Key council election dates:

5:00 pm 4th January 2027 - Close of rolls. If you're enrolled to vote in SA state elections, you'll automatically be enrolled to vote in council elections.

26th January 2027 - Nominations open. If you're interested in running for council, then you will need to nominate to become a candidate.

12 pm 9 February 2027 - Nominations close. You must submit your nomination before the deadline. Learn how to nominate here.

11-17th March 2027 - Ballot packs are mailed out.  The Ballot pack will be sent out to your mailing address that was included on your enrolment. Instructions and guides are included in the pack.

5:00 pm 7th April 2027 - Voting is closed! You must return your ballot papers, so they reach the electoral commission before the deadline.

How to enrol

For first time voters there are three different forms you can use to enrol to vote in council elections. If you're unsure of your council area use the Find my council map.

• Form 1 - Natural person: This form is for a non-resident owner/occupier who owns property in the council are; is the only owner/occupier and doesn't live or occupy that property
• Form 2 - Body corporate: This for is for sole business owners or sole occupiers who occupy any type of rateable property in a council area and on the assessment record at the Council.
• Form 3 - Group owners/Occupiers: This form is for residents whose property is jointly owned or occupied by businesses, individual persons or a combination of both.

You can check your enrolment here

Update your enrolment here

If you don't reside in the district but own a property in it, you may still need to enrol in the election.

Enrolling as a Business

If you own or occupy a business in a council area different to the one you live in, then you may be eligible to vote in a council or ward election. For example, if you live in a city or town different from where your business is located you can enrol in the council elections where you live and the one where your business is located. You will get one to vote for the council you live in and one to vote on behalf of your business.

You can only vote once in any one election for council, even if you own multiple properties or businesses in the council or ward. Participating in council elections as a business owner is important because council makes decisions that could impact your business.

Application for Enrolment for a Body Corporate

Enrol as a property owner

You may be eligible to vote in the council area or ward where your property is located. This includes owners or occupiers of holiday houses, investment properties, and business premises.

To be eligible to vote in your property's council area or ward, you must:

• live (primary residential address) in a different council area or ward to the property you own
• be enrolled to vote in SA state elections.

You can only vote once in a council area or ward, even if you own multiple properties in that area.

If you have an investment property in a council separate to the place and council you live in to your investment property, then you may be entitled to two votes if you apply to be included on the investment property's council's voter roll. One vote for where you live , and one for where your investment property is located

Application for Enrolment for a Non-resident Sole Owner or Occupier

Enrol as an organisation

If you live in a property that is owned by more than one owner (for example, a group owner),or occupied by more than one occupier or tenant (for example, a group occupier), you may be entitled to vote if you have lodged an application form with Council for that property.

Check with your council if you're eligible.

If you've been nominated to represent your body corporate or group of owners, you may be eligible to vote.

Application for Group Owners or Occupiers

Enrol as a renter

If you're renting, you can vote in your local council election if you're on the South Australian electoral roll.

Having a say as a renter is important as many of the services council offers are a part of your daily life such as the libraries you visit, streets you walk down, the parks you enjoy, and the bins that go out each week.

Application for Enrolment for a Body Corporate

How to Nominate

There is a nominations kit which helps you prepare your nomination, which must include a candidate profile.

The full nominations kit coming soon.

You can contact the Electoral Commission of SA on 1300 655 232 if you need a hard copy of the nominations kit.

Your nomination must include a candidate profile of no more than 1000 characters. It's recommended to include a including a photo.

The Electoral Commission of SA will publish your candidate profile (and photo if you've supplied one) on their website. It will also be sent to all voters with their ballot pack.

The kit provides information about becoming a candidate for council which includes:

• council elections booklet
• Candidate handbook
• requirements for your candidate profile and photo.

The documents you need to complete:

• completed nomination form (coming soon)
• candidate profile that meets the candidate profile requirements
• candidate photograph (optional).

You can submit your nomination online (preferred), via email or in-person.

• via email to ecsa.nominations@sa.gov.au
• or in-person by taking them into the council you're nominating with.

You can contact the Electoral Commission of SA on 1300 655 232 if you need a hard copy of the nominations form.

For any more information on how to nominate please visit ECSA website

How to vote by post

Voting in council elections is by post or if you are eligible, by telephone. This makes elections easy and convenient for anyone to cast their vote.

You can follow 4 Simple steps to vote.

Step 1: Be enrolled

To vote, you must be enrolled on the South Australian electoral roll. If you are unsure of your status, you can check your enrolment online.

Step 2: Get your ballot pack

You will receive your voting ballot back in the mail. It will be sent to the postal address recorded on the voter's roll. The mailout period of ballot packs begins after the nomination's close (9th of February 2027).

The ballot pack will contain:

• a ballot paper/s
• a candidate profile brochure
• a ballot paper envelope to be signed
• a reply-paid envelope
• a postal voting guide.

Step 3: Filling out your ballot

On your ballot paper, you must number at least the same number of boxes as there are vacancies. Otherwise, your vote will not count.

You must number the boxes in order of preference, starting with 1 for your first choice.

Your ballot paper will tell you how many vacancies there are and how to vote.

You can see the list of candidates on the Electoral Commission SA website. These are the people you can vote for.

Step 4: submitting your ballot

Once you have completed your ballot paper, follow these steps.

1. Place your folded ballot papers in the ballot paper envelope provided.
2. Seal the ballot paper envelope.
3. Ensure the declaration is filled out with your details.
4. Sign the declaration.
5. Place your sealed ballot paper envelope in the reply-paid envelope and seal it.

Your ballot must arrive prior to the voting close date of 5:00 pm, Wednesday 7 April 2027.

If you're unable to vote, please follow this link for more information

Unable to vote | Council Elections

If you would like to look at any more information, then you can visit Home | Council Elections