2026 South Australian local elections

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2026 South Australian local elections
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67 of the 68 local government areas in South Australia
Registered1,292,300 [1]

The 2026 South Australian local elections will be held in November 2026 to elect the councils and mayors of 67 of the 68 local government areas (LGAs) in South Australia. [2] The elections will be conducted by the Electoral Commission of South Australia (ECSA). [2]

Contents

No election will be held in Roxby as it is served by an administrator who performs the functions of a council. [3] An election for Coober Pedy is expected to be held for the first time since 2018, after the council was suspended in January 2019 and did not have an election in 2022. [4] [5]

Electoral system

South Australian local elections use partial preferential voting (where voters must number at least the number of seats to be elected) and proportional representation. [6] Voting is conducted entirely via post, and unlike for state and federal elections, it is not compulsory to vote. [7] [8]

Any person eligible to vote in state elections is automatically eligible to vote. [9] Non-Australian citizens, business owners, occupiers of property and non-resident owners of property are able to apply for enrolment in local elections. [9]

Beginning at the 2026 elections, all mayors will be directly-elected. [10] Prior to this, some mayors were directly-elected, while others were chosen by councillors. [11]

Donation disclosure forms

Following the 2022 elections, 45 council members (including three mayors) lost their positions as elected representatives after they did not submit a form about any gifts they received during their election campaigns. [12] The councillors losing their office meant by-elections were required, with ratepayers in each council paying the costs. [12] [13]

In March 2023, the Local Government (Casual Vacancies) Amendment Bill 2023 was passed in the South Australian Parliament, which gave a 10-day extension to all affected council members. [14] [15] This avoided the requirement for by-elections, and meant that decisions made by councillors following the most recent elections (but before the disclosure deadline) remained valid. [16] [17]

Political parties

No political parties endorsed candidates at the 2022 local elections, including the Greens, who endorse in local government elections in all other states. [18] [19] The Greens last endorsed candidates at the 2010 local elections in Port Adelaide Enfield. [20] [21]

Since 2022, all candidates have been required to publicly disclose their political party membership. [22]

Party changes before elections

A number of councillors joined or left parties before the 2022 elections.

CouncilWardCouncillorFormer partyNew partyDate
Adelaide South Henry Davis  Independent   Independent Liberal 13 October 2023 [23] [24]
Holdfast Bay MayorAmanda Wilson  Independent   Independent Liberal 11 October 2024 [25]

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References

  1. ↑ "Enrolment statistics". Electoral Commission SA. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Elections". Electoral Commission SA. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  3. ↑ "About Roxby Council". Roxby Council. Archived from the original on 15 October 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  4. ↑ Lysaght, Gary-Jon (25 January 2019). "Coober Pedy local council suspended over maladministration finding and rising debts". ABC News. Archived from the original on 19 June 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  5. ↑ "Local Government (Defaulting Council) Amendment Bill 2022" (PDF). Parliament of South Australia. 8 September 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  6. ↑ "South Australia". Electoral Council of Australia and New Zealand. Archived from the original on 14 October 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  7. ↑ "Local Government Fact Sheets". History Trust of South Australia. Archived from the original on 16 October 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  8. ↑ "Council elections". City of Onkaparinga. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  9. 1 2 "About council elections". councilelections.sa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 13 October 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  10. ↑ "How councils work". councilelections.sa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 13 October 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  11. ↑ "Southern Mallee District Council Elector Representation Review 2024" (PDF). Southern Mallee District Council. 9 July 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  12. 1 2 Boisvert, Eugene; Campbell, Claire (11 February 2023). "Three ousted South Australian mayors identified as costs set to mount for small councils". ABC News. Archived from the original on 5 October 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  13. ↑ "Local Government (Casual Vacancies) Amendment Bill 2023". Adrian Pederick MP. 22 February 2023. Archived from the original on 23 June 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  14. ↑ "Urgent Bill passed in SA Parliament to reinstate council members". Local Government Association of South Australia. 7 March 2023. Archived from the original on 14 November 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  15. ↑ "Local Government (Casual Vacancies) Amendment Bill". Robert Simms MLC. 7 March 2023. Archived from the original on 18 October 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  16. ↑ D'Agostino, Felice; Mazzachi, Dale (23 February 2023). "From Casual Vacancy to Historical Curiosity". Norman Waterhouse. Archived from the original on 17 October 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  17. ↑ "Bill passed to protect ratepayers from costly by-elections". Premier of South Australia. 7 March 2023. Archived from the original on 18 October 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  18. ↑ Washington, David (12 September 2018). "Haese's "team" draws fresh political opposition". InDaily. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  19. ↑ Boisvert, Eugene (25 September 2018). "Should party politics be involved in local government elections?". ABC News. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  20. ↑ Gago, Gail (11 November 2010). "LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS". Hansard Search. Parliament of South Australia. Archived from the original on 28 December 2024. Retrieved 28 December 2024. Political parties in SA do not generally endorse candidates for council elections, although I understand that this year the Port Adelaide branch of the Greens is officially backing three candidates in various wards for the Port Adelaide election, but here in South Australia that generally is the exception rather than the rule, unlike in many other states where candidates are very strongly political party aligned.
  21. ↑ "Inquiry into Local Government Elections" (PDF). Local Government Association of Tasmania. February 2012. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2024. Retrieved 28 December 2024. No, although six endorsed 'green' candidates at recent elections
  22. ↑ Jones, Erin (26 September 2022). "Candidates reveal party memberships ahead of 2022 local government elections". The Advertiser. Archived from the original on 15 November 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  23. ↑ "South ward city council candidates line up". CityMag. 27 June 2022. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  24. ↑ Kelsall, Thomas (12 October 2023). "City councillor re-joins Liberal Party, weighs up preselection bid". InDaily. Archived from the original on 26 August 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  25. ↑ Bermingham, Kathryn (13 October 2024). "Liberal candidate for Black Amanda Wilson, who joined the Liberal Party on Friday, reveals she was previously a member of the Greens". The Advertiser. Archived from the original on 13 October 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
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