South Australian electoral commissioner resigns as local election delay moves ahead

South Australian Electoral Commissioner Mick Sherry has resigned, with the state government preparing to delay the next round of council elections and change the timing of future local polls.

Adelaide Now reported that Sherry’s resignation will take effect on July 24. He has been on personal leave since March, shortly after South Australia’s state election.

The development comes after acting commissioner Leah McLay asked for the November 2026 local government elections in 67 council areas to be pushed back to April 2027. The government is now expected to introduce legislation to make that delay and, if it passes, permanently move local elections to the year after state elections.

Why the delay is on the table

The request for more time followed concerns about staffing, planning and election delivery after the March state election. Reporting said that election was affected by staffing shortages and technical issues.

The government has said the extra time would give the Electoral Commission of South Australia room to prepare for the local polls and absorb the findings of an independent review.

Former federal electoral commissioner Tom Rogers is leading that review.

What would change for councils

If Parliament approves the bill as drafted, the next local government elections would move from November 2026 to April 2027.

The proposed change would also alter the long-term election cycle. Under the reported plan, the following local election would fall in November 2031.

That would extend council terms and reset the timing of future municipal elections across South Australia.

What happens next

The government is expected to bring the deferral bill to Parliament, where the proposal will face scrutiny over both its practical and political effects.

A separate process is also expected to begin for Sherry’s permanent replacement.

The resignation and the proposed delay together deepen the fallout from South Australia’s March state election, with ECSA’s staffing and operational capacity now under close review.