South Australian Electoral Commissioner Mick Sherry has resigned from the job, effective July 24.
He has been on personal leave on accrued entitlements since the SA election in March, which saw the Labor government returned in an overwhelming landslide.
The commission is facing an independent review after the election was marred by inadequately staffed booths, missing votes and even unpaid staff.
Mr Sherry's resignation comes as the Malinauskas government is set to introduce urgent legislation to defer the 2026 local government elections by five months.
The elections are set to be pushed back in response to concerns raised by now-acting commissioner Leah McLay that the issues that plagued the state election were set to similarly impact local polls.Ms McLay identified that due to inadequate frameworks, processes and documentation, 2026 election planning and delivery were occurring simultaneously.
"That made it very frustrating and disappointing for the government and for many electors," South Australian deputy premier Kyam Maher told reporters in Adelaide on Tuesday.
Asked if Mr Sherry had resigned of his own volition, Mr Maher said it was a decision made by the embattled electoral commissioner.
He would not comment on whether his resignation was related to the poll debacle or to personal issues.
Mr Maher said the proposed recruitment of about 1000 staff for local elections would "exceptionally challenging" before the recommendations from the review were handed down.
Based on the deputy commissioner's advice, holding council elections in April 2027 instead of November would reduce the likelihood of a repeat of the state election debacle, he said.
Mr Sherry's resignation has triggered an immediate recruitment process for a replacement.
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