ID 0711

Commonwealth Parliament, Senate election in Tasmania

(for more information on this election see national summary for the Senate)

Election of 10 December 1949

Show only vote and seat summary details

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Senate enrolment and voting in Tasmania

Total number of voters on the rollin this state/territory
161,540
Total ballots cast (may differ from number of votes in multiple voting systems)
155,061
Turnout (rate of voting in contested seats)
95.99%
Total valid votes
138,705
Rate of informal (invalid) voting
10.55%

Electoral composition of the Senate for this election inTasmania

Total number of seats in the Senate
60
Total number of seats for each state
10
Number of seats for each territory
0
Seats to be filled at this Senate election in this state/territory
7
Casual vacancies/additional seats included in seats to be filled
4
Electoral System
Adult franchise at 21 years; multimember districts; proportional representation by the single transferable vote method (STV); compulsory preferences; compulsory voting

Senate votes and seats won, and seats held in Tasmania

Display Chart

Election held on 10 December 1949
Criteria for the inclusion of parties in this table are set out in the Glossary under listed party

* to view table drag left or right.
Party Name First preference vote nFirst preference vote share %Change from previous election %Seats won by ticket nSeats won by ticket %Seats won by party nSeats won by party %Seats held by party nSeats held by party %
Liberal Party 71,944  51.87  +7.22 4  57.144  57.14  4  40.00 
Australian Labor Party 63,524  45.8  -5.01 3  42.863  42.86  6  60.00 
Independents 2,490  1.8  -2.74 0  0.000  0.00  0  0.00 
Votes for other than listed parties7470.54 +1.00       
Totals138,705  100    7  100%  7  100%  10  100% 

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Notes

In the table above, see the Glossary distinctions between Seats won by ticket and Seats won by party, and between Seats won by party and Seats held by party.

The increase in the membership of the Senate from 36 to 60 members (an increase from 6 to 10 senators from each state) required the election of 7 senators from each state at the 1949 election (3 existing Senate vacancies in each state and an additional 4 vacancies to bring each state delegation of senators to 10). Regular half Senate elections from 1951 until the Senate was enlarged again in 1984 would be for 5 senators from each state (not including any casual vacancies until the method for fill such vacancies was changed by constitutional amendment in 1977).

The 1949 election was the first to use proportional representation by the single transferable vote method for the election of senators.

Note - 103581

Sources

Colin A Hughes and B D Graham, A Handbook of Australian Government and Politics 1890-1964, Canberra; Australian National University Press, 1968 (SBN 708102700); Gerard Newman, Federal Election Results 1949-2001, Canberra: Commonwealth Parliament, Department of the Parliamentary Library, Information and Research Services, Research Paper 9 2001-02, 2002 (ISSN 1328 7478), online here.

Note - 104167


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