| Parliaments and Local Councils | Legislative Council | Legislative Assembly | Local Councils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terms of Members of Parliament/Council | 4 year fixed term | Up to 4 years. | Half the Councillors of each Council are elected every 2 years for 4 year terms. |
| Number of Members | 36 members, with six representatives for each of the six regions. | 59 members each representing a single-member electoral district. | Approximately 1 200 Councillors from 138 Councils. |
| Electoral Legislation | Electoral Act (1907) and some aspects of the Constitution Acts Amendment Act (1899). | Local Government Act (1995). | |
| Voting Systems (definitions) |
Proportional Representation – Single transferable vote (Weighted Inclusive Gregory Method) and ticket voting. | Full Preferential. | First past the post. |
| Enrolment and Voting Eligibility | Largely the same as the Commonwealth except for British subjects who qualify if they were on either a Commonwealth or WA roll between 26 October 1983 and 25 January 1984 inclusive. The two rolls also treat some other categories differently. In WA prisoners serving a sentence under one year are entitled to vote. | Voting is voluntary. To vote, an elector must be on either the State or Commonwealth roll. Property owners and occupiers may also enrol and vote if they are Australian citizens. |
|
| Redistribution Provisions and Frequency | Electoral Act (1907). As soon as practicable every two years after a Legislative Assembly general election. |
Local Government Act (1995). The Local Government Advisory Board makes recommendations on suggested redistributions to the Minister for Local Government. |
|
| Joint Rolls Arrangements between Commonwealth, States and Territories | A joint enrolment arrangement since 1983. Separate State and Commonwealth rolls are maintained. Direct enrolment and update introduced in 2016. | The State roll is used to produce residents rolls. Councils are responsible for maintaining a register of non-residential owners and occupiers. | |
| Funding, Donations and Disclosure Provisions | Disclosure of certain financial details is required by candidates, Legislative Council groups, political parties and other persons after each election. Each financial year active political parties (including unregistered parties) and associated entities are required to disclose information relating to gifts and other income. Reimbursement for electoral expenditure is available to candidates who receive 4% or more of the formal first preference vote. The amount paid is the lesser of the amount spent within the categories of electoral expenditure for the election, or the entitled amount which is linked to CPI. Payments for candidates endorsed by registered political parties are made to the party. |
Disclosure of donations to the CEO of the Local Government by candidates and donors for sums of $200 and over. No funding. | |
| Interesting and Particular Feature(s) |
The vote counting provisions for the Legislative Council were changed in 2007 from the Inclusive Gregory Method to the Weighted Inclusive Gregory Method (WIGM). This change was implemented to remove the possible situation in which a ballot paper may increase in value during the transfer of surplus ballot papers to continuing candidates in the count. WIGM ensures that each ballot paper reduces in value when transferred as part of a surplus. | ||
