Electoral Commission of South Australia

The Electoral Commission SA is an independent office which forms part of the Government of South Australia, and which conducts parliamentary state elections every four years.

Electoral Commission SA

Electoral Commission of South Australia LOGO
Agency overview
Formed	2009
Preceding agencies	State Electoral Office (1993-2009) State Electoral Department (1907-1993)
Jurisdiction	Government of South Australia
Headquarters	Level 6, 60 Light Square, Adelaide
Employees	30 (2023)[1]
Annual budget	$16.5 million[2]
Minister responsible	Kyam Maher, Attorney General of South Australia, Minister for Industrial Relations and the Public Sector
Agency executive	Mick Sherry, Electoral Commissioner
Website	Electoral Commission of South Australia

History

In 1907 the then State Electoral Department was established to administer all South Australian parliamentary elections. It was renamed to State Electoral Office in 1993, and to Electoral Commission SA in 2009.^[3] Prior to this, elections in South Australia were administered by a "Returning Officer for the Province", an office which had been held by William Boothby from his appointment in 1854 until his death in 1903.^[4] George Hamilton Ayliffe, a long standing public servant, filled the role in the 1905 and 1906 elections and Charles Llandaff Mathews was the first state returning officer appointed under the State Electoral Department.

More than 120 parliamentary elections, by-elections and referendums have been conducted by this Office. The State Electoral Commissioner was first empowered to conduct miscellaneous elections in 1980, and later in 1990 the Attorney-General gave approval for the Commissioner to be appointed returning officer for local government elections when requested. In 1999 the Electoral Commissioner was appointed returning officer for all local government elections.

The Commission was the first electoral administration in the world to use computer technology to produce an electoral roll, the first prototype roll scanner, and the development and use of cardboard ballot boxes and voting compartments.^{[citation needed]}

Since 2017, the electoral commissioner has been Mick Sherry.^[5] For the previous decade, the electoral commissioner was Kay Mousley,^[6] who was the first woman in the role.^[7]

Redistributions

Redistributions are handled by the South Australian Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission, an independent commission established under the state constitution. The electoral commissioner is a member of this commission.

See also

• South Australia portal

• Elections in Australia