It elects four councillors using the single transferable vote electoral system and covers an area with a population of 15,570 people.

The ward was created following the Fourth Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements ahead of the 2007 Scottish local elections.

As a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, local elections in Scotland would use the single transferable vote electoral system from 2007 onwards so Kilmarnock East and Hurlford was formed from an amalgamation of several previous first-past-the-post wards.

It contained all of the former South New Farm Loch ward as well as parts of the former North New Farm Loch and Dean, Kilmarnock Central East, Kilmarnock Central South, Crookedholm, Moscow, Galston West and Hurlford North and Hurlford wards.

[2] Following the Fifth Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements ahead of the 2017 Scottish local elections, the ward's western boundary was moved east to run along the B7038 instead of the Kilmarnock Water and Craufurdland Water to take in Dean Castle Country Park.