Northern Territory
| Head of State Administrator Leader of Government Chief Minister |
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| Parliaments and Local Councils | Legislative Assembly | Municipal Councils | Local Councils | |
| Terms of Members of Parliament/ Council | 3 years at least with an election to be held sometime in the 4 th year. Exceptions apply if a no-confidence motion is passed or the budget is denied. | Municipal elections are held on the last Saturday in March each 4 years with the next elections in 2008. | 1 to 4 years. Provisions are listed in each Community Government Scheme. | |
| Number of Members | 25 single-member electorates. Note: The Territories of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands are included on the Northern Territory only for Commonwealth electoral purposes. |
Varies from 5 to 13 per Council. | Varies from Council to Council. The number of Members is listed in each Community Government Scheme. | |
| Electoral Legislation | Northern Territory Self Government Act 1978. The Electoral Act 2004 . |
Local Government Act. Local Government (Electoral ) Regulations 1996. |
Local Government Act. Respective Community Government Scheme. |
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| Voting Systems (definitions) | Full Preferential. | Exhaustive Preferential. | Varies from Council to Council. Some examples are - First past the post, Exhaustive Preferential and Consensus. | |
| Enrolment and Voting Eligibility | Same as for Commonwealth. | Voting is compulsory for electors who are enroled on the Legislative Assembly roll for an address within a Municipal Council Area. | Enrolment and voting provisions vary from Council to Council and contained in the respective Community Government Scheme. | |
| Redistribution Provisions and Frequency | Northern Territory Self Government Act 1978. Electoral Act 2004. A distribution of boundaries must start as soon as practicable after 2 years and 6 months after the polling day for the last general election. |
Local Government Act. Every 4 years. |
Local Government Act. Every 4 years. |
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| Joint Rolls Arrangements between Commonwealth, States and Territories | Since 1989. | Electoral Rolls are provided by the NT Electoral Commission. | Electoral Rolls are provided by the NT Electoral Commission upon request. | |
| Funding, Donations and Disclosure Provisions | Disclosure provisions apply but there is no funding. | None. | None. | |
| Interesting and Particular Features | Candidates' photographs appear on the ballot paper. At election time a large area of the Territory is serviced by mobile polling teams. At general elections absent voting is undertaken at all polling places. | All Councils usually appoint the NT Electoral Commissioner to conduct their elections. | Elections by universal postal vote. | |
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