Breaking: Result in for One Nation seat after ‘found’ ballots counted
Counting has been completed in the One Nation-held seat of Narungga following the “almost unforgivable” discovery of uncounted votes. See the final count.
Results from counting at the Electoral Commission of South Australia’s (ECSA) headquarters near Light Square started this morning at 11am, following the discovery of uncounted votes in the slimly won seat of Narungga.
A statement just released said of the 76 votes counted in a two-party preferred count, 46 were for already announced Narungga winner Chantelle Thomas and 30 were for the Liberal Party’s Tania Stock – meaning the One Nation margin result increased.
An ECSA spokesperson said this morning that voting was expected to take an hour, although it could take longer if scrutineers challenged votes.
One Nation’s Chantelle Thomas already had been declared the winner of Narungga; however, given the seat’s tight margin, it remained vulnerable to legal challenge.
Of the 81 found ballot papers now opened, one was rejected and four were deemed informal, according the statement.
When previously asked whether the Liberal Party would go to the Court of Disputed Returns over the result, Liberal Leader Ashton Hurn has said the party would consider its options.
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The Electoral Commission of South Australia (ECSA) announced a further count in the seat of Narungga yesterday after it discovered extra ballot papers that were not included in the original count or recount.
ECSA said it found 77 absent ordinary ballot papers and four declaration ballot papers for the district of Narungga that were returned from the district of Stuart.
An earlier recount in Narungga had declared One Nation’s Thomas by a razor-tight margin of 58 votes from the Liberal Party’s candidate Tania Stock.
Referring to the news yesterday, Thomas said it was very disappointing for her community.
“Everyone in Narungga has already spoken. They wanted me as their strong, loud voice, and now it makes us question the integrity of the South Australian elections,” she said.
Fronting the media yesterday, acting ECSA commissioner Leah McLay said that 642 votes from across South Australia were discovered in Stuart, but there were not enough to change the result of any other seat.
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She said that if today’s recount had delivered a different result, it would not automatically result in a new candidate being declared the winner.
ECSA would need to seek Crown advice and would look to petition the Court of Disputed Returns, she said.
McLay said that ECSA would be an independent, external review of the 2026 South Australian election, which would look at issues such as faulty technology, long wait times, and staff not receiving their paycheck on time.
Acting Premier and Attorney General Kyam Maher yesterday said the government was “finalising terms of reference” for an independent review to address how the election was conducted.
The nail-biter seat of Narungga covers rural Yorke Peninsula between Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent and was the last to be called in the election.
It was previously held by Fraser Ellis, an independent who had been disendorsed by the Liberal Party after being charged with misusing parliamentary funds.
Thomas picked up 37.6 per cent of the primary vote in the state election held on March 21, according to ECSA.
At a press conference yesterday, Hurn said it was “hugely disappointing” that ECSA had to conduct a further count.
“The fact that there were so many errors that occurred, I think it’s almost unforgivable … ultimately, people want to have confidence in the democratic system that we operate in, and that means that all of the processes of the electoral commission need to be watertight, and if there are ways in which we can improve that, then absolutely that needs to happen,” she said.
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