Elections & voting
NSW holds local government elections every four years. Voting is compulsory for enrolled residents, so it's worth knowing the date and keeping your enrolment up to date.
New to these terms? Read them in plain English
- Ward
- A subdivision of a council area that elects its own councillors.
- How the mayor is chosen
- Either elected directly by voters, or chosen by the councillors.
- Special Rate Variation (SRV)
- Permission for a council to raise rates by more than the peg.
- NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC)
- Runs council elections and publishes the official results.
Election facts
- Next ordinary election
- Saturday 9 September 2028
- Last election
- 14 September 2024
- How often
- Every 4 years (the second Saturday of September)
- How Gilgandra votes
- Undivided (no wards); 9 councillors by proportional representationVoters across the whole LGA elect all nine councillors; the councillors then elect the Mayor and Deputy Mayor from among themselves. At the 2024 election 3,205 electors were enrolled, 9 councillors were elected from 10 candidates on a quota of 244, and the result was declared on 1 October 2024. There was no mayoral contest — Gilgandra's Mayor is chosen by the councillors.
- Mid-term vacancies
- Filled by countback, not a by-electionCouncil resolved on 8 October 2024 that a casual vacancy in the first 18 months of the term be filled by a countback of the 2024 ballot papers. A countback filled one seat in late 2025.
- Voting
- Compulsory for enrolled residentsNot voting can result in a fine.
- Enrol / check enrolment
- NSW Electoral Commission
Sources — check it yourself
Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.