1877 General Election

Published on April 25, 2022 at 20:23

1874 Election
1880 Election

The 1877 General Election was the fourth general election to the Ivonian Parliament. It was the first election to be held after the Electoral Reform Act, 1875, which expanded the number of seats in the Ivonian Parliament to 21 and also extended the length of a parliamentary term to three years. The election saw the Government of Joseph Bissett, the two-term Prime Minister and leader of the Country Party, seek re-election against the Dominion Party which had been badly defeated in the previous election in 1874.

The Country Party had made the promise to construct a national railway a central focus of their 1874 campaign, and aided by their large parliamentary majority they delivered quickly. Parliament passed the Ivonian Railways Act, 1875 in January of that year, which provided funding and incentives for the construction of railways linking rural areas with the nation's ports. By the time of the 1877 election, the first railway links connecting Whitaker with Westmoreland had been completed, with smaller branch lines beginning to criss-cross the provinces section by section. Joseph Bissett approached the 1877 campaign with a promise of continuity, in policy and investment.

The Dominion Party had found itself leaderless and reduced to a single seat after the 1874 defeat. Their sole winning candidate, James Sadler, the MP for West North Bay, was confirmed as party leader in both Parliament as well as the nation at the 1875 Dominion Party Convention. The challenge ahead of him was large, on the 1874 boundaries a total of seven seats would need to be wrested from the Country Party in order to form government. This was a particularly hard fight - a uniform, nationwide swing of only 2.4% would be enough to deliver six seats, but the seventh seat would require a national swing of nearly 5.7%.

These electoral calculations were up-ended by the 1875 census, which revealed substantial population growth as compared with the 1865 census. The electorate recorded a gain of nearly four hundred thousand voters, which would necessitate the re-drawing of electoral boundaries. This was further complicated by the Electoral Reform Act, 1875, which also increased the number of seats in Parliament to 21. The new magic number to form government would thus be eleven seats, not eight.

Joseph Bissett requested the Governor-General dissolve Parliament on November 12, 1877. The date of the election was subsequently set for December 17, 1877. The Whitaker Herald published its electoral survey on the eve of the count, recording a 64% favorability rating for the Country Party, and 57% favorability for the Dominion Party - a substantial gain in the latter case, compared with the previous election.

Distribution of Seats

Following the 1875 Census as well as the increase in the number of parliamentary seats, the electoral boundaries as well as provincial allocations were adjusted.

Province	Seats
Southshore	6
North Bay	3
Westmoreland	6
South Yorkshire	4
New Anglia	2

Results

The Country Party won a clear and comfortable victory in the end, securing 15 out of the 21 seats for a five seat majority. Direct comparisons between most seats were hard to come by, due to the 1875 seat redistribution, but the Dominion Party was only able to achieve a small 2.1% swing across the nation - far short of the 5.7% it needed to form government. Coming out of the election, the Dominion Party still had a large hill to climb in order to form government, requiring a uniform swing of a further 3.31% in order to win the five additional seats required.

Joseph Bissett won re-election in his seat of Upper Coast by a margin of more than ten percent, although he was out-done in this regard by James Sadler who won the ultra-safe seat of Outer North Bay by nearly twenty points. Becoming the first government to win re-election, Joseph Bissett visited the Governor-General on December 18, facing Parliament that Friday, December 21, 1877.

Summary of Results

Party	Votes	Votes %	Seats	Seats %	Votes Δ	Votes % Δ	Seats Δ	Seats % Δ
Country	1,036,373	52.94%	15	71.43%	161,905	-2.08%	1	-21.90%
Dominion	921,328	47.06%	6	28.57%	206,244	2.08%	5	21.90%

Seats Changing Hands

Seat	Winner	Previous Winner	Swing Required	Two-Party Swing
Lakeville	Dominion	New Seat
Madison	Country	New Seat
Northampton	Country	New Seat
Outer Anglia	Country	New Seat
Outer North Bay	Dominion	New Seat
Port Elizabeth	Dominion	New Seat
Port of Whitaker	Dominion	New Seat
Princeton	Country	New Seat
Salem	Dominion	New Seat
Stanton	Dominion	New Seat
Whitaker Outer	Country	New Seat
York Country	Country	New Seat

Target Seats by Party

Target Seats for the Country Party

Seat	Province	Current Holder	Raw Margin
Stanton	Westmoreland	Dominion	2.35%
Port of Whitaker	Southshore	Dominion	4.32%
Salem	South Yorkshire	Dominion	8.80%
Lakeville	Westmoreland	Dominion	12.39%
Port Elizabeth	North Bay	Dominion	14.56%
Outer North Bay	North Bay	Dominion	39.14%

Target Seats for the Dominion Party

Seat	Province	Current Holder	Raw Margin
Princeton	South Yorkshire	Country	2.35%
Whitaker Centre	Southshore	Country	3.16%
York Country	South Yorkshire	Country	5.13%
South York	South Yorkshire	Country	5.84%
Outer Anglia	New Anglia	Country	6.61%
Westgate Centre	Westmoreland	Country	7.76%
Northampton	North Bay	Country	9.25%
Fort William	New Anglia	Country	10.04%
Madison	Westmoreland	Country	11.69%
Sedgwick	Southshore	Country	16.79%
Port Henry	Westmoreland	Country	19.29%
Upper Coast	Westmoreland	Country	20.61%
Whitaker Outer	Southshore	Country	21.36%
South Coast	Southshore	Country	24.64%
South Country	Southshore	Country	28.26%

Seat Details

Results in Fort William, New Anglia

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country*	37,383	55.02%	70,588	55.63%	-0.60%
Dominion	30,559	44.98%	56,308	44.37%	0.60%

The Country Party won the seat of Fort William, after winning 55.02% of the vote. They held the seat despite a fall in their share of the vote by 0.60%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 10.04%.

Results in Outer Anglia, New Anglia

Party	Votes	Percent
Country	47,376	53.31%
Dominion	41,501	46.69%

The Country Party won the new seat of Outer Anglia, after winning 53.31% of the vote. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 6.61%.

Results in Northampton, North Bay

Party	Votes	Percent
Country	64,267	54.62%
Dominion	53,385	45.38%

The Country Party won the new seat of Northampton, after winning 54.62% of the vote. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 9.25%.

Results in Outer North Bay, North Bay

Party	Votes	Percent
Dominion	61,034	69.57%
Country	26,695	30.43%

The Dominion Party won the new seat of Outer North Bay, after winning 69.57% of the vote. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 39.14%.

Results in Port Elizabeth, North Bay

Party	Votes	Percent
Dominion	50,315	57.28%
Country	37,529	42.72%

The Dominion Party won the new seat of Port Elizabeth, after winning 57.28% of the vote. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 14.56%.

Results in Princeton, South Yorkshire

Party	Votes	Percent
Country	68,229	51.18%
Dominion	65,093	48.82%

The Country Party won the new seat of Princeton, after winning 51.18% of the vote. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 2.35%.

Results in Salem, South Yorkshire

Party	Votes	Percent
Dominion	39,451	54.40%
Country	33,068	45.60%

The Dominion Party won the new seat of Salem, after winning 54.40% of the vote. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 8.80%.

Results in South York, South Yorkshire

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country*	45,002	52.92%	63,510	58.42%	-5.50%
Dominion	40,038	47.08%	45,212	41.58%	5.50%

The Country Party won the seat of South York, after winning 52.92% of the vote. They held the seat despite a fall in their share of the vote by 5.50%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 5.84%.

Results in York Country, South Yorkshire

Party	Votes	Percent
Country	59,551	52.57%
Dominion	53,738	47.43%

The Country Party won the new seat of York Country, after winning 52.57% of the vote. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 5.13%.

Results in Port of Whitaker, Southshore

Party	Votes	Percent
Dominion	54,212	52.16%
Country	49,724	47.84%

The Dominion Party won the new seat of Port of Whitaker, after winning 52.16% of the vote. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 4.32%.

Results in Sedgwick, Southshore

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country*	56,301	58.39%	76,882	60.53%	-2.14%
Dominion	40,114	41.61%	50,125	39.47%	2.14%

The Country Party won the seat of Sedgwick, after winning 58.39% of the vote. They held the seat despite a fall in their share of the vote by 2.14%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 16.79%.

Results in South Coast, Southshore

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country*	53,385	62.32%	45,776	64.11%	-1.79%
Dominion	32,278	37.68%	25,621	35.89%	1.79%

The Country Party won the seat of South Coast, after winning 62.32% of the vote. They held the seat despite a fall in their share of the vote by 1.79%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 24.64%.

Results in South Country, Southshore

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country*	64,843	64.13%	64,786	64.22%	-0.08%
Dominion	36,266	35.87%	36,101	35.78%	0.08%

The Country Party won the seat of South Country, after winning 64.13% of the vote. They held the seat despite a fall in their share of the vote by 0.08%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 28.26%.

Results in Whitaker Centre, Southshore

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country*	55,633	51.58%	43,604	52.33%	-0.75%
Dominion	52,226	48.42%	39,719	47.67%	0.75%

The Country Party won the seat of Whitaker Centre, after winning 51.58% of the vote. They held the seat despite a fall in their share of the vote by 0.75%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 3.16%.

Results in Whitaker Outer, Southshore

Party	Votes	Percent
Country	50,666	60.68%
Dominion	32,834	39.32%

The Country Party won the new seat of Whitaker Outer, after winning 60.68% of the vote. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 21.36%.

Results in Lakeville, Westmoreland

Party	Votes	Percent
Dominion	38,858	56.19%
Country	30,292	43.81%

The Dominion Party won the new seat of Lakeville, after winning 56.19% of the vote. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 12.39%.

Results in Madison, Westmoreland

Party	Votes	Percent
Country	33,370	55.85%
Dominion	26,384	44.15%

The Country Party won the new seat of Madison, after winning 55.85% of the vote. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 11.69%.

Results in Port Henry, Westmoreland

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country*	66,851	59.64%	57,666	61.51%	-1.86%
Dominion	45,233	40.36%	36,090	38.49%	1.86%

The Country Party won the seat of Port Henry, after winning 59.64% of the vote. They held the seat despite a fall in their share of the vote by 1.86%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 19.29%.

Results in Stanton, Westmoreland

Party	Votes	Percent
Dominion	35,533	51.18%
Country	33,898	48.82%

The Dominion Party won the new seat of Stanton, after winning 51.18% of the vote. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 2.35%.

Results in Upper Coast, Westmoreland

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country*	62,795	60.31%	81,296	60.48%	-0.18%
Dominion	41,333	39.69%	53,111	39.52%	0.18%

The Country Party won the seat of Upper Coast, after winning 60.31% of the vote. They held the seat despite a fall in their share of the vote by 0.18%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 20.61%.

Results in Westgate Centre, Westmoreland

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country*	59,515	53.88%	51,442	55.86%	-1.98%
Dominion	50,943	46.12%	40,654	44.14%	1.98%

The Country Party won the seat of Westgate Centre, after winning 53.88% of the vote. They held the seat despite a fall in their share of the vote by 1.98%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 7.76%.