Election events

The Electoral Commission of Queensland is an independent and impartial organisation established under the Electoral Act 1992 to administer the following electoral events.

State government elections

Queensland is transitioning to four year fixed-terms following the 2016 referendum. The next state election is due to be held on the 31st of October 2020.

Queensland comprises of 93 electorates. For more information see electoral boundaries.

Local government elections

Local government elections are held every four years on the last Saturday in March, unless changed by regulation.

There are 77 local council areas within Queensland. A divided council is separated into divisions and voters elect a councillor to represent their division. In an undivided council, voters elect all the councillors for their area.

By-elections

By-elections may be held if a vacancy occurs during a term of office for a member of parliament, a mayor or a councillor.

Vacancies can occur for many reasons, including death, resignation, absence without leave, expulsion or disqualification.

For information about finalised elections, see the Election Results page.

Referendums

A referendum is held when the government would like to change the State Constitution and provides electors with the opportunity to give their opinion. Voting in a referendum is compulsory.

In a state referendum, you'll be asked to vote in favour of ("yes") or against ("no") one or more questions, rather than selecting a candidate/s as a representative for state district or local government area.

Industrial elections

ECQ is responsible for conducting industrial elections under the Industrial Relations Act 2016. Applications may be made to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) seeking an election of office-bearers. Prescribed election information (form 65) must be lodged with the QIRC. This form can be found on the QIRC website. If the application is approved, the QIRC will issue a decision instructing ECQ to conduct the election.