Elections
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When counting the votes after voting finishes, there are several different phases we follow to determine the winner. All of these phases are required by legislation.
To win a seat in the House of Assembly, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of the total formal votes cast in the electoral district they are contesting.
That means more than 50% of all the valid votes. Although the media may often ‘call’ the winner of an election early based on probability, ECSA will not announce a winner until the outcome of the election is certain.
Absolute majority
An absolute majority means a greater number than one-half of the formal ballot papers in the count (that is, 50% + 1)
Example: If there are 6,000 formal ballot papers in the count, the absolute majority of votes is calculated as: 6,000 ÷ 2 = 3,000 + 1 = 3,001
Election night counts
When voting ends at 6:00 pm on election night, most of the votes cast at polling booths that day are counted. After the last voters have left and the doors of the polling booths are closed, election staff open and empty the House of Assembly ballot boxes.
First preference count
Ballot papers are unfolded and are sorted into separate piles according to the number ‘1’ preference (also known as ‘first preference’) marked on them. After they have all been sorted, the number of ballot papers in each pile is counted. The result of the first preference count is recorded and is then published progressively on the ECSA website and in the media.
Informal ballot papers
Any ballot papers that have not been marked correctly by voters are placed into a separate pile, counted and the total number is recorded. These ballot papers will need to be checked again very carefully to determine if they are valid votes (what we call ‘formal votes’) or not (what we call ‘informal votes’).
Two-candidate preferred count
The first preference count is often insufficient to indicate the most likely winner of an election. This is why we next conduct a two-candidate preferred (or 2CP) count.
This time, election staff distribute all the formal ballot papers into just 2 piles – one pile for each of the two candidates predicted to be the leading candidates in the election. Staff look at the ballot papers for all the other candidates and sort them according to whichever of the 2 predicted leading candidates has been given the higher preference by the voter. The 2 piles are then counted, and the result of the 2CP count is recorded and then published on the ECSA website and in the media.
The 2 selected candidates
The 2 candidates chosen for the 2CP count are selected by the Electoral Commissioner because various factors indicate that they are likely to receive the most votes in the election. Sometimes, after counts have been completed at polling booths on election night, it becomes clear that the majority of first preference votes went for a candidate not selected for the 2CP count. When this happens, a corrected 2CP count is undertaken by election staff in the following days.
After these two election night counts are finished, the ballot papers are packaged up in their piles, and securely transported to the returning officer for the electoral district.
Re-check counts
After the election every vote counted on election night is counted again under the supervision of the returning officer for each electoral district.
The returning officer also looks closely at all the ballot papers that were placed in the informal pile on election night. Some ballot papers may in fact be formal and can be counted. Some ballot papers that don’t have all the preferences marked on them can be accepted as formal if they match a voting ticket lodged by a candidate.
Any updates to the results after the re-checks have been done are published on the ECSA website and in the media.
Voting tickets
At House of Assembly elections, candidates can provide ECSA with their preferred order of preferences among all the candidates on the ballot paper. This ‘voting ticket’ is used during the count whenever a voter has numbered some but not all the preferences on their ballot paper, and their preferences match their number 1 candidate’s voting ticket. When this occurs, their ballot paper is ‘saved’ from being informal and is added to the count.
Counts conducted in the week after polling day
Postal, early and declaration votes are counted from the Monday after polling day.
Declaration vote counts
Most votes are counted on election night. But postal votes, early votes and all other types of declaration votes are not counted until the week after polling day.
Before they can be counted, tens of thousands of early votes need to be securely transported to our central processing centre, sorted and then delivered to the returning officer for each district. Tens of thousands of postal votes arriving from South Australia, interstate and overseas will be delivered to returning officers each day by Australia Post until the Saturday 7 days after polling day.
All these ballot papers need to be validated against the electoral roll before we can count them. Returning officers count them progressively during the week after polling day. The counting process for declaration votes is no different to the process described above. Returning officers continue to update the first preference results and 2CP results throughout the week, as more ballot papers get added to the count.
Declaration votes
Any voter who votes somewhere different than a polling booth in their own enrolled district on polling day has to cast a special declaration vote. This includes early votes, postal votes, and votes cast from nursing homes and hospitals. The voter must sign a declaration and their completed ballot papers are sealed inside an envelope. The returning officers do not open the envelopes and include declaration votes in the count unless they are satisfied that the declaration is correct and the voter has only voted once.
Distribution of preferences
On the Sunday, 8 days after polling day, the returning officer brings together all the ballot papers and conducts a final count. Ballot papers are grouped together into separate piles for each candidate and then preferences are distributed until only 2 candidates remain in the count.
A candidate is elected as soon as they receive an absolute majority of votes. In some cases, candidates get an absolute majority of first preference votes and are elected without us needing to distribute preferences to determine the winner. But if no candidate has more than 50% of the votes on first preferences, a distribution of preferences is needed. To learn about how we determine the winner see how the House of Assembly result is determined.
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Electoral communication is an important part of the election process, enabling voters to appropriately inform themselves ahead of casting their vote.
The 'check the source' campaign is aimed at raising awareness of the need to consider and review the source of electoral communication. This is so electors can avoid being misled by disinformation and can cast an informed vote at this state election.
What is electoral disinformation?
Electoral disinformation is information spread regarding the election, or election matters, intended to deceive voters. It may also be called ‘fake news’. Misinformation on the other hand may deceive voters unintentionally.
Disinformation can be disseminated via a range of communication channels but can be particularly prevalent online. Social media and online websites can be a quick and effective channel to spread electoral disinformation. It is therefore very important that you check the source and review whether it can be considered reliable, current and safe.
Checking the source
Is the source reliable?
If you are unsure about the source of the information you can ask:
- Is the information from a reliable and recognisable source?
- Has it come from an accredited media outlet or a verified social media account?
Is the source current?
When was the information published?
Check when the information was first published and the original source of that information. Something posted today is not necessarily current just because it was posted or shared today, it may have originally been created a long time ago and is no longer accurate.
Is the source safe?
If you are suspicious of the source or the content of information being communicated online, particularly via an unsolicited email or social media post, consider whether it is appropriate to be clicking any included link. It may be a scam.
Links
Social media companies have their own policies on content and the terms and conditions of use. Familiarising yourself with this information may also assist you in understanding how information is disseminated on social media.
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The Electoral Commission SA (ECSA) is committed to ensuring all South Australians can vote in the 2022 State Election, including those affected by COVID.
If you are in isolation or quarantine, are a close contact or have developed COVID-19 symptoms, please see your voting options on our COVID affected voters page.
COVID safe voting in polling booths
View our video on how to stay COVID safe this election.
Protection measures in polling booths
The following key protection measures will be adopted in all polling booths to limit the spread of COVID-19 among voters and ECSA staff:
Voters
- mandatory masks
- social distancing
- hand sanitising stations
- queue management
- bring your own pencil or pen
- ensuring voting screens are a minimum of 1.5 metres apart
- frequent cleaning of high-touch surfaces by a dedicated hygiene officer
- electoral officers fully vaccinated.
ECSA staff
- physical distancing guides to distance voters and ECSA staff when presenting to vote
- additional cleaning at polling booths
- frequent use of hand sanitiser
- procedures for a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 by ECSA staff
Please note that these conditions are subject to change based on directives from SA Health.
You can find the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 on the SA Health website.
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Due to the passing of a member of the council, a supplementary election was necessary to fill the vacancy of councillor for Eyre ward.
Timetable
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Roll close | 5:00 pm, Tuesday 30 November 2021 |
| Opening of nominations | Thursday 30 December 2021 |
| Nominations close | 12 noon, Thursday 13 January 2022 |
| Dispatch of ballot material to electors | Tuesday 1 February and Monday 7 February 2022 |
| Close of voting (polling day) | 12 noon, Monday 21 February 2022 |
| Scrutiny and count | 10:00 am Tuesday 22 February 2022 |
Close of roll
The voters roll for this supplementary election closed at 5:00 pm on Tuesday 30 November 2022.
Candidates
At the close of nominations at 12 noon on Thursday 13 January 2022, a total of 3 nominations were received and accepted for the supplementary election. In accordance with the Local Government (Elections) Act 1999, a draw was held to determine the order of candidates names to appear on the ballot paper. The result of the draw and profiles for each of the candidates are printed below. This information is provided by the candidate and neither the returning officer nor the Mid Murray Council takes responsibility or bears liability for the information contained within.
List of candidates and their profiles
Daily returns
Count summary
| Enrolled voters | 2042 |
|---|---|
| Envelopes returned | 623 |
| Envelopes accepted |
608 |
| Envelopes rejected at preliminary scrutiny | 15 |
| Ballot papers not returned in envelope | 0 |
| Voter participation | 623 (30.51%) of the total enrolment |
| Formal votes |
607 |
| Informal votes | 1 |
| Quota | 304 |
First preference votes
Below are the first preference votes received by the candidates in the order they appeared on the ballot paper. Percentages have been rounded to two decimal places.
| Candidate | First preference votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| TREDREA, Wayne | 171 | 28.17% |
| BROKENSHIRE, Deb | 214 | 35.26% |
| GAMERTSFELDER, Jakob | 222 | 36.57% |
Distribution of preferences
After the distribution of preferences Deb BROKENSHIRE obtained 263 votes and was elected under quota.
To view the distribution of votes refer to the Mid Murray Council - Eyre Ward - 21 February 2022.