In South Australia, a by-election is held when a seat in the House of Assembly (lower house) becomes free. Unlike a state election, a by-election will only happen in the electorate when there is a vacancy, meaning if you’re not in that electorate you won’t vote in the by-election. It is compulsory to vote in a by-election in your district. Not sure which electorate you’re in? You can check your state electorate here,
But how does a seat become vacant?
A seat may become vacant if an MP retires, resigns or passes away between state elections. This can also happen if a member becomes ineligible to stand in the House of Assembly or if an election is declared void by the Supreme Court.
How is a by-election different to a regular election?
If it’s in your electorate it isn’t really different. The main thing is that you’ll only get one ballot, the green House of Assembly ballot (so no long white Legislative Council ballot to fill out). You’ll fill this ballot out the same way you would normally by numbering every box from your first to last preference.
The only polling places open on by-election day will be in the electorate with the vacancy, but early voting and postal votes are still available if you won’t be able to vote in person on the day.
