2019 Cheltenham state by-election
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Electoral district of Cheltenham in the South Australian House of Assembly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A by-election for the seat of Cheltenham in the South Australian House of Assembly was held on 9 February 2019.[1] The by-election was triggered by the parliamentary resignation of Labor Party MP and former premier Jay Weatherill on 17 December 2018.[2] Labor candidate Joe Szakacs retained the seat with an increased margin.[3]
An Enfield by-election was held on the same day, as Weatherill's former deputy leader and deputy premier, John Rau, had also resigned from parliament.[4]
| Date | Event[1] |
|---|---|
| Friday 11 January 2019 | Writ of election issued by the governor |
| Monday 21 January 2019 | Close of electoral rolls (12 noon) |
| Thursday 24 January 2019 | Close of nominations (12 noon) |
| Tuesday 29 January 2019 | Start of early voting |
| Saturday 9 February 2019 | Polling day (8am to 6pm) |
| Saturday 16 February 2019 | Last day for receipt of postal votes |
| Friday 22 February 2019 | Last day for return of writs |
Candidates
| Candidates (5) in ballot paper order[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Peter Miller | [1] | |
| Independent The Other Guy | Mike Lesiw | Contested Croydon at the previous state election.[1] | |
| Australian Labor Party | Joe Szakacs | SA Unions secretary, lawyer, professional swimmer.[1] | |
| Greens | Steffi Medrow | Previous candidate.[1] | |
| Independent Adelaide Olympics 2032 | Rob de Jonge | Real estate agent, former Onkaparinga councillor. Perennial candidate, has previously sought Liberal Party preselection.[1][5] | |
The Liberal Party declined to field a candidate for both the Cheltenham and Enfield by-elections.[6]
Result
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Joe Szakacs | 11,290 | 58.6 | +6.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Peter Miller | 3,612 | 18.7 | +18.7 | |
| Greens | Steffi Medrow | 2,818 | 14.6 | +8.3 | |
| Independent Adelaide Olympics 2032 | Rob de Jonge | 877 | 4.5 | +4.5 | |
| Independent The Other Guy | Mike Lesiw | 679 | 3.5 | +3.5 | |
| Total formal votes | 19,276 | 93.5 | −1.4 | ||
| Informal votes | 1,338 | 6.5 | +1.4 | ||
| Turnout | 20,614 | 78.1 | −12.0 | ||
| Two-candidate-preferred result | |||||
| Labor | Joe Szakacs | 14,365 | 74.5 | +8.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Peter Miller | 4,911 | 25.5 | +25.5 | |
| Labor hold | |||||