1915 Taumarunui by-election
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15 June 1915
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| Turnout | 7,655 (83.41%) | |||||||||||||||
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The Taumarunui by-election of 1915 was a by-election during the 18th New Zealand Parliament in the Taumarunui electorate. It was held on the 15 June 1915. The seat had become vacant in May 1915 when incumbent Taumarunui MP's William Jennings' election the previous year was declared void. Jennings stood again and successfully retained his seat.[1]
Background
Following many close results at the 1914 general election, combined with the fact that the security of the Government hung on them, the Reform Party filed for a record number of electoral petitions. Reform was particularly disappointed by their losses in Taumarunui and Hawkes Bay to the Liberal Party, the petitions launched in those seats alleged irregularities. It was discovered that William Jennings had been wrongly enrolled on the Taumarunui electoral roll rather than Taranaki.[2] Liberal leader Sir Joseph Ward campaigned energetically in the seat in support of Jennings.[3]
Results
The following table gives the election results:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | William Jennings | 3,899 | 50.93 | −0.13 | |
| Reform | Charles Wilson | 3,741 | 48.87 | +0.42 | |
| Informal votes | 15 | 0.19 | −0.58 | ||
| Majority | 158 | 2.06 | −0.54 | ||
| Turnout | 7,655 | 83.41 | +1.66 | ||
| Registered electors | 9,418 | ||||
Notes
- 1 2 "Declaration of Result of Poll". King Country Chronicle. Vol. IX, no. 782. 26 June 1915. p. 4.
- ↑ Bassett 1982, p. 19.
- ↑ Bassett 1982, p. 20.
References
- Bassett, Michael (1982). Three Party Politics in New Zealand 1911–1931. Auckland: Historical Publications. ISBN 0-86870-006-1.