1937 Saint Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla general election
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Administrative divisions (parishes) |
General elections were held in
Saint Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla on 24 June 1937, the first since the 1870s.[1] The Workers' League nominated two candidates, Thomas Manchester and Edgar Challenger, both of whom were elected.[2]
Background
The St Kitts Legislature was suspended in 1877, after which the colony was ruled by an appointed body. In December 1934 the Legislative Council debated reintroducing elected members, but the idea was rejected.[1] However, following riots in St Kitts the following year, it was decided to restore elected members to the council.[1]
Electoral system
The Council had five elected members, with each island acting as a constituency;
St Kitts returned three members, whilst Anguilla and Nevis returned one each.[1] The right to vote was restricted to those over the age of 21 who had an income of at least £30 per annum, owned property with a value of at least £100, paid at least £12 of rent per year, or had paid at least 15 shillings of direct tax in the previous year.[1] As a result, there were a total of 1,629 registered voters; 1,168 in St Kitts, 328 in Nevis and 133 in Anguilla.[3]
Results
| Constituency | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anguilla | Albert Elliot Owen | Unopposed | Elected | ||
| Nevis | Hubert Henville | 188 | 60.84 | Elected | |
| T W Deane | 121 | 39.16 | |||
| St Kitts | Clermont Malone | 934 | 31.71 | Elected | |
| Thomas Manchester | Workers' League | 800 | 27.16 | Elected | |
| Edgar Challenger | Workers' League | 635 | 21.56 | Elected | |
| W H Walwyn | 346 | 11.75 | |||
| P E Ryan | 230 | 7.81 | |||
| Total ballots cast | 1,312 | 100 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,495 | 87.76 | |||
| Source: O'Flaherty[4] | |||||
References
- ^ a b c d e Brief History of the Electoral Process in Anguilla Central Electoral Office
- ^ History Archived 2015-07-13 at the Wayback Machine St Kitts and Nevis Labour Party
- ^ Brian Dyde (2005) Out of the Crowded Vagueness: A history of the islands of St Kitts, Nevis & Anguilla, Macmillan Caribbean, p251
- ^ Victoria Borg O'Flaherty (2004) 20th century election results in St. Kitts - Nevis, The National Archives, pp3–4