Election Dates
Conjoint general elections (elections for the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council held at the same time) are held on the second Saturday in March every four years.
The last State general election was held on Saturday, 13 March 2021. The next State general election will be due on Saturday, 8 March 2025.
Since the 2021 State general election was held three amendment bills have been passed. The Constitutional and Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Equality) Act 2021, Electoral Amendment (Finance and Other Matters) 2023 and the Electoral Amendment Bill 2024.
Changes to Electoral Boundaries
Reviews of State electoral boundaries are required two years after each election. This is to ensure the number of electors in each district is within permissible limits and are approximately equal for the following election. As such, some electors may find that their electoral district has changed between elections.
The boundaries to be applied at the March 2025 State election were determined by the Electoral Distribution Commissioners after extensive consultations with stakeholders during 2023. The final electoral district boundaries can be viewed on the Electoral Boundaries website.
What happens on election night
Returning Officers check these numbers before they are posted on the election results website. Media outlets are able to take a feed of live election data. These progressively updated indicative results are what candidates, parties and the Western Australian community see on election night. The Commission will also provide some postal voting results data for the Legislative Assembly as counting of these votes proceeds at the Count Centre.
It should be noted that the Commission reserves the right to not post to the internet two-candidate-preferred results where there is a close three-way contest or a candidate not selected for the two-candidate-preferred count (and advised to Assistant Returning Officers) proves to attract more votes than expected.
Administering Elections
It takes advanced planning and many people to ensure an election is conducted smoothly. Below are the main groups of people responsible for running elections.
Returning Officer
Returning Officers are appointed by the Electoral Commissioner to conduct an election for a particular district or region.
Returning Officers receive specialised training in the management of elections and processes.
Electoral Commissioner and Commission staff
The Electoral Commissioner is Mr Robert Kennedy.
The Electoral Commissioner is appointed by the Governor, on the recommendation of the Premier who consults with the Parliamentary Leader of each party in the Parliament.
The Electoral Commissioner is the Chief Executive Officer of the Western Australian Electoral Commission and is responsible for the proper conduct of elections in accordance with the Electoral Act 1907.
Commission staff assist the Electoral Commissioner to fulfill the requirement to deliver impartial, effective and timely elections. A State general election requires significant planning and administrative processes to be in place well before polling day.
Casual staff
Large temporary casual workforce is engaged to conduct the election. They may be required at Early Polling, Polling Places or at the Processing Centre.
Staff working at the processing centre process declaration votes such as absent, postal and provisional votes.
Polling staff work to assist electors by ensuring the polling place is operational during the required hours of voting and electors are able to cast their vote in secret and free from interference.