Information about Local Government Elections 

Local Government Ordinary Elections are held on the third Saturday in October every two years. Council members are elected for a term of up to 4 years. The next Local Government Election will be held on Saturday 18 October 2025.

The Shire’s ordinary elections are administered by the Electoral Commission and are conducted in person (this system allows the Electoral Commission to visit remote Aboriginal communities to invite them to vote). The results of the 2023 Council Election can be found on the Western Australian Electoral Commission website here.

The Shire of Derby / West Kimberley Council consists of one President and eight Elected Members, which represent the whole Shire as one ward. There will be four Councillor positions available for contest in October 2025.

Further information

You must be enrolled in order to vote in the Local Government Election. Check your enrolment status or enrol to vote on the Electoral Commission Website.

In 2023, the State Government introduced optional preferential voting for local government elections. This is similar to the way in which you vote in State and Federal elections, however you do not have to assign every candidate with your preference. You can vote for one, some or all candidates on the ballot paper. With preferential voting, if the candidate you have given your first preference to is eliminated from the count, your vote will be redistributed to your next preference on the ballot paper. This process continues until one candidate has the majority of votes. You will receive more information from the Western Australian Electoral Commission on optional preferential voting when you receive your voting packs.

Candidate Information Session

Representing your community as an Elected Member can be satisfying and rewarding. Before each election a Candidate Information Session is held. The session provides information about the election process, the role and responsibilities of elected members and much more.

Nominate for Council

To stand for election as a Councillor, you must:

  • Be 18 years of age or older
  • Be an Australian citizen or a British subject prior to 26 January 1984
  • Be an elector of the district
  • Have completed the mandatory Local Government Candidate Induction available on the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) website.

 

The DLGSC website also has some great information on the nomination process.