The 2022 South Australian local elections were held on 12 November 2022 to elect the councils of 66 of the 68 local government areas (LGAs) in South Australia. Many councils also held mayoral elections.
The elections were conducted by the Electoral Commission of South Australia. Starting at these elections, roadside election corflutes were banned.
The number of people on the electoral roll increased from 1,208,858 at the 2018 elections to 1,243,661 in 2022.
As per usual, no election was scheduled in Roxby Council as it is served by an administrator who performs all the functions of a council. The election in Coober Pedy was not held as the council had been suspended in January 2019.
Party changes before elections A number of councillors joined or left parties before the 2022 elections. Council Ward Councillor Former party New party Date Marion Mayor Kris Hanna SA Best Independent Post-November 2018 West Torrens Airport Jassmine Wood Post-November 2018 Port Lincoln Unsubdivided Andrea Broadfoot Centre Alliance Post-May 2019 Barunga West Unsubdivided Rebecca Hewett Conservatives 25 June 2019 Onkaparinga Knox Heidi Greaves 25 June 2019 Adelaide South Henry Davis Liberal 19 March 2022 Port Pirie Unsubdivided Ali Gulin 29 June 2022 Berri Barmera Area Councillors Meta Sindos 30 June 2022 Holdfast Bay Somerton William Miller 30 June 2022 Streaky Bay Flinders Travis Barber July 2022 Mount Gambier Unsubdivided Sonya Mezinec Labor 30 July 2022
Elections timeline 29 July – Close of electoral roll 23 August – Nominations open 6 September – Nominations close 14–20 October – Mailout of ballot papers to voters 10 November – Close of voting 12 November – Vote counting begins
Results
Aftermath After only 34.54% of eligible voters turned out for the elections, compared with 32.94% in 2018, SA Best MP Frank Pangallo called for compulsory voting and a requirement that all voters must be Australian citizens. There were also calls to reform the timing of local elections so that they don't occur in the same year as the state election.
As a result of 16 vacancies not filled at the elections, eight separate councils were forced to hold supplementary elections in 2023.
On 15 December 2022, unsuccessful lord mayoral candidate Rex Patrick appealed the results with a petition in the Court of Disputed Returns and requested the lord mayoral and Central Ward elections in Adelaide be declared invalid.
One Nation had their first local election victory in SA, with Carlos Quaremba elected as a councillor in Victor Harbor.
The ECSA launched an investigation after Salisbury candidate and councillor Severina Burner offered voters to "fill in your ballots and hand them in". She was later removed as a councillor in June 2023 for separate comments.
By-elections and countbacks By-elections The ECSA held supplementary elections in March 2023 in 10 different LGAs to fill council seats that were left vacant following the 2022 elections. Council Ward Before Change Result after preference distributionCouncillorPartyCauseDateDatePartyCandidate%Copper CoastUnsubdivided N/A N/ANot enough nominations at 2022 election12 November 2022March 2023 IndependentMatthew Stock60.06 Independent Dominica Thomson 39.94KimbaUnsubdivided N/A N/ANot enough nominations at 2022 election12 November 2022March 2023 IndependentFrancene Francis89.96 Independent Dianne McDonald 10.64KingstonMayor N/A N/ANo nominations at 2022 election12 November 2022March 2023 IndependentJeff PopeN/A Elected unopposedMount RemarkableWillochra N/A N/ANot enough nominations at 2022 election12 November 2022March 2023Ind. LiberalDan van Holst Pellekaan75.07 Independent Trevor Bornholm 10.63Northern AreasBroughton N/A N/ANot enough nominations at 2022 election12 November 2022March 2023 IndependentKeith Pluckrose59.55 Independent Brendan Fitzgerald 40.45RobeMayor N/A N/ANo nominations at 2022 election12 November 2022March 2023Ind. LiberalLisa RuffellN/A Elected unopposedSouthern MalleeUnsubdivided N/A N/ANot enough nominations at 2022 election12 November 2022March 2023 IndependentChristopher Mead36.67 Independent Campbell Michell 17.65 Independent David Smith 11.64 Independent Trevor Pocock 6.38 Independent Luke Kennedy 4.13Streaky BayEyre N/A N/ANot enough nominations at 2022 election12 November 2022March 2023 IndependentGuy La ChinaN/A Elected unopposedTumby BayUnsubdivided N/A N/ANot enough nominations at 2022 election12 November 2022March 2023 IndependentJulie Ann Elliott35.86 Independent Trevor Smith 18.10 Independent Fiona Ward 12.07 Independent Ross Hudson 7.84KimbaUnsubdivided N/A N/ANot enough nominations at 2022 election12 November 2022March 2023 IndependentDennis Petty64.79 Independent Craig Walladge 35.21Flinders RangesUnsubdivided Clinton Ryks-Jones IndependentResignation6 June 202324 July 2023 IndependentGreg Flint51.83 Independent Dave Wallis 48.17
Countbacks Council Ward Before Change AfterCouncillor PartyCauseDateDateCouncillor Party Tea Tree Gully Drumminor Damian Wyld Independent Liberal Resignation due to illness 16 November 2023 28 November 2023 Lyn Petrie Independent Liberal Berri Barmera Area Councillor Rhonda Centofanti Independent Died 3 December 2023 TBA TBA TBA
See also 2022 Adelaide City Council election
Notes
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