The Returning Officer concludes the election process by:
|
| Court of Disputed Returns |
The Court of Disputed Returns may consider a petition that disputes the validity of an election. The Court is constituted of a District Court Judge whose powers are set out in Part 13 of the Local Government (Elections) Act 1999. A petition to the clerk of the Court must be lodged within 28 days after the conclusion of the election. A copy of the petition must be served on any person declared elected in the disputed election, and on the Council. If it is alleged that the election is invalid on account of an act or omission of an electoral officer, a copy of the petition must also be served on the Electoral Commissioner. |
Council election fast facts
Council elections (local government) in South Australia
The term local government refers to the system in which 68 local councils operate in South Australia. Visit the Local Government Association of South Australia to learn more.
How many councils are in SA?
There are 68 councils in South Australia, with 67 councils involved in periodic elections every 4 years in November. Roxby Downs Council is currently run by an administrator and does not have elected councillors.
How often and when are council elections held?
The Local Government Act 1999 requires council elections to be conducted by full postal ballot every 4 years in November.
Who conducts council elections?
The Electoral Commissioner, as the returning officer, conducts all council elections.
Who is elected at council elections?
Elections are held for the positions of area councillor, mayor and ward councillors. Councils may have a combination of these positions.
How are members of the council elected?
The electoral system used in council elections in South Australia is the proportional representation electoral system or PR for short.
Proportional representation is the term that describes a group of electoral systems used for elections in multi-member electorates to elect candidates who receive a set proportion of the vote. In Australia, these systems are classified into 3 categories - list systems, mixed-member proportional systems and single transferable vote (STV) systems. In South Australia, the electoral system used is the STV type. Under the STV system, each vote can be transferred between candidates in the order of the voter's preferences.A candidate is elected when their total number of votes equals or exceeds the quota.
How much do council elections cost?
Section 13 of the Local Government (Elections) Act 1999 requires that all costs and expenses incurred by the returning officer in carrying out official duties must be paid from council funds. Accordingly, councils are charged for electoral services on the basis of cost recovery.
The returning officer
Who is the returning officer?
In South Australia, the Electoral Commissioner is the returning officer for all council elections and polls. This includes periodic elections and supplementary elections, which are held when a vacancy occurs for a member in between periodic elections.
What does a returning officer do?
The returning officer is responsible for managing the electoral process and ensuring that the elections are conducted fairly and transparently. For more information about the returning officer's role, refer to the Local Government (Elections) Act 1999.
Who is the deputy returning officer?
The Electoral Commissioner appoints deputy returning officers to undertake important election duties, such as accepting nominations, mailout of ballot material, receiving returned postal votes and conducting the count.
The council voters roll
What is the council voters roll?
For council elections, a council voters roll is created, which is a combination of the state electoral (House of Assembly) roll and electors on the voters roll which is managed by councils. You may be eligible to be on the council voters roll if you are a landlord, organisation, business owner or occupier, or resident non-Australian citizen.
How do I know if I am on the roll?
If you are correctly enrolled for state elections in South Australia, you are automatically included on the council voters roll and will receive ballot papers through the post.
If you are not on the state electoral roll but are eligible to be on the council supplementary roll, you must re-enrol from January 1 of every election year. For further information on eligibility visit our council voters roll page.
Can I vote if I am not on the roll?
No. You must be on the electoral roll by the time it closes.
How do I check or update my enrolment?
If you need to check our update your electoral enrolment you can choose one of the following options:
- Check my enrolment
- Enrol online (first-time voters or to get back on the roll)
- Update my details online (for updates to your address (residential or postal), name or other contact details)
I own a business or investment property in the local council area. Can I vote in that council?
You may be eligible to be on the council voters roll if:
- you own or occupy property in a council area but you are not eligible to be on the House of Assembly electoral roll for that area, or
- you are the designated person of a body corporate or group which owns or occupies land in the council area. For more information visit our council voters roll page.
To enrol under these special provisions you need to contact your local council or visit councilelections.sa.gov.au/council-elections.
Can I vote if I am not an Australian citizen?
You may be able to enrol on the council voters' roll if you live in the council area but are not entitled to be enrolled on the House of Assembly electoral roll. For more information visit our council voters' roll page.
Candidate nominations
Who can nominate for council elections?
In general, you are eligible to nominate if you are an Australian citizen and an elector for your council area. Visit our council candidates page for detailed information on who can and cannot nominate.
How do I know who has been nominated for my council?
After the close of nominations, we announce the names of candidates whose nominations are accepted. Once all candidates are announced, a draw for positions of candidate names on the ballot paper takes place.
The nominations and ballot paper order are published in newspapers in South Australia and candidate information is published on this website.
What is a candidate profile?
Each candidate must provide a candidate profile of up to 1000 characters with their nomination form. They may also provide a photograph.
Candidate profiles are sent to each elector within the ballot pack.
Voting in council elections
Who can vote in council elections?
If you are correctly enrolled for state elections in South Australia, you are automatically included on the council voters' roll and will receive ballot papers through the post.
If you own or occupy property in the council or are the designated person of a body corporate or group which occupies or owns property in the council area, you may be eligible to vote. For more information see our council voters' roll page.
How can I vote?
Voting in council elections is conducted by post. All election materials, including your ballot papers, are mailed directly to the postal address you provided on the electoral roll. The mailout of postal voting packs begins after nominations close. For more information visit our voting in council elections page.
Is voting compulsory?
No. Voting in council elections in South Australia is not compulsory.
How do I receive my ballot pack?
The mailout of postal ballot packs begins after nominations close. Packs that contain your ballot papers, are mailed directly to the postal address you provided on the electoral roll.
What happens between the close of nominations and issuing the ballot packs?
After the close of nominations, the Electoral Commission SA begins printing all ballot papers and candidate profiles for each council where there is an election. Council elections are very complex with 67 councils involved and each council has different combinations of area councillor, mayor and ward councillors. It takes considerable time to coordinate the different combinations of ballot papers and candidate profiles.
What does the ballot pack contain?
The ballot pack contains:
- a ballot paper for each election being contested in the council area for which you are entitled to vote (for example - mayor, area councillors or ward councillors)
- a candidate profile brochure
- a ballot paper envelope (this envelope must be signed by you as the elector to ensure ballot security)
- a reply-paid envelope
- a postal voting guide
What happens to the envelope that contains my details and ballot papers?
When we receive your ballot paper envelope the barcode is scanned to mark your name off the electoral roll. This check is to ensure that you have not already voted.
When the count begins, all flaps (that contain your details and declaration) are removed and separated from the envelopes. Envelopes are then opened and ballot papers are extracted and counted.
Is my vote kept secret?
Yes. On receipt of your ballot paper envelope, and after it is scanned to mark your name off the electoral roll, electoral officers separate the flap (that contains your details and declaration) from the envelope itself. All envelopes containing ballot papers are then combined, opened and ballot papers extracted and counted. This ensures that your vote is kept secret.
Scrutiny and count
What happens after the close of voting?
Once voting closes, the Electoral Commission SA accounts for all returned ballot packs. The preliminary scrutiny and count then begin.
What checks are undertaken?
When you vote, you put your ballot papers into a declaration envelope which needs to be signed before you place it in the reply-paid envelope. To ensure that each elector only votes once, the elector’s roll number on each returned declaration envelope flap is scanned. Ballot paper envelopes received throughout the course of the election are checked daily by electoral officers to determine whether they can be accepted or rejected. Following the check, all envelopes are stored securely until the start of the preliminary scrutiny and count.
When are ballot papers removed from envelopes?
Ballot papers are not removed from envelopes until the preliminary scrutiny and count begin.
Following the close of voting, electoral officers undertake 2 major processes. Firstly, the preliminary scrutiny involves the removal of declaration flaps from envelopes after checks have identified any envelopes that are ineligible to be included in the count (for example, if they have not been signed by the elector). Once the declaration flaps are removed from envelopes, the envelopes are opened and ballot papers removed. The ballot papers are then checked for formality and counted.
For more information, see our scrutiny, count and results page.
When are the elections finalised?
Elections are finalised when the results are officially declared. Once all ballot papers for each council are counted, the deputy returning officer provisionally declares the results. If no requests for re-counts are received within 72 hours, the results are officially declared by the returning officer. Final results are published in newspapers across South Australia, on this website, and on the Local Government Association's website once all elections are finalised.
Past parliamentary elections
1857 – 2006 elections
State election reports
After each state election and by-election, ECSA produces a report which is tabled in Parliament and made publicly available. The reports cover all aspects of an election, including a summary of the results.
District Council of Streaky Bay - Eyre and Flinders Wards
Due to the resignations of two members of the Council, a supplementary election is necessary to fill the vacancies of Councillor for the District Council of Streaky Bay.
Timetable
| Event | Date |
| Roll close | 5pm, Friday 30 April 2021 |
| Opening of nominations | Thursday 27 May 2021 |
| Nominations close | 12 noon, Thursday 10 June 2021 |
| Dispatch of ballot material to electors | Tuesday 22 June 2021 to Monday 28 June 2021 |
| Close of voting (Polling Day) | 12 noon, Monday 12 July 2021 |
| Scrutiny and count | TBA |
Close of roll
The voters roll for this supplementary election closes at 5pm on Friday 30 April 2021.
You can check if you are on the state electoral roll online at the Australian Electoral Commission's .
If you do not appear on the roll and are an Australian citizen aged 18 or over you should enrol immediately via the Australian Electoral Commission .
If you are not eligible to enrol on the state electoral roll you may still be entitled to enrol to vote if you own or occupy a property or are a resident non-Australian citizen.
Contact the Council to find out how on 8626 1001 or visit the District Council of Streaky Bay .
Nominating
Becoming a member of council is a great way to represent and help make a difference to your local community.
The nomination period for the vacancy of Councillor will open on Thursday 27 May 2021 and will close at 12 noon on Thursday 10 June 2021.
If you are interested in nominating, nomination kits will be available from the Council office at 29 Alfred Terrace, Streaky Bay.
A candidate briefing session will be held for intending candidates with a date to be confirmed closer to the event.
General information and resources about nominating for council is also available on our resources for council candidates webpage.
Information in other languages
Electoral Commission SA is committed to ensuring that all South Australian electors understand how to enrol and vote at state elections. Electors who do not speak English well may require extra assistance to engage in the electoral process.
In the following pages, information about how to vote at council elections is available in 21 languages.
If your language is not listed here, or if you would like more information, please call us through an interpreter.
Phone the Translating and Interpreting Services on 131 450 and ask them to them contact Electoral Commission SA on 1300 655 232. This is a free service.