State General Elections

State Elections

State Districts
Parliamentary Terms
Election Announcement
By-Elections
Returning Officers
Electoral Staff

State Districts

For the purposes of State Government, Queensland is divided into 89 distinct areas known as electoral districts. Each district is represented by a single Member of Parliament (MP). A Queensland General Election is actually 89 separate elections, being for each electoral district. The results of these elections are added together and the majority group or party forms Government.

Parliamentary Terms

Queensland has three year parliamentary terms, with an election announced usually towards the end of each term. However, there is no minimum period required between State elections, so a Government can choose to hold the election at any time during its three year term. With no fixed election date it is unknown when the next election is until it is announced.

Election Announcement

An election is held when the Governor (or the Speaker) issues the Writ for the election. The Writ forms the election timetable outlining the key dates for the election, including the date for the electoral rolls to be closed, the date of polling day and the date the writ is to be returned with the names of the newly elected Members of Parliament.

By-Elections

Seats can become vacant during the life of any Parliament, such as the resignation of a sitting member. Vacancies within the Queensland Parliament between State General Elections are filled by conducting a By-Election for the electoral district that is without a sitting member.

Returning Officers

Returning Officers (RO’s) are employed by the Electoral Commission of Queensland to run the election for their appointed district. There is one Returning Officer appointed per electoral district and one Assistant Returning Officer for the electoral district of Cook.

Electoral Staff

The Electoral Commission of Queensland employs over 8000 casual staff to assist the permanent staff in the conduct of a large electoral event such as a State general election. This includes staff to assist in the office, working before polling day, on polling day and afterwards.

Persons interested in working at the election will be provided with the opportunity to register their details online via our website prior to the event.