Despite losing almost 10% of the popular vote (compared to its 1952 proportion of the vote) and 30% of its seats in the legislature, the Social Credit Party, led by Ernest C. Manning, received a slightly higher number of votes than in 1952 and won a comfortable majority for its sixth term in government.
The Liberal Party emerged as the principal opposition to the Social Credit juggernaut, winning over 30% of the popular vote, and increasing its legislative caucus from 4 members to 15. The Cooperative Commonwealth Federation won two seats. However its leader, MLA Elmer Roper, was defeated, ending his thirteen-year career in the legislature. Three Conservative Party candidates and various independents also won seats.
This provincial election, like the previous seven, 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. This was the last provincial election to use PR. After this the electoral system was changed to Plurality voting.
The rise in opposition MLAs was only partially created in the cities where single transferable voting was in use. Only one more opposition MLA was elected in the cities versus the number elected there in 1952. Calgary elected two Liberals in 1955 versus one in 1952. The addition of seven Liberal MLAs was produced by the rise in Liberal Party popularity. This was a sign of dis-satisfaction with the SC government which by that point in time had been in power 20 years.
A portion of the increased opposition caucus were four Liberal MLAs who were elected in rural districts through vote transfers conducted under instant-runoff voting despite the Social Credit candidate in each of the districts being the leader in the First Count. The election of these four caused the government to abandon the STV/AV system that had been in use since 1924. After the system's replacement by single-member Plurality voting and various other reforms put into effect by Premier Manning, the SC government would take many more seats in subsequent elections.[1]
The 1955 election was brought on after Liberal leader James Harper Prowse questioned the confidence of the government in question period regarding members of the Social Credit caucus who had had dealings with the Alberta Treasury Branch. Manning was angered by the question and had the Lieutenant Governor dissolve the assembly despite having two more years left in his term.
ExpulsionEdit
On the last day of the campaign Ernest Manning barred candidates Roy Lee and John Landeryou from running as official Social Credit candidates. However, due to the ballots having already been printed, the two men were still listed under the Social Credit name. Lee and Landeryou had violated the Legislative Assembly Act by renting a building to the provincial government.[3]
End of STV and AVEdit
Following this election, the Social Credit government did away with the Alternative Vote Instant-runoff voting system, that had been in place in the rural constituencies, and the PR through Single Transferable Vote system in Edmonton and Calgary, both of which had been in place since 1924.
Under Single Transferable Voting, results would take up to five days to count the necessary vote transfers, before the last member was declared elected. This was especially problematic, in Edmonton that elected seven members. The resulting representation was very well balanced, with as many as four parties commonly elected in each major city.
As well, the government in 1955 had lost four local elections in rural constituencies due to vote transfers held under IRV, when its candidate had received the largest portion of the vote in the first round but was not elected to the seat after re-distribution of the ballots in later counts. The cancellation of the IRV system was meant to prevent this in the future. In four constituencies the SC candidate had received plurality of first-choice votes but was not elected when another candidate surpassed his lead through vote transfers conducted under IRV. This indicated to the government that the supporters of the opposition parties were beginning to support each other in a joint effort to defeat the government. (One historian has stated that there were 20 constituencies like this in which the SC at the end won only five but that number is too high. There were 16 constituencies in which, in the first count, no candidate took the majority of the votes. Only in these constituencies was it necessary to hold more counts (involving re-distribution of some votes in accordance with voters' marked back-up preferences). Even where vote transfers were conducted and more counts held, mostly the candidate leading in the first round won the seat in the end, but there were four constituencies (Acadia-Coronation, Athabasca, Lac Ste. Anne and Vermilion) in which the leading candidate in the first round was not the candidate with the most votes at the end and thus did not win the seat. The victim in all four cases was a SC candidate.)
The government presented the complicated voting procedure as reason to shift to First past the post, a voting system that was simpler but also was expected to give the government more seats. The 1955 election saw the election of the largest opposition caucus that Manning faced during his 25 years as premier (although it was just 40 percent of the seats in the Legislature). As well, it was the most opposition members Social Credit would face during its 36 years in power.
After the shift to First past the post the next election (1959) saw the government win all but four of the seats in the Legislature, far more than its due share of the vote.
^"Manning Takes Belated Kick At Two Former S.C. Members". Calgary Herald. June 29, 1955. p. 1.
October 24, 2023
1955, alberta, general, election, held, june, 1955, elect, members, legislative, assembly, alberta, 1952, june, 1955, 1955, 1959, outgoing, membersmembers, seats, legislative, assembly, alberta, seats, were, needed, majority, majority, party, minority, party, . The 1955 Alberta general election was held on June 29 1955 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta 1955 Alberta general election 1952 June 29 1955 1955 06 29 1959 outgoing membersmembers 61 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta 31 seats were needed for a majority Majority party Minority party LIBLeader Ernest Manning James H ProwseParty Social Credit LiberalLeader since May 31 1943 June 25 1947Leader s seat Edmonton EdmontonLast election 53 seats 56 2 3 seats 22 4 Seats before 53 3Seats won 37 15Seat change 16 12Popular vote 175 553 117 741Percentage 46 4 31 1 Swing 9 8 8 7 Third party Fourth party Leader John P Page Elmer E RoperParty Conservative Co operative CommonwealthLeader since 1952 1942Leader s seat Edmonton Edmonton lost re election Last election 2 seats 3 7 1 seats 14 1 Seats before 2 2Seats won 3 2Seat change 1 0Popular vote 34 757 31 180Percentage 9 2 8 2 Swing 5 5 5 9 Premier before electionErnest ManningSocial Credit Premier after election Ernest ManningSocial CreditDespite losing almost 10 of the popular vote compared to its 1952 proportion of the vote and 30 of its seats in the legislature the Social Credit Party led by Ernest C Manning received a slightly higher number of votes than in 1952 and won a comfortable majority for its sixth term in government The Liberal Party emerged as the principal opposition to the Social Credit juggernaut winning over 30 of the popular vote and increasing its legislative caucus from 4 members to 15 The Cooperative Commonwealth Federation won two seats However its leader MLA Elmer Roper was defeated ending his thirteen year career in the legislature Three Conservative Party candidates and various independents also won seats This provincial election like the previous seven 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 This was the last provincial election to use PR After this the electoral system was changed to Plurality voting The rise in opposition MLAs was only partially created in the cities where single transferable voting was in use Only one more opposition MLA was elected in the cities versus the number elected there in 1952 Calgary elected two Liberals in 1955 versus one in 1952 The addition of seven Liberal MLAs was produced by the rise in Liberal Party popularity This was a sign of dis satisfaction with the SC government which by that point in time had been in power 20 years A portion of the increased opposition caucus were four Liberal MLAs who were elected in rural districts through vote transfers conducted under instant runoff voting despite the Social Credit candidate in each of the districts being the leader in the First Count The election of these four caused the government to abandon the STV AV system that had been in use since 1924 After the system s replacement by single member Plurality voting and various other reforms put into effect by Premier Manning the SC government would take many more seats in subsequent elections 1 Voter turnout in this election was 68 percent 2 Contents 1 Snap vote 2 Expulsion 3 End of STV and AV 4 Results 5 Members elected 6 See also 7 ReferencesSnap vote EditThe 1955 election was brought on after Liberal leader James Harper Prowse questioned the confidence of the government in question period regarding members of the Social Credit caucus who had had dealings with the Alberta Treasury Branch Manning was angered by the question and had the Lieutenant Governor dissolve the assembly despite having two more years left in his term Expulsion EditOn the last day of the campaign Ernest Manning barred candidates Roy Lee and John Landeryou from running as official Social Credit candidates However due to the ballots having already been printed the two men were still listed under the Social Credit name Lee and Landeryou had violated the Legislative Assembly Act by renting a building to the provincial government 3 End of STV and AV EditFollowing this election the Social Credit government did away with the Alternative Vote Instant runoff voting system that had been in place in the rural constituencies and the PR through Single Transferable Vote system in Edmonton and Calgary both of which had been in place since 1924 Under Single Transferable Voting results would take up to five days to count the necessary vote transfers before the last member was declared elected This was especially problematic in Edmonton that elected seven members The resulting representation was very well balanced with as many as four parties commonly elected in each major city As well the government in 1955 had lost four local elections in rural constituencies due to vote transfers held under IRV when its candidate had received the largest portion of the vote in the first round but was not elected to the seat after re distribution of the ballots in later counts The cancellation of the IRV system was meant to prevent this in the future In four constituencies the SC candidate had received plurality of first choice votes but was not elected when another candidate surpassed his lead through vote transfers conducted under IRV This indicated to the government that the supporters of the opposition parties were beginning to support each other in a joint effort to defeat the government One historian has stated that there were 20 constituencies like this in which the SC at the end won only five but that number is too high There were 16 constituencies in which in the first count no candidate took the majority of the votes Only in these constituencies was it necessary to hold more counts involving re distribution of some votes in accordance with voters marked back up preferences Even where vote transfers were conducted and more counts held mostly the candidate leading in the first round won the seat in the end but there were four constituencies Acadia Coronation Athabasca Lac Ste Anne and Vermilion in which the leading candidate in the first round was not the candidate with the most votes at the end and thus did not win the seat The victim in all four cases was a SC candidate The government presented the complicated voting procedure as reason to shift to First past the post a voting system that was simpler but also was expected to give the government more seats The 1955 election saw the election of the largest opposition caucus that Manning faced during his 25 years as premier although it was just 40 percent of the seats in the Legislature As well it was the most opposition members Social Credit would face during its 36 years in power After the shift to First past the post the next election 1959 saw the government win all but four of the seats in the Legislature far more than its due share of the vote Results EditParty Party Leader ofcandidates Seats Popular vote1952 Elected Change Change Social Credit Ernest C Manning 62 53 37 30 2 175 553 46 42 9 82 Liberal James Harper Prowse 53 3 15 400 117 741 31 13 8 76 Conservative John P Page 26 2 3 50 0 34 757 9 19 5 52 Cooperative Commonwealth Elmer Roper 38 2 2 0 31 180 8 24 5 81 Coalition Frank Gainer 2 1 4 581 1 21 Independent 7 1 4 225 1 12 0 88 Liberal Conservative Ross Ellis 2 1 4 001 1 06 Independent Social Credit 3 1 1 0 0 2 721 0 72 0 69 Labor Progressive 9 3 420 0 90 0 52 Total 202 60 61 1 7 378 179 100 Source Elections AlbertaNotes Party did not nominate candidates in the previous election Popular voteSocial Credit 46 42 Liberal 31 13 Conservative 9 19 CCF 8 24 Others 5 02 Seats summarySocial Credit 60 66 Liberal 24 59 Conservative 4 92 CCF 3 28 Others 6 55 Members elected EditFor complete electoral history see individual districts 13th Alberta Legislative Assembly District Member Party Acadia Coronation James Sims Liberal Alexandra Anders Aalborg Social Credit Athabasca Richard Hall Liberal Banff Cochrane Frank Gainer Coalition Bonnyville Jake Josvanger Liberal Bow Valley Empress Bryce Stringam Independent Bruce Earl Hardy Social Credit Calgary Arthur Ryan Smith Conservative Hugh John MacDonald Liberal Frederick C Colborne Social Credit Rose Wilkinson Social Credit Grant MacEwan Liberal Arthur J Dixon Social Credit Camrose Chester Sayers Social Credit Cardston Edgar Hinman Social Credit Clover Bar Floyd Baker Social Credit Cypress Harry Strom Social Credit Didsbury James Lawrence Owens Social Credit Drumheller Gordon Taylor Social Credit Edmonton Ernest Manning Social Credit James Harper Prowse Liberal Abe Miller Liberal Harold Tanner Liberal Joseph Donovan Ross Social Credit John Page Conservative Edgar Gerhart Social Credit Edson Norman Willmore Social Credit Gleichen George E Bell Social Credit Grande Prairie Ira McLaughlin Social Credit Grouard Joseph Desfosses Liberal Hand Hills Wallace Warren Cross Social Credit Lac La Biche Michael Maccagno Liberal Lac Ste Anne John Mills Liberal Lacombe Allen Patrick Social Credit Leduc Ronald Ansley Independent Social Credit Lethbridge John Landeryou Social Credit Little Bow Peter Dawson Social Credit Macleod James Hartley Social Credit Medicine Hat Elizabeth Robinson Social Credit Okotoks High River Ross Ellis Liberal and Conservative Coalition Olds Frederick Niddrie Social Credit Peace River William Gilliland Social Credit Pembina Robin Jorgenson Social Credit Pincher Creek Crowsnest William Kovach Social Credit Ponoka Glen Johnston Social Credit Red Deer Cam Kirby Conservative Redwater Alfred Macyk Liberal Rocky Mountain House Alfred Hooke Social Credit Sedgewick Jack Hillman Social Credit Spirit River Adolph Fimrite Social Credit St Albert Arthur Soetaert Liberal St Paul Raymond Reierson Social Credit Stettler John Clark Social Credit Stony Plain John McLaughlin Liberal Taber Roy Lee Social Credit Vegreville Stanley Ruzycki Cooperative Commonwealth Vermilion Russell Whitson Liberal Wainwright Henry Ruste Liberal Warner Leonard Halmrast Social Credit Wetaskiwin John Wingblade Social Credit Willingdon Nick Dushenski Co operative CommonwealthSee also EditList of Alberta political partiesReferences Edit Bob Hesketh The Abolition of Preferential voting in Alberta Prairie Forum Spring 1987 A Report on Alberta Elections p 77 80 A Report on Alberta Elections p 81 Manning Takes Belated Kick At Two Former S C Members Calgary Herald June 29 1955 p 1 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1955 Alberta general election amp oldid 1174388693, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
