Parliament of Western Australia Legislative Council election
Election of 14 April 1900
Government support in Legislative Council at and after election
Composition of the Legislative Council and seats to be filled at this election
Enrolment and voting
Western Australia, Legislative Council votes and seats won, and seats held
Elections held in 14 April 1900
Criteria for the inclusion of parties in this table are set out in the Glossary under 'listed party'
| Party Name | Candidates n | First preference vote n | First preference vote share % | Change from previous election % | Seats won by party n | Seats won by party % | Uncontested seats at this election n | Seats held by party n | Seats held by party % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independents (no disciplined party groupings) | 13 | 4,962 | 100.00 | 0.00 | 8 | 100.00 | 3 | 24 | 100.00 |
| Totals | 13 | 4,962 | 100.00 | 8 | 100.00 | 3 | 24 | 100.00 |
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Notes
History of the Legislative Council: For information and references on the origins and early history of the Legislative Council, see the notes for the 1894 Legislative Council elections.
Extension of the franchise to women: Two modifications to the franchise for the Legislative Council had been made in 1899. The Electoral Act Amendment Act of 1899 enfranchised women for the Legislative Council (and for the Legislative Assembly), but property requirements remained and women were not entitled to become members of the Legislative Council.
Other modifications to the franchise: Before the Constitutional Acts Amendment Act of 1899, the franchise of the Legislative Council was conferred those of twenty-one years of age who were British subjects '... and have resided in Western Australia for at least twelve months. Electors had to satisfy a property qualification, i.e., possess freehold property worth at least One Hundred Pounds, as a householder occupy a dwelling of clear annual value of Twenty-Five Pounds ...., hold a leasehold estate of similar annual value, or hold a mining or pastoral lease with an annual rental of at least Ten Pounds', David Black, Legislative Council, p. 4 (see 'Sources', below). After 1899, joint owners, occupiers, leaseholders or licensees not exceeding four persons for any one property of the required value, could register as voters; see David Black, Legislative Council, p. 5 (see 'Sources', below).
'Aboriginals were debarred from voting except in terms of the freehold qualification', David Black, Legislative Council, p. 4 (see 'Sources', below). Plural voting was permitted for those who had the qualifications for the franchise in more than one province (electoral district) for the Legislative Council.
Qualifications for candidates: To be eligible for election to the Legislative Council, candidates had to be men who were electors '... of at least thirty years of age who had resided in the colony for two years and were natural born British subjects or had been naturalised for at least five years prior to the election', David Black, Legislative Council, p. 4 (see 'Sources', below)
Electoral system and voting: The Constitution Act Amendment Act of 1896 had increased the size of the Legislative Council from 21 members to 24 by adding an eighth 3 member electoral district (North-East Province). Members had staggered six year fixed terms, one of the three members from each province retiring every two years. The Act '... also provided that in future the date of retirement for each senior member [the member in the sixth year of his term] would be computed on a two yearly basis as from 21 May in the year of the previous biennial election', David Black, Legislative Council, p. 4 (see 'Sources', below)
First past the post (plurality) voting was used to count the votes '... with voters asked to strike out the names of those candidates for whom they did not wish to vote', David Black, Legislative Council, p. 4 (see 'Sources', below).
Missing information for these elections: Enrolment figures are available for only two of the five contested electoral districts. If the enrolment figures for these two districts (Metropolitan Province 3,444, and West Province 2,447) are added to the number of votes cast for the other three contested electoral districts, a notional enrolment figure of 8,212 can be derived, giving a notional turnout figure of 61 percent, but this is likely to be much higher than the actual rate.
References: For a description of the context of electoral politics in Western Australia's first decades of self-government, see Brian de Garis, 'Self-Government and the Emergence of Political Parties, 1890-1911', in David Black (editor), The House on the Hill: A History of the Parliament of Western Australia 1832-1990, pp 63-95 , (Perth: Western Australian Parliamentary History Project, Parliament of Western Australia, 1991, ISBN 0730939839).
Sources
Information for this election was taken from David Black, Legislative Council of Western Australia: Membership Register, Electoral Law and Statistics 1890-1989, (Perth: Western Australian Parliamentary History Project, 1989, revised 1991, ISBN 0730936414).