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Vote in an election

In Western Australia, general elections are required at least once every four years for both the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly. By-elections also occur from time to time to fill vacancies that occur between elections.

Elections are conducted by the Western Australian Electoral Commission, with members elected by way of a proportional representation voting system in the Legislative Council and via a preferential voting system in the Legislative Assembly.

You must be over 18 years of age, be an Australian citizen, have lived at your present address for at least a month, and be registered on the Australian electoral roll in order to vote. Some exclusions do apply.

Referendum

On occasion, Parliament will hold a referendum to gauge the opinion of electors on a proposed change to the state Constitution. This will result in a referral to the public on a matter of social policy or legislation.

Resources

The Parliamentary Library prepares an election analysis for each state election (dating back to 1996) and, more recently, electorate statistic profiles. The Western Australian Electoral Commission website provides detailed information on electoral and enrolment services.