All voters in South Australia’s council elections will need to be citizens under new legislation being prepared by the state government.

The measure aims aimed to strengthen election integrity, improve efficiency and increase turnout; one of several changes under consultation before legislation is introduced next month.

Eligibility to vote in a council election will be aligned with the long-standing eligibility for state elections.

Currently, businesses and non-citizens can register to vote in council elections in South Australia.

In further efforts to enhance electoral integrity, attempts to mislead or deceive voters will be prohibited, while the behaviour of scrutineers will be put under the microscope with the introduction of offences and penalties for substandard conduct.

The reforms will also seek to address persistently low voter turnout, which has hovered around 33 per cent for the past two decades.

Voting rates are much higher in regional local government areas than metropolitan; it is generally around 50 per cent in Alexandrina, City of Victor Harbor and District Council of Yankalilla and around 25 per cent in Onkaparinga.

Often raised as a key issue by the local government sector, increased participation would be facilitated under the new legislation by making telephone voting available to all people with a disability and requiring all councils hold a public meeting for candidates to attend and speak to voters.

The proposed changes would also require the Electoral Commissioner to publish the number of nominations received in councillor and mayoral races as soon as practicable, to limit cases of uncontested elections, or insufficient nominations, which result in costly supplementary elections.

Other states, such as Victoria, have made voting compulsory in local government elections, in line with state and federal requirements.

South Australian councils operate on fixed four-year terms, with the next elections to be held in November 2026.

Minister for Local Government Joe Szakacs says in November 2022 South Australians voted in 230 separate elections to elect 683 people to positions in 66 councils.

“For context, that is more than 10 times the number of people being elected at a State Election (58), meaning there is an incredible amount of information that needs to be assessed.

“By aligning the requirements for voting in local government elections with the requirements of state and federal elections we are improving clarity and consistency and strengthening integrity.

“We also want as many people as possible who receive their ballot packs in the mail in 2026 to make sure their vote is returned and counted.

“We are making some practical changes to give South Australians more information when electing their councillors and mayors, and ensuring they have confidence in the integrity of their local election.”