ECSA Research
ECSA is legislatively empowered to conduct, promote and publish research into electoral matters. We value the important role that research plays in informing our decisions and improving the way that elections are run in South Australia.
ECSA conducts innovative research and analysis on a broad range of electoral issues. We monitor the quality of elections and carry out surveys on public attitudes and knowledge about voting and democracy. We seek to better understand the experiences and expectations of electors, candidates and election staff. We collate and analyse data and information about elections and publish the findings on our research webpage.
The objectives of our research program are:
- To improve knowledge and understanding of electoral matters
- To develop and publish research projects that inform and influence change
- To influence changes to legislation and operational procedures
- To produce research that is used or referenced by external stakeholders
- To build research partnerships and to encourage research into electoral matters.
Information about ECSA’s research program and approach to conducting, supporting and publishing electoral research is explained in the ECSA Research Framework.
Research publications
ECSA carries out impartial analysis and statistical research into topical issues related to South Australian elections. This research and analysis is published online to create a research knowledge base about elections.
Research publications are presented in a variety of different formats that are free to read, including:
New publications are added regularly.
The author of the publications is ECSA’s Senior Research Officer, Dr Daniel Marx. Daniel is a political scientist with a particular interest in elections and has been an electoral observer in Middle East-North African countries. He holds a Master’s in Political Science from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (France) and a PhD from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain). His PhD thesis was titled ‘How to rig elections. An analysis of electoral manipulation strategies in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, 1989-2009.’ Daniel’s research interests are electoral systems, political representation, election integrity and electoral fraud.
Research reports
In-depth analysis of a particular topic of interest. Research reports are generally the outcome of a research project.
Raising turnout at council elections with social pressure: evidence from a field experiment (PDF, 1.9MB)
, February 2022
This report presents the results of a research project funded by the Local Government Association of SA into the effects of social pressure on voter participation. A field experiment conducted at 4 council elections demonstrated that messaging exerting social pressure on electors can lead to significant increases in voter turnout.
Electoral trends and issues papers
Data and analysis about single topical issues relating to South Australian elections, presented in a concise, one-page, rapid-response format.
Postal voting – a voting service (mostly) for the elderly
, March 2025
The 2022 State Election saw a record number of postal voters. This Paper looks at postal voting data from this election and, in particular, the age profile of the electors who voted by post. It highlights the extent to which this is overwhelmingly a voting service used by older South Australians.
The dangers of an ageing election workforce and how to transform one
, January 2021
At the recent US election, COVID-19 underscored the dangers of relying on an elderly workforce to run elections. Australia has an ageing election workforce too. This paper looks at why more young people are needed to run elections and at a blueprint from Victoria for rejuvenating an election workforce.
Pay to play - the cost of candidate nomination deposits around Australia
, October 2020
Before running for parliament anywhere in Australia candidates must pay a deposit. The amount charged varies but South Australian deposits are the highest in the country. This Paper explores why deposits are high here and the effects (positive and negative) that raised entry costs can have on democracy.
Indirect elections to South Australia’s Legislative Council
, August 2020
In April, Ms Nicola Centofanti became South Australia’s newest MP after she was selected by a joint assembly to serve in the Legislative Council. This Paper looks at indirect elections to fill vacancies in the upper house, and highlights a legal grey area that could complicate these elections in future.
The decline in support for major parties in South Australia
, July 2020
This paper highlights the decline of the Labor and Liberal parties’ vote at South Australian elections. Despite winning 94 per cent of all House of Assembly seats since 1980, in this period the two major parties’ share of the vote has dropped by 20 percentage points.
Who are South Australia’s non-voters?
, July 2020
After the 2018 State Election, 37,480 South Australians were issued fines for failing to vote. This paper uses ECSA’s data from the 2018 State Election to provide a demographic snapshot of who the non-voters are.
Turnout at South Australian elections since colonial times
, June 2020
South Australia has held parliamentary elections without interruption since 1857. This paper analyses historical voter turnout, showing the impact of the extension of voting rights and the introduction of compulsory voting.
Why South Australians fail to vote at council elections
, June 2020
South Australia’s council elections are among the largest elections in the country not to be held under a compulsory voting regime. This Paper looks at electors’ reasons for not voting when there is no legal obligation on them to do so.
Charting the rise of pre-poll voting in South Australia
, May 2020
This Paper charts the rise of pre-poll voting over the past 35 years in South Australia, initially extremely slowly but then surging spectacularly since 2010. Understanding why pre-poll voter numbers have increased and how to cater to them is one of ECSA’s current research priorities.
South Australians’ attitudes towards internet voting
, April 2020
Electoral commissions are regularly told that internet voting is an overdue replacement to pencil-and-paper voting. The South Australian public has a more nuanced attitude. This Paper looks at survey data showing South Australians’ likelihood to vote online and their confidence in the security of internet voting.
The decline of ordinary voting and its consequences
, March 2020
There has been a steady decline in the past 35 years in the proportion of electors voting at a polling booth in their own electorate on polling day. This Paper charts this decline and considers the significant repercussions for voters, for candidates and for ECSA.
Turnout at Australian by-elections
, February 2020
Turnout at by-elections around Australia is on average over 10 percentage points lower than at general elections. This paper collates and compares turnout data at the three most recent by-elections in each Australian jurisdiction and compares it with the most recent general election held there.
South Australia’s Register of Declaration Voters
, January 2020
This paper tracks the growth of South Australia’s Register of electors who automatically vote by post at each election. Since it was introduced in 1985, the Register has grown greatly both in numbers of electors registered and in the categories of electors entitled to register.
Briefing papers
Timely, impartial analysis and research about electoral issues currently relevant to ECSA and its stakeholders.
What’s in a name? The naming conventions of electorates around Australia
, October 2020
Electorates in South Australia are named after geographical names, Aboriginal names or increasingly to honour famous dead people. But there are big disparities in who gets naming honours. This Paper explores these disparities, as well as the different naming conventions around Australia and the pros and cons of each naming option.
The under-representation of women in South Australia’s Parliament
, August 2020
South Australia once led the nation in granting women the right to vote and stand for parliament, but now has the fewest female MPs of any Australian jurisdiction and is alone in falling below the UN’s critical threshold of 30% female representation. This Paper looks at key data about women in parliament and considers the factors hampering women's participation in politics.
Low awareness of pre-poll voting in South Australia
, June 2020
South Australia lags at the tail end of Australasia in pre-poll voting for a few reasons. This Paper focuses on electors’ low awareness of the existence of pre-poll voting and on a unique provision of the state’s electoral law designed to discourage pre-poll voting for convenience by obliging ECSA to only promote and encourage the casting of votes on polling day.
Electoral campaigning in the time of COVID-19
, April 2020
COVID-19 has disrupted many aspects of life and elections are no exception. In the lead-up to a recent council election, a few intending candidates claimed that the pandemic would negatively impact their ability to campaign, thereby undermining the integrity of the election. This Paper explores the functions of electoral campaigns and whether these are affected by COVID-19.
Electoral backgrounders
Papers exploring more complex aspects of South Australian elections in depth.
Voting tickets – a unique feature of South Australia’s lower house elections
, September 2020
South Australian lower house elections have a unique feature known as the voting ticket designed to ‘save’ informal votes that are incompletely numbered. This Backgrounder explores how voting tickets function, how many votes they save, some of the benefits and concerns associated with their use and what alternatives exist to address the state’s high levels of informality.
South Australia’s council supplementary elections
, March 2020
Every year ECSA conducts an average of ten council supplementary elections – the equivalent of by-elections in the parliamentary system. This paper explores the frequency of these elections, the reasons why they are held, levels of participation both of voters and candidates, as well as the costs and administrative burden associated with holding them.
ECSA research publications are released under a Creative Commons licence. Any content republished must be attributed to the author and not be altered, transformed, or built upon, nor used for commercial purposes without our permission (Research paper copyright).
Contact us
If you would like to know more about our research or receive alerts when we publish new research, please contact
For all media enquiries relating to electoral research, please contact
Data and statistics 2019-20
Our year at a glance
Following is a snapshot of data and statistics from the 2019-20 financial year.
Download a copy of the Annual Report 2019-20.
Our highlights
Our people
| Number of staff | 30 | |
| FTEs | 27.83 | |
| Gender | Persons | FTE |
| Female | 53% | 51.5% |
| Male | 47% | 48.5% |
| No. persons separated from the agency during 2019-20 | 4 | |
| No. persons recruited to the agency during 2019-20 | 2 | |
| No. persons on leave without pay at 30/6/20 | 7 | |
Elections
Summary of council elections
| Council | Date | Ratio of candidates to vacancy | No of electors on roll | Election contested | Participation (no) | Participation (%) |
| Mid Murray Council Shearer Ward |
8/7/19 | 4:1 | 3,127 | Y | 1,118 | 35.75% |
| Wattle Range Council Corcoran Ward |
9/9/19 | 4:1 | 4,113 | Y | 1,677 | 40.77% |
| District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula Area Councillor |
8/10/19 | 3:1 | 3,830 | Y | 1,192 | 31.12% |
| District Council of Robe Area Councillor | 11/11/19 | 3:1 | 1,276 | Y | 619 | 48.51% |
| District Council of Ceduna Area Councillor | 9/12/19 | 2:1 | 2,114 | Y | 962 | 45.51% |
| District Council of Grant Central Ward | 9/12/19 | 3:1 | 4,405 | Y | 1,189 | 26.99% |
| City of Marion Woodlands Ward | 9/12/19 | 7:1 | 11,048 | Y | 1,792 | 16.22% |
| District Council of Mount Remarkable Willochra Ward | 9/12/19 | 2:1 | 1,201 | Y | 503 | 41.88% |
| District Council of Franklin Harbour Area Councillor | 24/2/20 | 2:1 | 891 | Y | 533 | 59.82% |
| City of Port Adelaide Enfield Enfield Ward | 24/2/20 | 8:1 | 15,164 | Y | 4,417 | 29.13% |
| District Council of Yankalilla Light Ward | 24/2/20 | 3:1 | 2,320 | Y | 973 | 41.94% |
| City of Adelaide Central Ward | 11/5/20 | 8:1 | 11,689 | Y | 2,193 | 18.76% |
Council vacancies
Councils carrying a vacancy during this period were:
- Kangaroo Island Council
- Port Pirie Regional Council
- District Council of Orroroo Carrieton.
These councils adopted a policy not to fill a casual vacancy until the next general election, however if a subsequent vacancy occurs prior to January 2022, a supplementary election must be held to fill all the vacancies.
Council polls
The District Council of Coober Pedy held four concurrent polls. The mailout occurred on 1 October 2019 with the scrutiny and count held on Tuesday 22 October 2019. The total number of enrolled electors was 985. Three hundred and fifty envelopes were returned, for a participation rate of 35.53%.
| Question | In favour (no.) | In favour (%) | Opposed (no.) | Opposed (%) | Informal (no.) | Informal (%) | Total ballot papers |
| Question 1: Do you support the Council conducting a poll of electors on every occasion when it proposes to increase municipal rates by more than CPI? | 255 | 74.78% | 86 | 25.22% | 0 | 0.00% | 341 |
| Question 2: Do you support the Council selling its electricity assets and business to the State Government should it be financially sensible to do so? | 175 | 51.17% | 167 | 48.83% | 0 | 0.00% | 342 |
| Question 3: Do you support the Council selling its water assets and business to the State Government should it be financially sensible to do so? | 183 | 53.35% | 160 | 46.65% | 0 | 0.00% | 343 |
| Question 4: Do you support the term of administration of the Council being continued until the next scheduled general election for the Council in November 2022? | 240 | 70.38% | 100 | 29.33% | 1 | 0.29% | 341 |
Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands Executive Board elections
ECSA conducted 3 supplementary elections for the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Executive Board in November and December 2019.
These elections were held to fill 3 vacancies, 1 within each of the following communities:
- Mimili – 1 female member
- Amata and Tjurma – 1 male member
- Pukatja, Yunyarinyi, Anilalya and Turkey Bore – 1 male member
| Electorate | Date of election | Number of electors | Election contested? | Participation (no.) | Participation (%) | Electoral system used |
| Mimili | 13/11/19 | 194 | No – Ms Julieanne Campbell elected unopposed | - | - | Single-member first past the post voting |
| Amata and Tjurma | 13/11/19 | 258 | No – no eligible nominations received | - | - | Single-member first past the post voting |
| Pukatja, Yunyarinyi, Anilalya and Turkey Bore | 4/12/19 | 374 | Yes – Mr Gary Lewis elected | 81 | 21.66% | Single-member first past the post voting |
Other statutory elections
| Organisation | Date | Election type | Election contested? | No. elected | Electoral system used | No. of electors |
| The Architectural Practice Board of South Australia | 18/3/20 | Election of Board members | Y | 3 | Proportional representation | 912 |
| South Eastern Water Conservation and Drainage Board – Northern Zone | 22/6/20 | To elect 1 Landholder to the Board | N | 1 | Single-member plurality voting | 831 |
| South Eastern Water Conservation and Drainage Board – Central Zone | 22/6/20 | To elect 1 Landholder to the Board | N | 1 | Single-member plurality voting | 1066 |
The elections for the South Eastern Water Conservation and Drainage Board are held every four years. In total, three elections are managed for the following electoral zones; Central Electoral Zone, Northern Electoral Zone and Southern Electoral Zone. At the close of nominations on Monday 22 June 2020, only 1 nomination was received for the Central Electoral Zone, with Brett McLaren elected unopposed, and the Northern Electoral Zone, with Miles Weston Hannemann elected unopposed.
Two nominations were received for the Southern Electoral Zone. Ballot packs were sent out to those eligible electors with the election being finalised in the 2020 – 21 financial year.
Community and commercial elections
| Organisation | Date | Election type | No. elected | Voting method | No. of electors |
| Department of Treasury and Finance | 26/7/19 | Enterprise Agreement ballot | - | FPTP* | 193 |
| Department of Treasury and Finance | 11/10/19 | Enterprise Agreement ballot | - | FPTP | 192 |
| Civil Contractors Federation SA Board Election | 26/9/19 | Election of Board members | 7 | FPTP | 145 |
*First past the post
Enrolment
South Australia enrolment rate at 30 June 2020
| Enrolment | 30 June 2020 | 30 June 2019 | 30 June 2018 | 30 June 2017 | 30 June 2016 |
| Enrolment for federal/state and state only electors | 1,224,894 | 1,216,151 | 1,201,245 | 1,187,714 | 1,185,994 |
| Voting Eligible Population* | 1,263,503 | 1,248,996 | 1,241,490 | 1,241,031 | 1,234,717 |
| Total enrolled as % of Voting Eligible Population* | 96.9% | 97.4% | 96.8% | 95.7% | 96.1% |
Electors enrolled by age group at 30 June 2020
| Age group | No. | % of Voting Eligible Population* |
| 18-24 | 109,517 | 81.5% |
| 25-34 | 187,109 | 97.4% |
| 35-44 | 190,314 | 98.8% |
| 45-54 | 204,532 | 98.2% |
| 55-64 | 209,952 | 98.2% |
| 65+ | 323,470 | #99.0% |
| Total enrolled | 1,224,894 | 96.9% |
*Voting Eligible Population percentages are calculated by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) based on Estimated Eligible Population using ABS citizen population figures for 30 June 2017 (final) and 30 June 2019 (preliminary) based on the 2016 Census. ABS data is adjusted by the AEC and projected forward to the relevant date, then adjusted for British Subjects, those of unsound mind, overseas electors and new citizens since the Census.
# Enrolment rates above 99.0% are not reported due to error associated with calculating Estimated Eligible Population which may overstate the actual enrolment rate.
Enrolment transactions 2017 to 2020
| Enrolment activity | 2019-20 | 2018-19 | 2017-18 | 2016-17 |
| As at 1 July of each year | 1,216,151 | 1,201,245 | 1,187,714 | 1,185,994 |
| Additions to the roll | 2019-20 | 2018-19 | 2017-18 | 2016-17 |
| New enrolments* | 23,496 | 27,477 | 27,610 | 22,417 |
| Re-enrolments | 4,351 | 5,109 | 5,238 | 4,549 |
| Re-instatements | 25 | 143 | 67 | 1,035 |
| Interstate transfers to SA | 11,112 | 15,267 | 14,235 | 10,236 |
| Net additions | 38,984 | 47,996 | 47,150 | 38,237 |
| Movements within state** | 2019-20 | 2018-19 | 2017-18 | 2016-17 |
| Transfers between districts | 74,255 | 80,728 | 86,541 | 74,421 |
| Changes within district | 34,209 | 42,648 | 49,974 | 39,876 |
| No change/amendments | 7,491 | 20,235 | 40,535 | 8,915 |
| Deletions from the roll | 2019-20 | 2018-19 | 2017-18 | 2016-17 |
| Removal by objection | 6,665 | 5,737 | 3,602 | 12,327 |
| Deaths | 10,932 | 10,793 | 11,735 | 11,049 |
| Duplications | 701 | 309 | 496 | 852 |
| Cancellations | 169 | 170 | 16 | 89 |
| Interstate transfers from SA | 11,776 | 16,084 | 17,777 | 12,208 |
| Net deletions | 30,243 | 3,093 | 33,626 | 36,525 |
| Adjustments (net)*** | +2 | +3 | +7 | +8 |
| Total enrolled 30/06/20 | 1,224,894 | 1,216,151 | 1,201,245 | 1,187,714 |
* Includes persons who have provisionally enrolled that have turned 18 and new enrolments by 18 year olds (8,226 in 2019-20).
** These ‘movements within state’ figures are not included in the table totals below.
*** Net adjustments and data corrections.
Registered declaration voters by criteria at 30/6/20
ECSA maintains a register of voters who are permanently prevented from attending a polling booth and meet certain criteria. These voters are called registered declaration voters for state elections and general postal voters for federal elections. Once registered, a voter will always receive a postal vote for every election and does not need to re-apply for future elections.
| Criteria | No. | % |
| Caring for a person who is seriously ill, infirm or disabled | 1,392 | 5.9% |
| Place of residence is not within 20 kilometres of a polling place | 3,515 | 14.9% |
| Physical disability | 7,117 | 30.1% |
| Membership of a religious order or religious beliefs | 454 | 1.9% |
| Address has been suppressed from publication on the roll (silent elector) | 11,145 | 47.2% |
| Total | 23,623 | 100% |
Register of political parties
Eight political parties were registered for state elections in South Australia.
| New party registrations | 0 |
| Annual returns lodged | 8 |
| De-registrations* | 4 |
| Currently registered parties (as at 30 June 2020) | 8 |
*The following parties were de-registered on 28/11/2019 for failure to have the required number of members to continue as an eligible political party under section 45 of the Electoral Act 1985: Danig Party of Australia (SA Division), Dignity Party Inc, Liberal Democratic Party, Stop Population Growth Now Party.
Registered political parties at 30 June 2020
| Date of registration | Name of registered political party | Abbreviation of party name |
| 17/10/85 | Australian Labor Party (South Australian Branch) | Australian Labor Party |
| 17/10/85 | Liberal Party of Australia (SA Division) | Liberal Party |
| 17/10/85 | National Party of Australia (SA) Inc | The Nationals |
| 13/2/96 | Australian Greens SA | The Greens |
| 24/11/16 | Animal Justice Party | |
| 4/7/17 | SA-BEST Incorporated | SA-BEST |
| 7/11/17 | Advance SA | |
| 12/12/17 | Child Protection Party | CPP |
Funding, disclosure and returns
Returns
Political Party Returns, Associated Entity Returns and Donor Returns are lodged on a half-yearly basis and must be lodged within 30 days of the end of the half-yearly period.
In January 2020, ECSA received returns for the period 1 July 2019 to 31 December 2019. The table below summarises the return lodgements for the period.
Returns for period 1 July 2019 to 31 December 2019.
| Return type | Total lodged | Late returns |
| Political Party Return | 10* | 2 |
| Associated Entity Return | 21 | 6 |
| Donor Return | 5 | 3 |
*Danig Party of Australia (SA Division) and Liberal Democratic Party lodged a return, however were deregistered on 28 November 2019.
All returns lodged are available on ECSA’s Funding and Disclosure Portal.
Public funding
| Claim Period | Australian Labor Party | Liberal Party | The Greens | SA-Best | Advance SA | Total |
| 1/7/19 – 31/12/19 | $64,568 | $64,568 | $37,665 | $37,665 | $952.04 | $205,418 |
| 1/1/20 – 30/6/20 | $64,568 | $64,568 | $37,665 | $37,665 | - | $204,466 |
| Total | $129,136 | $129,136 | $75,330 | $75,330 | $952.04 | $409,884.04 |
No general election or by-election was held in the 2019-20 financial year and ECSA was not called upon to pay election funding to reimburse political expenditure incurred by eligible participants in relation to an election.
Non-voter activity
Non-voter activity
Section 85 of the Electoral Act 1985 sets out the procedures to be implemented by the Electoral Commissioner relating to electors who appear to have not voted at an election. The non-voter process commences three months after election day and continues until each expiation has been resolved.
The table below outlines the non-voter activity, starting with Notice 1 which gives the elector the opportunity to provide a valid reason for their apparent failure to vote, through to referral of the expiation to the Fines Enforcement and Recovery Unit (FERU).
Once an expiation has been referred to FERU an elector can make an application for a review. If the review is granted the expiation is referred back to ECSA and the expiation is reissued (Notice 2). There is no maximum numbers of review that can be granted. This cycle can occur multiple times if the matter is left unresolved.
| Activity | 2019-20 | 2018-19 | 2017-18 |
| Notice 1: Notice of Apparent Failure to Vote (No. sent) | n/a | * n/a # 8,747 |
* 63,715 |
| Notice 2: Expiation Notice (No. sent) | n/a | * 37,480 # 5,966 |
n/a |
| Notice 3: Reminder Expiation Notice (No. sent) | * n/a # 4,046 |
* 27,942 # n/a |
n/a |
| Referrals to the Fines Enforcement and Recovery Unit for enforcement | * 257 # 3,278 |
* 23,115 # n/a |
n/a |
| Re-issued expiation notices (No. sent) | * 1,605 # 413 |
* 3,873 # n/a |
n/a |
| Penalties collected ($) | $389,543.65 | $769,097.43 | $20,447.40 |
* 2018 State Election
# 2019 Cheltenham and Enfield by-elections