1903 General Election

Published on May 19, 2022 at 18:20

1901 Election
1904 Election

The 1903 General Election was the thirteenth general election to the Ivonian Parliament, and the first early election in Ivonian history. The two-term Conservative government, led by Seward Spalding, sought to capitalize on a brief upsurge in political polling amidst a broader economic down turn to secure an election victory. The previous election had returned the Conservatives comfortably, but they faced a renewed challenge from the Country Party for several right-of-center seats across the nation.

Early in 1902, the failure of several merchant banks in Whitaker had led to an economic downturn in Ivonia, with business slowing substantially. The government, caught unawares by the banks' failures, was slow to react and faced much blame early on in the crisis for their lack of action. As the economy started to recover in late 1903, the Conservatives' polling figures had somewhat recovered, and Spalding wanted to go to the people before this recover could subside.

Spalding went to the Governor-General on October 19, 1903, and the election was set for November 23, 1903 - the first election not held in December.

The Whitaker Herald survey found the favorabilities for the parties as 43% in favor of the Country Party, 34% in favor of the Conservative Party, 60% in favor of the Dominion Party and 38% in favor of the Socialist Party. With the survey being conducted the week before the election, it was clear that the polling recovery that Spalding had banked on was no longer present.

Results

The scale of the defeat became quickly apparent as the results started to report in on the night of November 23rd. The Conservative Party, which many had thought secure as the primary right-of-center party in Ivonia, lost every seat it controlled to the Country Party, which formed government with 19 seats and 34% of the vote. The results came as a disappointment for the Dominion Party, which surveys had showed was the most favorably viewed party in Ivonia, as it could not capitalize on the opportunity presented to even gain any seats. The closest seat in the nation was the seat of Stanton, decided by a margin of only 51 votes in the Country Party's favor.

Seward Spalding resigned as party leader, his seat in Parliament having been lost to the Country Party. Dejected, he retired from politics and returned to his business ventures. The Country Party, although nominally led by the aging Harvey Harris, put forth Marcus Henson, the MP for South Coast, as the next Prime Minister. Henson went to the Governor-General on the 24th and received his commision as Prime Minister. The political situation on the right had changed overnight. Meanwhile, the divided forces on the left plotted their next moves, trying to see what would enable them to return to power.

Summary of Results

Party	Votes	Votes %	Seats	Seats %	Votes Δ	Votes % Δ	Seats Δ	Seats % Δ
Country	821,816	34.13%	19	76.00%	210,126	8.72%	17	68.00%
Dominion	674,681	28.02%	5	20.00%	66,125	2.74%	0	0.00%
Socialist	478,813	19.88%	1	4.00%	-17,805	-0.74%	0	0.00%
Conservative	432,877	17.98%	0	0.00%	-258,306	-10.73%	-17	-68.00%

Seats Changing Hands

Seat	Winner	Previous Winner	Swing Required	Two-Party Swing
Bloomington	Country	Conservative	1.80%	10.66%
Enfield	Country	Conservative	1.77%	10.07%
Fort William	Country	Conservative	2.04%	10.58%
Irvington	Country	Conservative	2.23%	9.85%
Madison	Country	Conservative	1.30%	10.84%
Northampton	Country	Conservative	1.83%	11.69%
Outer Anglia	Country	Conservative	1.64%	10.45%
Port Henry	Country	Conservative	1.70%	11.57%
Port of Whitaker	Country	Conservative	2.58%	9.34%
Sedgwick	Country	Conservative	3.14%	12.25%
Sedgwick Country	Country	Conservative	0.60%	11.65%
South York	Country	Conservative	2.00%	10.24%
Stanton	Country	Conservative	3.01%	9.38%
Upper Coast	Country	Conservative	1.41%	11.79%
Westgate Centre	Country	Conservative	2.02%	10.43%
Whitaker Centre	Country	Conservative	2.24%	9.82%
Whitaker Outer	Country	Conservative	1.53%	11.90%

Target Seats by Party

Target Seats for the Conservative Party

Seat	Province	Current Holder	Raw Margin
Stanton	Westmoreland	Country	12.74%
Port of Whitaker	Southshore	Country	13.53%
Northampton River	North Bay	Dominion	13.98%
Salem	South Yorkshire	Dominion	14.06%
Princeton	South Yorkshire	Dominion	14.70%
Whitaker Centre	Southshore	Country	15.16%
Irvington	South Yorkshire	Country	15.24%
Port Elizabeth	North Bay	Dominion	15.26%
Lakeville	Westmoreland	Dominion	16.04%
South York	South Yorkshire	Country	16.48%
Enfield	South Yorkshire	Country	16.60%
Westgate Centre	Westmoreland	Country	16.82%
Fort William	New Anglia	Country	17.08%
Outer Anglia	New Anglia	Country	17.62%
Bloomington	South Yorkshire	Country	17.72%
Sedgwick	Southshore	Country	18.22%
Madison	Westmoreland	Country	19.08%
Northampton	North Bay	Country	19.71%
Port Henry	Westmoreland	Country	19.73%
South Country	Southshore	Country	20.24%
Whitaker Outer	Southshore	Country	20.72%
Upper Coast	Westmoreland	Country	20.76%
Sedgwick Country	Southshore	Country	22.10%
South Coast	Southshore	Country	23.12%
Outer North Bay	North Bay	Socialist	25.29%

Target Seats for the Country Party

Seat	Province	Current Holder	Raw Margin
Salem	South Yorkshire	Dominion	1.06%
Northampton River	North Bay	Dominion	2.26%
Princeton	South Yorkshire	Dominion	3.69%
Port Elizabeth	North Bay	Dominion	3.89%
Lakeville	Westmoreland	Dominion	6.93%
Outer North Bay	North Bay	Socialist	20.61%

Target Seats for the Dominion Party

Seat	Province	Current Holder	Raw Margin
Stanton	Westmoreland	Country	0.06%
Port of Whitaker	Southshore	Country	0.69%
Outer North Bay	North Bay	Socialist	2.21%
Whitaker Centre	Southshore	Country	3.93%
Irvington	South Yorkshire	Country	4.16%
Enfield	South Yorkshire	Country	6.50%
South York	South Yorkshire	Country	6.83%
Westgate Centre	Westmoreland	Country	7.47%
Fort William	New Anglia	Country	8.10%
Outer Anglia	New Anglia	Country	8.44%
Bloomington	South Yorkshire	Country	9.23%
Madison	Westmoreland	Country	11.36%
Sedgwick	Southshore	Country	13.02%
Port Henry	Westmoreland	Country	13.67%
Northampton	North Bay	Country	13.92%
Upper Coast	Westmoreland	Country	15.40%
South Country	Southshore	Country	15.41%
Whitaker Outer	Southshore	Country	15.61%
Sedgwick Country	Southshore	Country	16.95%
South Coast	Southshore	Country	19.32%

Target Seats for the Socialist Party

Seat	Province	Current Holder	Raw Margin
Salem	South Yorkshire	Dominion	4.38%
Port Elizabeth	North Bay	Dominion	4.83%
Princeton	South Yorkshire	Dominion	8.02%
Port of Whitaker	Southshore	Country	8.05%
Northampton River	North Bay	Dominion	8.79%
Stanton	Westmoreland	Country	9.27%
Lakeville	Westmoreland	Dominion	9.55%
Whitaker Centre	Southshore	Country	11.27%
Irvington	South Yorkshire	Country	11.60%
Enfield	South Yorkshire	Country	13.00%
South York	South Yorkshire	Country	14.40%
Outer Anglia	New Anglia	Country	15.28%
Westgate Centre	Westmoreland	Country	16.12%
Fort William	New Anglia	Country	17.26%
Bloomington	South Yorkshire	Country	17.35%
Madison	Westmoreland	Country	18.03%
Sedgwick Country	Southshore	Country	23.10%
Port Henry	Westmoreland	Country	24.38%
Upper Coast	Westmoreland	Country	25.50%
Northampton	North Bay	Country	25.89%
Whitaker Outer	Southshore	Country	26.39%
South Coast	Southshore	Country	27.35%
South Country	Southshore	Country	28.90%
Sedgwick	Southshore	Country	31.56%

Seat Details

Results in Fort William, New Anglia

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	29,380	35.61%	21,477	26.03%	9.58%
Dominion	22,698	27.51%	20,460	24.80%	2.71%
Conservative*	15,286	18.53%	24,836	30.11%	-11.58%
Socialist	15,141	18.35%	15,724	19.06%	-0.71%

The Country Party won the seat of Fort William, after winning 35.61% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 10.58%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.40%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 2.04%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 8.10%.

Results in Outer Anglia, New Anglia

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	37,168	35.33%	27,118	25.78%	9.55%
Dominion	28,294	26.90%	25,580	24.32%	2.58%
Socialist	21,094	20.05%	21,910	20.83%	-0.78%
Conservative*	18,635	17.72%	30,564	29.06%	-11.35%

The Country Party won the seat of Outer Anglia, after winning 35.33% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 10.45%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.59%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 1.64%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 8.44%.

Results in Northampton, North Bay

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	29,308	39.88%	21,463	29.21%	10.67%
Dominion	19,075	25.96%	17,196	23.40%	2.56%
Conservative*	14,825	20.17%	24,156	32.87%	-12.70%
Socialist	10,283	13.99%	10,673	14.52%	-0.53%

The Country Party won the seat of Northampton, after winning 39.88% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 11.69%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.36%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 1.83%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 13.92%.

Results in Northampton River, North Bay

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Dominion*	31,602	31.26%	28,492	28.19%	3.07%
Country	29,317	29.00%	21,290	21.06%	7.94%
Socialist	22,719	22.47%	23,632	23.38%	-0.91%
Conservative	17,468	17.28%	27,673	27.38%	-10.10%

The Dominion Party won the seat of Northampton River, after winning 31.26% of the vote. They held the seat and saw their share of the vote increase by 3.07%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 2.26%.

Results in Outer North Bay, North Bay

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Socialist*	33,210	37.03%	34,348	38.30%	-1.27%
Dominion	31,228	34.82%	28,345	31.60%	3.22%
Country	14,722	16.41%	10,558	11.77%	4.64%
Conservative	10,531	11.74%	16,442	18.33%	-6.59%

The Socialist Party won the seat of Outer North Bay, after winning 37.03% of the vote. They held the seat despite a fall in their share of the vote by 1.27%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 2.21%.

Results in Port Elizabeth, North Bay

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Dominion*	35,014	31.00%	31,805	28.16%	2.84%
Country	30,616	27.10%	22,260	19.71%	7.40%
Socialist	29,561	26.17%	30,510	27.01%	-0.84%
Conservative	17,772	15.73%	28,383	25.13%	-9.39%

The Dominion Party won the seat of Port Elizabeth, after winning 31.00% of the vote. They held the seat and saw their share of the vote increase by 2.84%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 3.89%.

Results in Bloomington, South Yorkshire

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	27,398	36.08%	19,970	26.30%	9.78%
Dominion	20,391	26.85%	18,532	24.40%	2.45%
Socialist	14,219	18.72%	14,736	19.40%	-0.68%
Conservative*	13,938	18.35%	22,703	29.90%	-11.54%

The Country Party won the seat of Bloomington, after winning 36.08% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 10.66%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.48%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 1.80%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 9.23%.

Results in Enfield, South Yorkshire

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	27,144	34.02%	19,846	24.87%	9.15%
Dominion	21,962	27.53%	19,885	24.92%	2.61%
Socialist	16,775	21.03%	17,386	21.79%	-0.76%
Conservative*	13,898	17.42%	22,669	28.41%	-10.99%

The Country Party won the seat of Enfield, after winning 34.02% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 10.07%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.46%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 1.77%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 6.50%.

Results in Irvington, South Yorkshire

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	27,009	32.75%	19,654	23.83%	8.92%
Dominion	23,576	28.59%	21,323	25.85%	2.73%
Socialist	17,446	21.15%	18,167	22.03%	-0.87%
Conservative*	14,437	17.51%	23,329	28.29%	-10.78%

The Country Party won the seat of Irvington, after winning 32.75% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 9.85%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.44%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 2.23%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 4.16%.

Results in Princeton, South Yorkshire

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Dominion*	29,048	31.60%	26,323	28.64%	2.96%
Country	25,653	27.91%	18,639	20.28%	7.63%
Socialist	21,674	23.58%	22,345	24.31%	-0.73%
Conservative	15,538	16.91%	24,606	26.77%	-9.87%

The Dominion Party won the seat of Princeton, after winning 31.60% of the vote. They held the seat and saw their share of the vote increase by 2.96%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 3.69%.

Results in Salem, South Yorkshire

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Dominion*	29,331	29.87%	26,468	26.96%	2.92%
Country	28,286	28.81%	20,602	20.98%	7.83%
Socialist	25,033	25.50%	25,984	26.46%	-0.97%
Conservative	15,531	15.82%	25,130	25.59%	-9.78%

The Dominion Party won the seat of Salem, after winning 29.87% of the vote. They held the seat and saw their share of the vote increase by 2.92%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 1.06%.

Results in South York, South Yorkshire

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	40,155	34.43%	29,247	25.07%	9.35%
Dominion	32,189	27.60%	29,324	25.14%	2.46%
Socialist	23,359	20.03%	24,163	20.72%	-0.69%
Conservative*	20,933	17.95%	33,907	29.07%	-11.12%

The Country Party won the seat of South York, after winning 34.43% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 10.24%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.42%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 2.00%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 6.83%.

Results in Port of Whitaker, Southshore

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	38,654	30.57%	28,110	22.23%	8.34%
Dominion	37,779	29.88%	34,127	26.99%	2.88%
Socialist	28,470	22.51%	29,567	23.38%	-0.87%
Conservative*	21,551	17.04%	34,634	27.39%	-10.35%

The Country Party won the seat of Port of Whitaker, after winning 30.57% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 9.34%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.40%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 2.58%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 0.69%.

Results in Sedgwick, Southshore

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	20,638	40.70%	14,985	29.55%	11.15%
Dominion	14,038	27.68%	12,678	25.00%	2.68%
Conservative*	11,401	22.48%	18,167	35.83%	-13.34%
Socialist	4,633	9.14%	4,879	9.62%	-0.49%

The Country Party won the seat of Sedgwick, after winning 40.70% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 12.25%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.21%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 3.14%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 13.02%.

Results in Sedgwick Country, Southshore

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	36,158	40.54%	26,414	29.62%	10.92%
Dominion	21,043	23.59%	19,176	21.51%	2.09%
Conservative*	16,442	18.43%	27,485	30.82%	-12.39%
Socialist	15,553	17.44%	16,094	18.05%	-0.61%

The Country Party won the seat of Sedgwick Country, after winning 40.54% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 11.65%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.73%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 0.60%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 16.95%.

Results in South Coast, Southshore

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country*	43,972	42.45%	38,866	37.53%	4.91%
Dominion	23,956	23.13%	20,488	19.79%	3.34%
Conservative	20,021	19.33%	28,014	27.05%	-7.73%
Socialist	15,644	15.10%	16,185	15.63%	-0.53%

The Country Party won the seat of South Coast, after winning 42.45% of the vote. They held the seat and saw their share of the vote increase by 4.91%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 19.32%.

Results in South Country, Southshore

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country*	39,129	41.14%	34,722	36.50%	4.63%
Dominion	24,473	25.73%	20,829	21.90%	3.83%
Conservative	19,877	20.90%	27,448	28.86%	-7.96%
Socialist	11,641	12.24%	12,120	12.74%	-0.50%

The Country Party won the seat of South Country, after winning 41.14% of the vote. They held the seat and saw their share of the vote increase by 4.63%. The seat now sits on a raw margin of 15.41%.

Results in Whitaker Centre, Southshore

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	42,604	32.59%	30,988	23.70%	8.89%
Dominion	37,466	28.66%	34,004	26.01%	2.65%
Socialist	27,870	21.32%	28,890	22.10%	-0.78%
Conservative*	22,787	17.43%	36,843	28.18%	-10.75%

The Country Party won the seat of Whitaker Centre, after winning 32.59% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 9.82%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.47%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 2.24%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 3.93%.

Results in Whitaker Outer, Southshore

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	39,541	40.68%	28,762	29.59%	11.09%
Dominion	24,372	25.07%	22,262	22.90%	2.17%
Conservative*	19,396	19.95%	31,745	32.66%	-12.71%
Socialist	13,893	14.29%	14,428	14.84%	-0.55%

The Country Party won the seat of Whitaker Outer, after winning 40.68% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 11.90%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.56%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 1.53%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 15.61%.

Results in Lakeville, Westmoreland

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Dominion*	26,730	33.13%	24,104	29.87%	3.26%
Country	21,141	26.20%	15,307	18.97%	7.23%
Socialist	19,028	23.58%	19,760	24.49%	-0.91%
Conservative	13,785	17.09%	21,520	26.67%	-9.58%

The Dominion Party won the seat of Lakeville, after winning 33.13% 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 6.93%.

Results in Madison, Westmoreland

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	25,587	37.12%	18,677	27.10%	10.02%
Dominion	17,759	25.76%	16,115	23.38%	2.38%
Socialist	13,155	19.08%	13,663	19.82%	-0.74%
Conservative*	12,435	18.04%	20,476	29.71%	-11.67%

The Country Party won the seat of Madison, after winning 37.12% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 10.84%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.59%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 1.30%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 11.36%.

Results in Port Henry, Westmoreland

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	50,775	39.44%	37,043	28.77%	10.67%
Dominion	33,183	25.78%	30,079	23.36%	2.41%
Conservative*	25,376	19.71%	41,431	32.18%	-12.47%
Socialist	19,395	15.07%	20,191	15.68%	-0.62%

The Country Party won the seat of Port Henry, after winning 39.44% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 11.57%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.47%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 1.70%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 13.67%.

Results in Stanton, Westmoreland

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	24,388	30.52%	17,731	22.19%	8.33%
Dominion	24,337	30.46%	22,050	27.59%	2.86%
Socialist	16,977	21.25%	17,582	22.00%	-0.76%
Conservative*	14,208	17.78%	22,545	28.21%	-10.43%

The Country Party won the seat of Stanton, after winning 30.52% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 9.38%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.16%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 3.01%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 0.06%.

Results in Upper Coast, Westmoreland

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	48,276	40.42%	35,204	29.47%	10.94%
Dominion	29,878	25.01%	27,182	22.76%	2.26%
Conservative*	23,475	19.65%	38,571	32.29%	-12.64%
Socialist	17,816	14.92%	18,480	15.47%	-0.56%

The Country Party won the seat of Upper Coast, after winning 40.42% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 11.79%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.56%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 1.41%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 15.40%.

Results in Westgate Centre, Westmoreland

Party	Votes	Percent	Previous Votes	Previous Percent	Percent Change
Country	44,797	35.10%	32,757	25.67%	9.43%
Dominion	35,259	27.63%	31,729	24.87%	2.76%
Socialist	24,224	18.98%	25,201	19.75%	-0.77%
Conservative*	23,331	18.28%	37,906	29.71%	-11.43%

The Country Party won the seat of Westgate Centre, after winning 35.10% of the vote. They gained the seat from the Conservative Party after a swing of 10.43%, and a relative two-party swing of 19.40%. This was enough to exceed the required two-party swing of 2.02%; the seat now sits on a raw margin of 7.47%.