Voting
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Easy read guide - how to enrol to vote
Enrolling to vote (PDF English)
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How to complete your ballot papers (PDF English)
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South Australian voters choose representatives to make decisions on their behalf at elections.
Decisions made by these representatives and other elected members affect almost every aspect of our daily lives.
This section of our website will help people understand how the South Australian voting systems work and the rights and responsibilities of voters.
The list below has some of the responsibilities of each level of government.
Federal government (compulsory voting):
- Defence
- Immigration
- Social services
- Higher education
- Medicare and health funding
- Taxation
State government (compulsory voting):
- Law and order
- Schools and education
- Hospitals and health services
- Roads and highways
- Transport
- Housing
Local council (non compulsory voting):
- Local roads and footpaths
- Libraries
- Child care centres
- Recycling and waste management
- Sporting facilities and recreation reserves
- Town planning and building regulations
Your vote is important and all votes are equal.
Where you can follow us
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More ways to vote than ever
Early voting
Under new legislation, every elector can vote early without eligibility requirements. For the week before polling day, early voting centres will be open across many districts, giving voters more choice, reducing congestion, and creating a smoother, more convenient voting experience.
Interstate or overseas voting
You’ll find voting centres across South Australia, interstate, and even at select overseas locations to cast your vote in person. It’s all about making voting easier, wherever you are.
Polling day voting
Polling booths are open from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. You can vote at any polling booth, anywhere within the state.
Postal voting
Remote mobile voting
Remote mobile polling is a voting service provided to electors in remote areas. This service enables electors in remote rural and outback communities to be visited by electoral officials so they can cast their vote.
Telephone Assisted Voting (TAV)
Hospital or nursing home (declared voting)
Residents of nursing homes, those in hospital or other institutions, such as prisons, can vote at state elections and by-elections with a mobile voting team. We send trained electoral teams to support the voting process. Patients and residents of these institutions may also apply for a postal vote. These are known as "Declared institutions".
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How-to-vote cards (HTVCs) are created by political parties, groups, or independent candidates to show the order in which they prefer you to number your ballot papers. You can choose to follow them or vote entirely according to your own preferences. There are 2 types of HTVCs used in South Australian elections:
- Cards lodged for display in polling places and early voting centres.
- Cards lodged for distribution by individuals or campaign workers during the election period.
HTVCs at polling places
Political party and candidate workers may stand outside polling places offering HTVCs that show how they would like you to vote. You do not have to take these cards.Anyone distributing a HTVC during the election period must ensure it is substantially the same as the version lodged with the Electoral Commission of South Australia.
👉 Learn more detailed information about HTVCs.
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The way to complete your ballot papers is different at each type of election in South Australia.
On this page you can find instructions on how to complete your ballot paper correctly at each election.
State elections and by-elections
When voting in a state election you will be given 2 ballot papers: a small green paper for the House of Assembly, and a large white paper for the Legislative Council. At a by-election, you will just be given a green House of Assembly ballot paper.
House of Assembly
On the green House of Assembly ballot paper, you need to number every square in the order of your choice.
- Write the number 1 in the square next to the candidate who is your first choice
- Write the number 2 next to your second choice
- Continue by placing the numbers 3, 4, 5 and so on until you have a number in every square.
If you need assistance or make a mistake please see an electoral officer.
You can practice making a formal vote by using our interactive ballot paper below:
House of Assembly practice ballot paper >>
Legislative Council
On the white Legislative Council ballot paper, there are 2 ways you can vote. Either above the black line or below the line - but not both.
Vote above the black line:
If you choose to vote above the black line:
- Write the number 1 in the square next to the party or group of candidates which is your first choice.
- You can then write the number 2 next to your second choice, and so on for as many parties or groups of candidates as you like. You do not need to number every square.
- Leave the rest of the ballot paper blank. Do not mark below the black line.
By voting above the black line, your vote will go to the candidates within the group (or groups) you have chosen.
Vote below the black line:
If you choose to vote below the black line:
- Write the number 1 in the square next to the candidate who is your first choice.
- Continue by placing the numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 in the squares next to the other candidates of your choice until you have chosen a minimum of 12 candidates.
- You may choose to continue numbering more than 12 candidates.
By voting below the black line, you are deciding the order of candidates according to your preferences.
If you make a mistake, don't worry. Put a line through the mistake and write the correct information beside it, or you can ask an electoral officer for a replacement ballot paper.
You can practice making a formal vote by using our interactive ballot paper below:
Legislative Council practice ballot paper >>
SA First Nations Voice to Parliament election
When voting at a SA First Nations Voice to Parliament election you will be given a ballot paper showing all the candidates for your region.
To vote, you must write a number 1 in the box next to the name and photo of the candidate who is your first choice.
If you want to, you can vote for more candidates. Write the number 2 in the box next to the candidate who is your second choice, the number 3 in the box next to the candidate who is your third choice and so on.
Continue on until you have voted for all the candidates you want to.
You don’t have to number every box.
Remember, it’s your choice how many candidates you vote for.
You don’t have to vote for more than 1 candidate, but your SA First Nations Voice to Parliament will have 7 or 11 elected representatives, so it is a good idea to vote for multiple candidates to represent you. If you only vote 1, your vote can only help one candidate to get elected. The more candidates you vote for, the more you can help your preferred candidates get elected.
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More information
Download a copy of our easy read guide on voting at state elections (PDF, 1.5MB)
Download a copy of our easy read guide on voting in a by-election (PDF 2.64MB)