How Council elections work

Overview

The 2024 NSW Local Government Elections are scheduled to be held on Saturday 14 September 2024.

Shoalhaven City Council's election will be administered by the NSW Electoral Commission. Candidates for the 2024 Local Government Election will be announced via a ballot draw at 2:00pm on Thursday 15 August 2024.

For all information including key dates, please visit the NSW Electoral Commission website or call them on 1300 135 736.

Learn more about the 2024 local government elections

For information on voting wards and the new multi-ward polling places, please view the candidates and polling locations page.

Local government is an elected system of government directly accountable to the local community. All the elected representatives, known as Councillors, work together to provide good governance for the benefit of their local community.

Past election results can be found at the NSW Electoral Commission.

When are the next elections?

The 2024 NSW Local Government Elections are scheduled to be held on Saturday 14 September 2024.

Shoalhaven City Council's election will be administered by the NSW Electoral Commission. Candidates for the 2024 Local Government Election will be announced via a ballot draw at 2:00pm on Thursday 15 August 2024.

For all information including key dates, please visit the NSW Electoral Commission website or call them on 1300 135 736.

Learn more about the 2024 local government elections

For further information about your current elected representatives and their role in Council, view the Mayor and Councillors page.

How does a local government election work?

Local government elections are held in NSW on the second Saturday in September every four years. At local government elections, voters in each local government area elect councillors to their local council.

Each local council must decide whether to engage the NSW Electoral Commissioner or a private election services provider to conduct their elections.

A local government area (LGA) can be either:

  • undivided, where the councillors are elected by all voters in that area, or
  • divided, where the council is divided into wards, from which an equal number of councillors are elected for each ward.

Shoalhaven City Council is a divided LGA. You can find out which ward you are located in using our voting ward tool.

What ward am I in?

Mayoral elections

Mayors that are elected by voters in an area serve a four-year term. These mayors are elected in addition to the elected councillors. A person elected as mayor cannot also be elected as a councillor in the same area.

Other councils do not have mayoral elections. After the new councillors for an area are elected they will vote to elect one of the councillors as mayor for a two-year term. At the end of the two-year term the councillors elect a new mayor for the following two years

Councillor elections

Councillors are elected for a four year term, and the number of councillors elected varies from council to council.

Where councils have wards, like Shoalhaven City Council does, an equal number of councillors are elected for each ward.

Voters in a ward elect the councillors for that ward. Voters in an undivided council elect the councillors for the whole council area.

The election of a mayor by voters and the election of councillors are conducted at the same time, but are considered separate elections. For example, if a council has a total of 10 councillors to be elected, and the mayor is elected by the voters, the election for that council would be for nine councillors and one mayor.

More information

For more information on referendums, polls, by-elections, and how vacant positions are filled, go to the NSW Electoral Commission website:

Go to NSW Electoral Commission website

Do I need to vote?

It is compulsory to vote in an election or by-election if you are eligible to do so. You may be fined if you miss an election, so it's important to make sure your enrolment details are up to date.

To learn more about how to check your enrolment and keep your details up to date, head to our page on voting and enrolment