# 2022 South Australian local elections

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 | SA-Best | Independent | Post-November 2018 |
| Port Lincoln | Unsubdivided | Andrea Broadfoot | Centre Alliance | Independent | Post-May 2019 |
| Barunga West | Unsubdivided | Rebecca Hewett | Conservatives | Independent | 25 June 2019 |
| Onkaparinga | Knox | Heidi Greaves | Conservatives | Independent | 25 June 2019 |
| Adelaide | South | Henry Davis | Liberal | Independent | 19 March 2022 |
| Port Pirie | Unsubdivided | Ali Gulin | Liberal | Independent | 29 June 2022 |
| Berri Barmera | Area Councillors | Meta Sindos | Liberal | Independent | 30 June 2022 |
| Holdfast Bay | Somerton | William Miller | Liberal | Independent | 30 June 2022 |
| Streaky Bay | Flinders | Travis Barber | Liberal | Independent | July 2022 |
| Mount Gambier | Unsubdivided | Sonya Mezinec | Labor | Independent | 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

## 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 | Before | Before | Change | Change | Result after preference distribution | Result after preference distribution | Result after preference distribution | Result after preference distribution | Result after preference distribution |
| Council | Ward | Councillor | Party | Party | Cause | Date | Date | Party | Party | Candidate | % |
| Copper Coast | Unsubdivided | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Matthew Stock | 60.06 |
| Copper Coast | Unsubdivided | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Dominica Thomson | 39.94 |
| Kimba | Unsubdivided | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Francene Francis | 89.96 |
| Kimba | Unsubdivided | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Dianne McDonald | 10.64 |
| Kingston | Mayor | N/A | | N/A | No nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Jeff Pope | N/A |
| Kingston | Mayor | N/A | | N/A | No nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Elected unopposed | Elected unopposed | Elected unopposed |
| Mount Remarkable | Willochra | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Ind. Liberal | Dan van Holst Pellekaan | 75.07 |
| Mount Remarkable | Willochra | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Trevor Bornholm | 10.63 |
| Northern Areas | Broughton | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Keith Pluckrose | 59.55 |
| Northern Areas | Broughton | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Brendan Fitzgerald | 40.45 |
| Robe | Mayor | N/A | | N/A | No nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Ind. Liberal | Lisa Ruffell | N/A |
| Robe | Mayor | N/A | | N/A | No nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Elected unopposed | Elected unopposed | Elected unopposed |
| Southern Mallee | Unsubdivided | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Christopher Mead | 36.67 |
| Southern Mallee | Unsubdivided | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Campbell Michell | 17.65 |
| Southern Mallee | Unsubdivided | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | David Smith | 11.64 |
| Southern Mallee | Unsubdivided | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Trevor Pocock | 6.38 |
| Southern Mallee | Unsubdivided | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Luke Kennedy | 4.13 |
| Streaky Bay | Eyre | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Guy La China | N/A |
| Streaky Bay | Eyre | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Elected unopposed | Elected unopposed | Elected unopposed |
| Tumby Bay | Unsubdivided | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Julie Ann Elliott | 35.86 |
| Tumby Bay | Unsubdivided | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Trevor Smith | 18.10 |
| Tumby Bay | Unsubdivided | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Fiona Ward | 12.07 |
| Tumby Bay | Unsubdivided | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Ross Hudson | 7.84 |
| Kimba | Unsubdivided | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Dennis Petty | 64.79 |
| Kimba | Unsubdivided | N/A | | N/A | Not enough nominations at 2022 election | 12 November 2022 | March 2023 | | Independent | Craig Walladge | 35.21 |
| Flinders Ranges | Unsubdivided | Clinton Ryks-Jones | | Independent | Resignation | 6 June 2023 | 24 July 2023 | | Independent | Greg Flint | 51.83 |
| Flinders Ranges | Unsubdivided | Clinton Ryks-Jones | | Independent | Resignation | 6 June 2023 | 24 July 2023 | | Independent | Dave Wallis | 48.17 |

### Countbacks

| Council | Ward | Before | Before | Before | Change | Change | After | After | After | After |
| Council | Ward | Councillor | Party | Party | Cause | Date | Date | Councillor | Party | 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 |