Local government elections in WA will be improved, officials say.

Western Australia's Electoral Commissioner, Robert Kennedy, has assured the public of an improved performance in future council elections after a series of delays impacted the recent local government polls. 

The transition to optional preferential voting and the direct election of mayors and shire presidents, as part of Cook government reforms aimed at enhancing engagement and accountability, appears to have played a role in the delays. 

Also, the move away from ward structures in nearly all of the state's 139 local governments added complexity to the process, the commissioner says. 

While many communities were accustomed to receiving election results on the same night, they had to wait until the following morning for the official outcomes. 

Commissioner Robert Kennedy has acknowledged the logistical challenges associated with the new voting system, saying; “The change to optional preferential voting has delayed the counting somewhat, but we did expect that to happen”.

He compared the process to the Legislative Council elections, noting that they rarely conclude on the same night due to the allocation of preferences.

The previous first-past-the-post system allowed for a quicker count, but the preference allocation for mayoral and council elections required more time, involving the physical entry of numerous ballots into the computer system. 

Despite the initial hiccups, Commissioner Kennedy has expressed confidence that the process would run more smoothly in future elections, describing it as a learning experience for all involved.

The election results not only took longer than expected but also ushered in significant changes in leadership across regional Western Australia. 

The combination of the new voting system and several retirements resulted in the ousting of long-serving mayors in Greater Geraldton and Karratha.

In Geraldton, local councillor Jerry Clune ultimately triumphed over incumbent Shane Van Styn, thanks to preferences, while in Karratha, Mayor Peter Long was defeated by Cr Dan Scott once preferences were allocated. 

Some of the outgoing mayors expressed their dissatisfaction with preferential voting, with Mr. Long saying; “I don't like preferential voting at all … it's not common across the world.”

“Preferential voting gives an enormous amount of power to those who don't have much representation otherwise.”

Despite the delays and adjustments, new mayors and some familiar faces will be taking the helm in various cities. 

In Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Glenn Wilson, the former deputy mayor and breakfast radio host, will assume the mayoral position, marking a change after a decade. 

In Albany, Cr Greg Stocks held a comfortable lead and was expected to secure the mayoral position.

Port Hedland's council will welcome Camillo Blanco, a self-proclaimed “anti-corruption activist and political campaigner”, who had previously served as mayor before the council's dismissal in 2019.

The elections also saw Tony Simpson, a former Barnett government Minister, elected to the Karratha council, while Kyran O'Donnell, a one-term Liberal Member for Kalgoorlie, was re-elected to Kalgoorlie-Boulder's council for a second term.