Published on April 19, 2022 at 18:29
1871 ElectionThe 1872 General Election was the second election to the Ivonian Parliament. The Government, led by Joseph Bissett and the Country Party, fought for re-election against the Dominion Party, led by Arthur Cartwright. The previous, inaugural election to the Ivonian Parliament had led to the upset victory by the Country Party over the Dominion Party, wherein they had overcome the personal popularity of Arthur Cartwright to secure a majority.
The Bissett Government survived the full-term of the Parliament without any defections or any by-elections. They were able to implement high tariffs on agricultural products in order to protect the native Ivonian farming sector from foreign competition. These tariffs raised the cost of basic goods for many in the city, particularly food and certain textiles, which led to protests and substantial opposition in the city by working class individuals. In these circumstances, the Bissett Government decided to head to the polls a month early, to avoid campaigning over the Christmas time period. Bissett went to the Governor-General on November 11, 1872 in order to dissolve Parliament, with the date of the poll set for December 16, 1872. One notable change in electoral procedures from the 1871 General Election was the duration of the election - unlike in 1871, the 1872 poll would be done entirely on a single date, with counting to begin at sunset.
The seats allocated to each province remained the same as for the 1871 General Election, as did the electoral boundaries.
| Province | Seats |
|---|---|
| Southshore | 5 |
| North Bay | 2 |
| Westmoreland | 4 |
| South Yorkshire | 3 |
| New Anglia | 1 |
The campaign was a more targeted affair as compared with the 1871 General Election. The parties had infrastructure in place as well as expectations about partisan performance the seats available for analysis. Both party campaigns took advantage of this information, and the two leaders spent most of their time in the marginal seats, particularly in New Anglia and Westgate. All in all, it was felt that Joseph Bissett had acquitted himself well over the course of the campaign and parliamentary term, with his personal popularity rising to match that of Arthur Cartwright. The Dominion Party's campaign, while ubiquitous in Southshore and New Anglia, did not seem to resonate with the voters in the same way. Cartwright struggled to find an issue that would unite the broader political sentiment in his favor - his traction mainly came in Whitaker and Westgate, where the higher cost of food was most pronounced.
The Whitaker Herald again produced a survey detailing the favoritiblity ratings that the two parties enjoyed: the Country Party was viewed favorably by 61% of voters, as compared with 59% of voters who favored the Dominion Party.
For the second election in a row, the party which had the higher favorability rating in the Whitaker Herald survey lost the election. The Country Party, despite winning more votes than in 1871, secured only seven seats in the Ivonian Parliament after losing the seat of Fort William in New Anglia to the Dominion Party. The Dominion Party thus won majority government, with a bare majority of eight seats. The majority deciding seat was Fort William, although the Dominion Party did improve its position in the other ultra-marginal seat of Westgate Centre by 0.4%, bringing the margin to only 1249 votes.
These top-line results and improvements for the Dominion Party masked far more substantial issues across the nation. In a majority of seats, the Dominion Party vote share declined, including several swings of between three and five and a half percent away from the Dominion Party. These did not lead to the loss of any Dominion Party seats, but did help to solidify the Country Party's hold on several seats, particularly in Southshore and Westmoreland.
The two party leaders themselves were comfortably re-elected, with the Prime Minister winning re-election in Upper Coast on a margin of more than eleven percent, and Arthur Cartwright winning a new term in Whitaker Centre on a margin of 4.1%.
The results came as a relief to the Dominion Party, which had seen its efforts in Fort William fall short in 1871 by the narrowest of margins. Although Fort William would remain a marginal seat, on a margin of 1.2%, it was sufficient to give Arthur Cartwright the Premiership. He went to the Governor-General on December 17, 1872 and was sworn in at a sitting of the Ivonian Parliament on December 20th, in time for Christmas. He, like Bissett before him, would have no room for error in the new parliament, but he would now be the one in charge.
| Party | Votes | Votes % | Seats | Seats % | Votes Δ | Votes % Δ | Seats Δ | Seats % Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominion | 792,167 | 49.85% | 8 | 53.33% | -12,863 | -0.80% | 1 | 6.67% |
| Country | 796,975 | 50.15% | 7 | 46.67% | 12,694 | 0.80% | -1 | -6.67% |
| Seat | Winner | Previous Winner | Swing Required | Two-Party Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort William | Dominion | Country | 0.89% | 2.12% |
| Seat | Province | Current Holder | Raw Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort William | New Anglia | Dominion | 2.46% |
| Princeton East | South Yorkshire | Dominion | 7.78% |
| Whitaker Centre | Southshore | Dominion | 8.20% |
| Princeton West | South Yorkshire | Dominion | 9.24% |
| Whitaker Gate | Southshore | Dominion | 12.61% |
| East North Bay | North Bay | Dominion | 12.94% |
| Westgate Outer | Westmoreland | Dominion | 17.74% |
| West North Bay | North Bay | Dominion | 27.02% |
| Seat | Province | Current Holder | Raw Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westgate Centre | Westmoreland | Country | 1.36% |
| South York | South Yorkshire | Country | 6.93% |
| Sedgwick | Southshore | Country | 15.69% |
| South Country | Southshore | Country | 17.22% |
| Port Henry | Westmoreland | Country | 20.90% |
| Upper Coast | Westmoreland | Country | 22.31% |
| South Coast | Southshore | Country | 22.58% |
| Party | Votes | Percent | Previous Votes | Previous Percent | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominion | 65,010 | 51.23% | 62,317 | 49.11% | 2.12% |
| Country* | 61,885 | 48.77% | 64,577 | 50.89% | -2.12% |
The Dominion Party won the seat of Fort William, after winning 51.23% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Country Party after a two-party swing of 2.12%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 0.89%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 2.46%.
| Party | Votes | Percent | Previous Votes | Previous Percent | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominion* | 75,121 | 56.47% | 74,041 | 55.65% | 0.82% |
| Country | 57,908 | 43.53% | 58,997 | 44.35% | -0.82% |
The Dominion Party won the seat of East North Bay, after winning 56.47% of the vote. They held the seat and saw their share of the vote increase by 0.82%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 12.94%.
| Party | Votes | Percent | Previous Votes | Previous Percent | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominion* | 71,719 | 63.51% | 72,846 | 64.50% | -0.99% |
| Country | 41,209 | 36.49% | 40,088 | 35.50% | 0.99% |
The Dominion Party won the seat of West North Bay, after winning 63.51% of the vote. They held the seat despite a fall in their share of the vote by 0.99%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 27.02%.
| Party | Votes | Percent | Previous Votes | Previous Percent | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominion* | 49,485 | 53.89% | 51,265 | 55.83% | -1.94% |
| Country | 42,338 | 46.11% | 40,559 | 44.17% | 1.94% |
The Dominion Party won the seat of Princeton East, after winning 53.89% of the vote. They held the seat despite a fall in their share of the vote by 1.94%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 7.78%.
| Party | Votes | Percent | Previous Votes | Previous Percent | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominion* | 51,835 | 54.62% | 53,673 | 56.56% | -1.94% |
| Country | 43,067 | 45.38% | 41,228 | 43.44% | 1.94% |
The Dominion Party won the seat of Princeton West, after winning 54.62% of the vote. They held the seat despite a fall in their share of the vote by 1.94%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 9.24%.
| Party | Votes | Percent | Previous Votes | Previous Percent | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country* | 58,131 | 53.47% | 57,209 | 52.62% | 0.85% |
| Dominion | 50,593 | 46.53% | 51,511 | 47.38% | -0.85% |
The Country Party won the seat of South York, after winning 53.47% of the vote. They held the seat and saw their share of the vote increase by 0.85%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 6.93%.
| Party | Votes | Percent | Previous Votes | Previous Percent | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country* | 73,159 | 57.85% | 69,026 | 54.58% | 3.26% |
| Dominion | 53,313 | 42.15% | 57,437 | 45.42% | -3.26% |
The Country Party won the seat of Sedgwick, after winning 57.85% of the vote. They held the seat and saw their share of the vote increase by 3.26%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 15.69%.
| Party | Votes | Percent | Previous Votes | Previous Percent | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country* | 43,763 | 61.29% | 42,573 | 59.63% | 1.66% |
| Dominion | 27,638 | 38.71% | 28,822 | 40.37% | -1.66% |
The Country Party won the seat of South Coast, after winning 61.29% of the vote. They held the seat and saw their share of the vote increase by 1.66%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 22.58%.
| Party | Votes | Percent | Previous Votes | Previous Percent | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country* | 59,307 | 58.61% | 59,609 | 58.91% | -0.30% |
| Dominion | 41,882 | 41.39% | 41,578 | 41.09% | 0.30% |
The Country Party won the seat of South Country, after winning 58.61% of the vote. They held the seat despite a fall in their share of the vote by 0.30%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 17.22%.
| Party | Votes | Percent | Previous Votes | Previous Percent | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominion* | 44,981 | 54.10% | 44,569 | 53.49% | 0.61% |
| Country | 38,167 | 45.90% | 38,758 | 46.51% | -0.61% |
The Dominion Party won the seat of Whitaker Centre, after winning 54.10% of the vote. They held the seat and saw their share of the vote increase by 0.61%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 8.20%.
| Party | Votes | Percent | Previous Votes | Previous Percent | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominion* | 58,768 | 56.31% | 56,804 | 54.42% | 1.88% |
| Country | 45,605 | 43.69% | 47,569 | 45.58% | -1.88% |
The Dominion Party won the seat of Whitaker Gate, after winning 56.31% of the vote. They held the seat and saw their share of the vote increase by 1.88%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 12.61%.
| Party | Votes | Percent | Previous Votes | Previous Percent | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country* | 56,681 | 60.45% | 53,077 | 56.61% | 3.84% |
| Dominion | 37,081 | 39.55% | 40,681 | 43.39% | -3.84% |
The Country Party won the seat of Port Henry, after winning 60.45% of the vote. They held the seat and saw their share of the vote increase by 3.84%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 20.90%.
| Party | Votes | Percent | Previous Votes | Previous Percent | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country* | 82,194 | 61.15% | 74,855 | 55.70% | 5.46% |
| Dominion | 52,211 | 38.85% | 59,546 | 44.30% | -5.46% |
The Country Party won the seat of Upper Coast, after winning 61.15% of the vote. They held the seat and saw their share of the vote increase by 5.46%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 22.31%.
| Party | Votes | Percent | Previous Votes | Previous Percent | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country* | 46,671 | 50.68% | 47,042 | 51.08% | -0.40% |
| Dominion | 45,422 | 49.32% | 45,052 | 48.92% | 0.40% |
The Country Party won the seat of Westgate Centre, after winning 50.68% of the vote. They held the seat despite a fall in their share of the vote by 0.40%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 1.36%.
| Party | Votes | Percent | Previous Votes | Previous Percent | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominion* | 67,108 | 58.87% | 64,888 | 56.92% | 1.95% |
| Country | 46,890 | 41.13% | 49,114 | 43.08% | -1.95% |
The Dominion Party won the seat of Westgate Outer, after winning 58.87% of the vote. They held the seat and saw their share of the vote increase by 1.95%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 17.74%.