South Australia
Election of Senators Act 1903
An Act to make provision for determining the times and places of elections of Senators for the State.

Contents
1	Short title
2	Power to fix dates in relation to election
3	Governor may extend time for holding election etc
Legislative history

The Parliament of South Australia enacts as follows:
1—Short title
This Act may be cited as the Election of Senators Act 1903.
2—Power to fix dates in relation to election
	(1)	For the purpose of the election of Senators for this State to the Senate of the Commonwealth, the Governor may, by proclamation—
	(a)	fix the date for the issue of the writ;
	(b)	fix the date for the close of the electoral rolls;
	(ba)	fix the date for the nomination of candidates;
	(c)	fix the date for the polling;
	(d)	fix a date on or before which the writ must be returned.
	(1a)	The writ shall be deemed to have been issued at the hour of six o'clock in the afternoon of the day on which the writ was issued.
	(1b)	The writ shall be dated as of the day of its issue and the dates fixed under subsection (1) shall be specified in the writ.
	(1d)	Subject to subsection (1e), the date fixed for the nomination of the candidates shall not be less than 10 days or more than 27 days after the date of the writ.
	(1e)	Where a candidate for an election dies, after being nominated and before twelve o'clock noon on the day fixed by the writ as the date of nomination for the election, the day fixed as the date of nomination for the election shall, except for the purposes of subsection (1f), be taken to be the day next succeeding the day so fixed.
	(1f)	The date fixed for the polling shall not be less than 23 days or more than 31 days after the date of nomination.
	(1g)	The day fixed for the polling shall be a Saturday.
	(1h)	The date fixed for the return of the writ shall not be more than 100 days after the issue of the writ.
	(2)	Nomination must be made after the issue of the writ and before twelve o'clock noon on the day of nomination.
	(2a)	The office of the Australian Electoral Officer for this State shall be the place of nomination for the election.
	(2b)	The poll shall be open at eight o'clock in the morning, and shall not close until all electors present in the polling booth at six o'clock in the afternoon, and desiring to vote, have voted.
	(3)	The polling shall take place at all polling places within the State appointed under the law of the Commonwealth for the time being in force for the regulation of Parliamentary elections.
3—Governor may extend time for holding election etc
	(1)	The Governor may, by proclamation, before or after the date fixed for the polling—
	(a)	extend the time for holding the election;
	(b)	extend the time for returning the writ;
	(c)	provide for meeting any difficulty that might otherwise interfere with the due course of the election.
	(2)	Any provisions made under subsection (1) shall be valid and sufficient and any date provided for under that subsection in lieu of a date fixed and specified in the writ under section 2 shall be deemed to be the date so fixed and specified.

Legislative history
Notes
	•	Please note—References in the legislation to other legislation or instruments or to titles of bodies or offices are not automatically updated as part of the program for the revision and publication of legislation and therefore may be obsolete.
	•	Earlier versions of this Act (historical versions) are listed at the end of the legislative history.
	•	For further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au.
Principal Act and amendments
New entries appear in bold.
Year	No	Title	Assent	Commencement	
1903	834	The Election of Senators Act 1903	30.10.1903	30.10.1903	
1978	4	The Election of Senators Act Amendment Act 1978	2.3.1978	2.3.1978	
1981	37	Election of Senators Act Amendment Act 1981	19.3.1981	19.3.1981	
1984	80	Election of Senators Act Amendment Act 1984	15.11.1984	15.11.1984	
1988	85	Election of Senators Act Amendment Act 1988	1.12.1988	1.12.1988	
2000	57	Statutes Amendment and Repeal (Attorney-General's Portfolio) Act 2000	20.7.2000	Pt 9 (s 23)—14.8.2000 (Gazette 10.8.2000 p444)	
2007	37	Election of Senators (Close of Rolls) Amendment Act 2007	4.10.2007	4.10.2007	
Provisions amended since 3 February 1976
New entries appear in bold.
Entries that relate to provisions that have been deleted appear in italics.
Provision	How varied	Commencement	
s 2	amended by 4/1978 s 2	2.3.1978	
	substituted by 37/1981 s 2	19.3.1981	
s 2(1)	amended by 80/1984 s 2(a)	15.11.1984	
s 2(1a) and (1b)	inserted by 80/1984 s 2(b)	15.11.1984	
s 2(1c)	inserted by 80/1984 s 2(b)	15.11.1984	
	deleted by 37/2007 s 3	4.10.2007	
s 2(1d)	inserted by 80/1984 s 2(b)	15.11.1984	
	amended by 57/2000 s 23(a)	14.8.2000	
s 2(1e)	inserted by 80/1984 s 2(b)	15.11.1984	
s 2(1f)	inserted by 80/1984 s 2(b)	15.11.1984	
	amended by 57/2000 s 23(b)	14.8.2000	
s 2(1g)	inserted by 80/1984 s 2(b)	15.11.1984	
s 2(1h)	inserted by 80/1984 s 2(b)	15.11.1984	
	amended by 85/1988 s 2	1.12.1988	
s 2(2a) and (2b)	inserted by 80/1984 s 2(c)	15.11.1984	
s 3			
s 3(1)	s 3 inserted by 37/1981 s 2	19.3.1981	
	s 3 redesignated as s 3(1) by 80/1984 s 3	15.11.1984	
	amended by 85/1988 s 3(a)	1.12.1988	
s 3(2)	inserted by 80/1984 s 3	15.11.1984	
s 3(3)	inserted by 80/1984 s 3	15.11.1984	
	deleted by 85/1988 s 3(b)	1.12.1988	
Historical versions
Reprint No 1—1.7.1991		
Reprint No 2—14.8.2000