1940 Alberta general election

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1940 Alberta general election
Canadian Red Ensign 1921-1957.svg
  1935 March 21, 1940 (1940-03-21) 1944  

57 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
29 seats were needed for a majority
 Majority partyMinority party
  W aberhart (cropped).jpg
IM
Leader William Aberhart Andrew Davison
Party Social Credit Independent Movement
Leader sinceSeptember 3, 19351940
Leader's seat Calgary Calgary
Last election56 seats, 54.2%pre-creation
Seats before47
Seats won3619
Seat changeDecrease2.svg11
Popular vote132,507131,172
Percentage42.9%42.5%
SwingDecrease2.svg11.3%

 Third partyFourth party
 
LAB
LIB
Leaderunknown Edward L. Gray
Party Labour Liberal
Leader since June 4, 1937
Leader's seatran in Edmonton presumably
Last election0 seats, 1.7%5 seats, 23.1%
Seats before06
Seats won11
Seat changeIncrease2.svg1Decrease2.svg5
Popular vote3,2582,755
Percentage1.1%0.9%
SwingDecrease2.svg0.6%Decrease2.svg22.2%

Premier before election

William Aberhart
Social Credit

Premier after election

William Aberhart
Social Credit

The 1940 Alberta general election was held on March 21, 1940, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

Contents

Despite its failure to implement its key policy, providing prosperity certificates to all Albertans, the Social Credit Party of Premier William Aberhart won a second term in government. Nevertheless, it lost eleven seats that it had won in the 1935 landslide.

This provincial election, like the previous three, saw district-level proportional representation (Single transferable voting) used to elect the MLAs of Edmonton and Calgary. City-wide districts were used to elect multiple MLAs in the cities. All the other MLAs were elected in single-member districts through Instant-runoff voting.

Unity Movement

The Conservative and Liberal parties as well as the remains of the United Farmers, recognizing the widespread popularity of the Social Credit party, ran joint candidates as independents in what was called the "Independent Movement" or the "Unity Movement". Although independent candidates won almost as many votes as Social Credit, their support was dispersed across many areas so few of the movement's candidates took a majority of the votes (required under Instant-runoff voting to take the seat) so the movement's overall vote tally did not translate into its due share of seats overall. The Independent Movement lost a number of races by small margins. However, due to the Parliamentary system, which awards power solely on the basis of seats won, Social Credit was returned for a second term, albeit with a considerably reduced majority.

The Liberals under leader Edward Gray chose only to support Independent candidates that they played a hand in nominating, and nominated other candidates under its own banner. Gray felt that candidates should not be machined into the field and left it up to the individual Liberal constituency associations to decide if they would support a candidate or not. [1]

This would be the most opposition that Social Credit would face until 1959.

Co-operative Commonwealth

The social democratic Cooperative Commonwealth Federation nominated candidates for the first time, but failed to win any seats in the legislature, despite winning over 10% of the popular vote under the leadership of former United Farmers of Alberta MLA Chester Ronning. Like Ronning, most of the CCF's candidates had run in the 1935 election for the UFA.

Reduction of electoral districts

An Act was passed in 1939 that provided for the reduction of the number of MLAs from 63 to 57, upon the next election. [2] Calgary and Edmonton now returned five MLAs each instead of six, and the following other changes were made:

AbolishedNew
New districts
Renaming of districts
Abolition of districts
Merger of districts
Reorganization of districts
  1. from parts of Vegreville, Sedgewick and Camrose
  2. from part of Grande Prairie
  3. also drawing in parts of Edson, Red Deer and Lacombe

Results

Elections to the 9th Alberta Legislative Assembly (1940)
PartyLeaderCandidatesFirst-preference votesSeats
Votes±% FpvChange (pp) 1935 1940±
Social Credit William Aberhart 56132,50731,193Increase2.svg42.90-11.35
 
56
36 / 57
20Decrease2.svg
Independent Movement [a 1] Andrew Davison 57130,60311,178Increase2.svg42.282.51
 
6
19 / 57
13Increase2.svg
Liberal Edward Gray 22,755483Increase2.svg0.890.14
 
1
1 / 57
Steady2.svg
Labour 23,2581,828Decrease2.svg1.05-0.63
 
1 / 57
1Increase2.svg
Co-operative Commonwealth Chester Ronning 3634,31634,316Increase2.svg11.1111.11
 
Independent Liberal11,136181Increase2.svg0.370.06
 
Communist 11,0674,704Decrease2.svg0.35-1.56
 
Independent [a 2] 25692,171Decrease2.svg0.18-0.72
 
Independent Labour 125127Increase2.svg0.080.01
 
Independent Progressive41,7261,726Increase2.svg0.56
Independent Social Credit1362362Increase2.svg0.12
Independent Farmer 2314314Increase2.svg0.10
Total165308,864100.00%
Rejected ballots10,6152,346Increase2.svg
Turnout319,4799,458Increase2.svg74.8%7.0Decrease2.svg
Registered voters427,33549,086Increase2.svg
  1. compared against combined 1935 totals for UFA, Conservatives and Liberals (other than Grouard)
  2. 1 in Calgary; 1 in Edmonton

MLAs elected

    Synopsis of results

    Results by riding 1940 Alberta general election (all except Calgary and Edmonton) [3]
    RidingFirst-preference votesTurnout
    [a 1]
    Final countsWinning party
    NameSCIndMCCFLibLabOthTotalSCIndMCCFLibLab 1935 1940
     
    Acadia-Coronation 2,1631,6655594,38776.3%2,2971,963NewSC
    Alexandra 2,2151,2551,27373.1%2,3261,953SCSC
    Athabasca 1,9651,3367824,08361.9%2,0781,497SCSC
    Banff-Cochrane 1,8692,9314,80080.4%Elected on 1st countNewIndM
    Beaver River 2,5556691,2544,47870.4%Elected on 1st countSCSC
    Bow Valley-Empress 2,0351,7623,79770.5%Elected on 1st countNewSC
    Bruce 2,0181,4337524,20371.8%2,2031,781NewSC
    Camrose 2,4721,4841,5505,50677.2%2,5822,508SCSC
    Cardston 2,1601,8083,96881.9%Elected on 1st countSCSC
    Clover Bar 2,2521,3701,4765,09877.9%2,4182,261SCSC
    Cypress 1,6672,0653,73275.3%Elected on 1st countSCIndM
    Didsbury 2,3122,37974.5%Elected on 1st countSCIndM
    Drumheller 2,0431,5307414,31479.8%2,3301,720SCSC
    Edson 1,9497982,2114,95872.7%2,1002,558SCLab
    Gleichen 1,4572,2556704,38275.2%Elected on 1st countSCIndM
    Grande Prairie 1,5561,9986744,22870.4%1,7842,233SCIndM
    Grouard 1,7031,0241,7474,47462.0%1,9611,965LibLib
    Hand Hills 2,5471,9704,51775.5%Elected on 1st countSCSC
    Lac Ste. Anne 1,6121,2391,1103,96163.9%1,8391,704SCSC
    Lacombe 2,3212,0616265,00875.6%2,4572,361SCSC
    Leduc 2,1411,1067323,97965.9%Elected on 1st countSCSC
    Lethbridge 2,7604,3187,07883.4%Elected on 1st countSCIndM
    Little Bow 2,1622,0344,19686.0%Elected on 1st countSCSC
    Macleod 2,4872,4464,93382.3%Elected on 1st countSCSC
    Medicine Hat 2,9432,8635,80686.1%Elected on 1st countSCSC
    Okotoks-High River 3,1784,3527,53080.5%Elected on 1st countSCIndM
    Olds 2,3452,4553625,16276.4%2,5492,483SCSC
    Peace River 2,1142,2534,36760.0%Elected on 1st countSCIndM
    Pembina 1,5891,7197434,05160.0%1,8181,980SCIndM
    Pincher Creek-Crowsnest 2,3562,1291,0475,53286.1%2,4432,210NewSC
    Ponoka 1,9071,9205754,40274.7%2,0452,234SCIndM
    Red Deer 2,0832,7609715,81477.7%2,3303,142SCIndM
    Redwater 2,2269457853,95664.9%Elected on 1st countNewSC
    Rocky Mountain House 2,4771,4967674,74069.4%Elected on 1st countSCSC
    St. Albert 1,6921,3835521,0084,63570.9%2,0182,304SCIndM
    St. Paul 2,2701,6098134,69270.2%2,4211,785SCSC
    Sedgewick 2,6051,4267944,82575.7%Elected on 1st countSCSC
    Spirit River 1,4091,0877723,26863.3%1,7071,295NewSC
    Stettler 2,6681,8517845,30378.5%Elected on 1st countSCSC
    Stony Plain 1,9141,2289421964,28072.6%2,2131,606SCSC
    Taber 1,8791,3835763,83880.0%1,9981,618SCSC
    Vegreville 2,2231,9205234,66675.6%2,3752,061SCSC
    Vermilion 2,2031,8159364,95476.4%2,5062,148SCSC
    Wainwright 2,2961,6111,0393655,31176.4%2,5832,169SCSC
    Warner 1,5581,9373,49583.0%Elected on 1st countSCIndM
    Wetaskiwin 2,4801,8749015,25571.9%2,7612,179SCSC
    Willingdon 2,3295149683,81164.4%Elected on 1st countNewSC
    1. including spoilt ballots
      = Open seat
      = turnout is above provincial average
      = Candidate was in previous Legislature
      = Incumbent had switched allegiance
      = Previously incumbent in another riding
      = Not incumbent; was previously elected to the Legislature
      = Incumbency arose from by-election gain
      = previously an MP in the House of Commons of Canada
      = Multiple candidates

    Multi-member districts

      = Candidate was in previous Legislature
      = First-time MLA
      = Previously incumbent in another district.

    STV analysis

    Exhausted votes

    Twenty-eight districts went beyond first-preference counts in order to determine winning candidates:

    Exhausted votes (1935)
    DistrictCountsExhausted
    1st preferenceFinalVotes% of 1st pref
    Calgary 45,91444,8301,0842.36
     
    Edmonton 43,74341,1302,6135.97
     
    Acadia-Coronation 4,3874,2601272.89
     
    Alexandra 4,7434,2794649.78
     
    Athabasca 4,0833,57550812.44
     
    Bruce 4,2033,9842195.21
     
    Camrose 5,5065,0904167.56
     
    Clover Bar 5,0984,6794198.22
     
    Drumheller 4,3144,0502646.12
     
    Edson 4,9584,6583006.05
     
    Grande Prairie 4,2284,0172114.99
     
    Grouard 4,4743,92654812.25
     
    Lac Ste. Anne 3,9613,54341810.55
     
    Lacombe 5,0084,8181903.79
     
    Olds 5,1625,0321302.52
     
    Pembina 4,0513,7982536.25
     
    Pincher Creek-Crowsnest 5,5324,65387915.89
     
    Ponoka 4,4024,2791232.79
     
    Red Deer 5,8145,4723425.88
     
    St. Albert 4,6354,3223136.75
     
    St. Paul 4,6924,20648610.35
     
    Spirit River 3,2683,0022668.14
     
    Stony Plain 4,2803,81946110.77
     
    Taber 3,8383,6162225.78
     
    Vegreville 4,6664,4362304.93
     
    Vermilion 4,9544,6543006.06
     
    Wainwright 5,3114,75255910.53
     
    Wetaskiwin 5,2554,9403155.99
     

    Calgary

    The Independent Movement (also called the "Citizens' Slate) fielded six candidates for the five seats. The other parties nominated fewer candidates than the maximum seats sought.

    PartyCandidatesMLAs elected
    19401935±19401935±
    Independent Movement 66Increase2.svg33Increase2.svg
    Social Credit 462Decrease2.svg242Decrease2.svg
    Co-operative Commonwealth 22Increase2.svg
    Independent Labour 11Steady2.svg
    Independent 11Steady2.svg
    Conservative 44Decrease2.svg11Decrease2.svg
    Liberal 44Decrease2.svg11Decrease2.svg
    Labour 33Decrease2.svg
    Communist 11Decrease2.svg
    Total14206Decrease2.svg561Decrease2.svg
    Calgary (1940 Alberta general election) (five members elected, candidates ranked in order of 1st preference) [4]
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    123456789101112
    Independent Movement Andrew Davison 27.15%12,465
    Social Credit William Aberhart 26.40%12,12212,122
    Independent Movement James Mahaffy 7.94%3,6455,538 5,615 5,672 5,704 5,966 6,041 6,043 6,971 7,040 7,162 9,449
    Independent Movement John J. Bowlen 7.51%3,4474,380 4,417 4,431 4,453 4,545 4,586 4,590 5,212 5,254 5,320 7,247
    Co-operative Commonwealth Fred J. White 6.20%2,8462,903 3,025 3,037 3,097 3,128 4,179 4,229 4,319 4,461 4,965 5,175
    Independent Movement Joseph Tweed Shaw 5.85%2,6853,726 3,746 3,777 3,804 3,994 4,039 4,043 4,592 4,602 4,654
    Social Credit Fred Anderson 4.22%1,9391,959 4,203 4,213 4,229 4,236 4,369 5,227 5,282 8,744
    Social Credit Edith Gostick 3.50%1,6051,613 2,886 2,905 2,922 2,928 2,985 3,691 3,731
    Independent Movement Norman Dingle3.22%1,4802,084 2,121 2,133 2,158 2,322 2,358 2,363
    Social Credit H.D. Tarves3.02%1,3861,390 1,914 1,918 1,938 1,947 1,979
    Co-operative Commonwealth Robert Alderman2.83%1,2981,333 1,438 1,448 1,487 1,499
    Independent Movement Harry Pryde1.25%576758 766 778 790
    Independent Labour D. V. Mitchell0.55%251266 280 290
    Independent Frank Moodie0.37%169169 186 194
    Exhausted ballots3 3 6 26 43 72 422 501 507 854 1,084
    Electorate: 59,338  Valid: 45,914  Spoilt: 777  Quota: 7,653  Turnout: 46,691 (78.7%)  
      Calgary (1940 Alberta general election)
      (analysis of transferred votes, candidates ranked in order of 1st preference)
      PartyCandidateMaximum
      round
      Maximum
      votes
      Share in
      maximum
      round
      Maximum votes
        First round votes  Transfer votes
      Independent Movement Andrew Davison 112,46527.15%
      Social Credit William Aberhart 112,12226.40%
      Independent Movement James Mahaffy 129,44921.08%
      Independent Movement John J. Bowlen 127,24716.17%
      CCF Fred J. White 125,17511.54%
      Independent Movement Joseph Tweed Shaw 114,65410.33%
      Social Credit Fred Anderson 108,74419.26%
      Social Credit Edith Gostick 93,7318.22%
      Independent Movement Norman Dingle82,3635.19%
      Social Credit H.D. Tarves71,9794.32%
      CCF Robert Alderman61,4993.27%
      Independent Movement Harry Pryde57901.72%
      Independent Labour D. V. Mitchell42900.63%
      Independent Frank Moodie31940.42%
      Exhausted votes1,0842.36%

      Edmonton

      The Independent Movement presented seven candidates for the five seats being contested.

      PartyCandidatesMLAs elected
      19401935±19401935±
      Independent Movement 77Increase2.svg33Increase2.svg
      Social Credit 561Decrease2.svg22Steady2.svg
      Co-operative Commonwealth 33Increase2.svg
      Independent Progressive22Increase2.svg
      Independent 11Increase2.svg
      Communist 11Steady2.svg
      Conservative 66Decrease2.svg11Decrease2.svg
      Liberal 66Decrease2.svg33Decrease2.svg
      United Farmers 11Decrease2.svg
      Labour 66Decrease2.svg
      Reconstruction 11Decrease2.svg
      Total19278Decrease2.svg561Decrease2.svg
      Edmonton (1940 Alberta general election) (five members elected, candidates ranked in order of 1st preference) [5]
      PartyCandidateFPv%Count
      123456789101112131415
      Social Credit Ernest Manning 23.01%10,066
      Independent Movement John Percy Page 12.82%5,6075,657 5,698 5,774 5,801 6,077 6,118 6,140 6,421 6,466 6,648 6,731 7,935
      Independent Movement Hugh John Macdonald 9.44%4,1284,167 4,189 4,249 4,256 4,318 4,342 4,356 5,029 5,061 5,127 5,184 5,828 6,056 6,649
      Independent Movement Gerald O'Connor 9.08%3,9723,988 4,006 4,030 4,047 4,145 4,180 4,187 4,578 4,590 4,627 4,650 5,081 5,263 6,035
      Independent Movement David Milwyn Duggan 8.87%3,8783,890 3,926 3,953 3,957 4,085 4,092 4,103 4,229 4,240 4,294 4,318 5,713 5,925 6,731
      Independent Movement L. Y. Cairns 7.58%3,3163,326 3,356 3,393 3,395 3,584 3,589 3,599 3,697 3,706 3,781 3,801
      Co-operative Commonwealth Elmer Roper 4.54%1,9842,013 2,033 2,047 2,245 2,280 2,399 2,421 2,455 2,477
      Co-operative Commonwealth Harry Dean Ainlay 4.21%1,8401,866 1,901 1,943 2,105 2,117 2,485 2,552 2,580 2,654 4,539 4,652 4,706 4,724
      Independent Movement E. C. Fisher3.67%1,6071,620 1,655 1,671 1,681 1,712 1,729 1,738
      Social Credit Charles Gould2.73%1,1921,771 1,790 1,820 1,826 1,831 1,965 2,342 2,378
      Social Credit Elisha East2.55%1,1171,593 1,607 1,623 1,631 1,636 1,724 2,375 2,395 3,376 3,422
      Communist James A. MacPherson2.44%1,0671,088 1,108 1,120 1,135 1,136
      Social Credit Norman B. James 2.21%9671,923 1,932 1,964 1,970 1,972 2,072 2,428 2,440 3,537 3,568 6,355 6,378 6,382 7,133
      Social Credit Charles B. Wills2.17%9481,442 1,450 1,473 1,483 1,493 1,564
      Independent Movement Marjorie Pardee1.88%822828 843 857 862
      Co-operative Commonwealth William H. Miller1.01%442457 482 493
      Independent G. F. Hustler0.91%400412 452
      Independent Progressive Samuel Barnes 0.64%282299
      Independent ProgressiveJ. H. Green0.25%108112
      Exhausted ballots0 24 42 58 66 193 211 250 345 446 761 811 811 2,613
      Electorate: 59,685  Valid: 43,743  Spoilt: 1,204  Quota: 7,291  Turnout: 44,947 (75.3%)  
        Edmonton (1940 Alberta general election)
        (analysis of transferred votes, candidates ranked in order of 1st preference)
        PartyCandidateMaximum
        round
        Maximum
        votes
        Share in
        maximum
        round
        Maximum votes
          First round votes  Transfer votes
        Social Credit Ernest Manning 110,06623.01%
        Independent Movement John Percy Page 137,93518.48%
        Independent Movement Hugh John Macdonald 156,64917.34%
        Independent Movement Gerald O'Connor 156,03514.67%
        Independent Movement David Milwyn Duggan 156,73116.37%
        Independent Movement L. Y. Cairns 123,8018.84%
        CCF Elmer Roper 102,4775.71%
        CCF Harry Dean Ainlay 144,72411.00%
        Independent Movement E. C. Fisher81,7383.99%
        Social Credit Charles Gould92,3785.47%
        Social Credit Elisha East113,4227.90%
        Communist James A. MacPherson61,1362.60%
        Social Credit Norman B. James 157,13317.34%
        Social Credit Charles B. Wills71,5643.59%
        Independent Movement Marjorie Pardee58621.97%
        CCF William H. Miller44931.13%
        Independent G. F. Hustler34521.03%
        Independent Progressive Samuel Barnes 22990.68%
        Independent ProgressiveJ. H. Green21120.26%
        Exhausted votes2,6135.97%

        References

        1. "Liberals Against Independents If "Machined into Field" - Gray". Vol. XXXIII No 36. The Lethbridge Herald. January 23, 1940. p. 7.
        2. The Legislative Assembly Act Amendment Act, 1939 , S.A. 1939, c. 94
        3. A Century of Democracy: Elections of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, 1905-2005. Edmonton: Legislative Assembly of Alberta. 2006. pp. 134–146. ISBN   0-9689217-9-5.
        4. "Take 12 Counts In Calgary Vote". Calgary Albertan . March 23, 1940. pp. 1–2.
        5. "General Statement By Returning Officer: Electoral Division of Edmonton". Edmonton Bulletin . March 25, 1940. p. 1.

        Further reading

        Party platforms

        See also