The election for each Local First Nations Voice region will be held on 21 March 2026. This is the same day as the State Parliamentary Election.

The elections will be run by the Electoral Commission of SA (ECSA) (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site), which was also responsible for the inaugural Voice elections in 2024.

Find out more below about nominating to become a member of the SA Voice, and how to vote in the 2026 elections below.

If you want to become a member of the SA Voice you need to nominate.

Nominate for the Voice

If you are thinking about being a Member of South Australia's First Nations Voice, you should first read the Nominee Handbook.

Cover of the Nominees Handbook

The Nominee Handbook outlines:

1. Who and how First Nations people can nominate to become a Member;
2. What will be involved in being a Member;
3. Who can vote in the First Nations Local Voice Elections;
4. Overview of the role/responsibilities of the SA First Nations Voice.

Key dates

Nominations open on 27 January 2026.

All nomination paperwork must be submitted to the Electoral Commission of SA (ECSA) by 5pm, Tuesday 10 February 2026.

Frequently asked questions - nominations

To be eligible to be a candidate, you must be:

  • An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person; and
  • 18 years or older; and
  • On the South Australian electoral roll; and either
  • Enrolled within the region you are nominating for;
    OR
    A traditional owner in relation to an area (located wholly or partly) within the region you are nominating for.

You are not able to be a candidate for the SA Voice if you:

  • Are currently in jail; or
  • Have been found guilty of a serious criminal offence within the last 2 years; or
  • Are restricted from travelling within South Australia because of bail, parole or other agreement; or
  • Have been disqualified from managing corporations under the Corporations Act 2001.

The SA Voice elections are run by the Electoral Commission of South Australia (ECSA), which is also responsible for receiving all nominations.

For information on how to nominate to become an SA Voice member, go to the ECSA website.

ECSA will declare the names of the accepted candidates for each region on Tuesday 24 February 2026.

You can read more about what is means to be a member of the Voice in the Nominee Handbook.

Vote in the SA Voice elections

The Electoral Commission of SA (ECSA) is responsible for the SA Voice Election.

To find out more about enrolling to vote, visit the Electoral Commission of SA (ECSA) website (external site).

You can check your current enrolment details via the AEC website (external site).

Key dates for voting:

  • You must be on the electoral roll by 5pm, Friday 27 February 2026.
  • Mobile polling starts from Tuesday 10 March 2026.
  • Early voting opens on Saturday 14 March 2026.
  • Polling Day for the SA Voice Election is Saturday 21 March 2026.

Frequently asked questions - voting

To be eligible to vote in the SA First Nations Voice Election, you must be:

  • An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person; and
  • 18 years or older; and
  • On the electoral roll.

Note: Eligible voters can only vote once, and it must be for the region in which they are enrolled.

Eligible voters will be able to vote:

  • At any polling booth on Saturday 21 March 2026; or
  • At any early voting centre; or
  • At any mobile polling place; or
  • By post; or
  • By telephone (only for voters that are vision or have a motor impairment that prevents them from attending a polling place).

The polling locations will be made available closer to the day, however, you will be able to vote in the SA Voice Election anywhere you can vote in the State Voice to Parliament.

Voting in the SA Voice Election is done through a Declaration Vote (similar to any person voting from outside their electorate). There will be a designated space for Declaration Voting on election day, where you can complete both your SA Voice vote and State Government election vote.

Visit the ECSA website for further information on Who Can Vote (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site) and How to Vote (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site) (external site).