April 8 1925
PR has not been used in Northern Ireland since 1921. During the interval, three elections to the Imperial Parliament and also some other elections have taken place, in all of which the electors voted with an X. How had the PR system fared when applied at these new elections?
In all some 392,323 citizens voted. Of these 384,750 marked their ballot papers correctly. The invalid papers, including those not applied with the official stamp and those deliberately spoiled, amount to 7,573 or 1.93 per cent of the whole. More than 98 per cent of the citizens invited after four years to use PR experienced no difficulty.
The counting of the votes has everywhere proceeded with the utmost smoothness, the arrangements made reflecting great credit on the returning officers and their staffs. There have been no long delays, even in the counties, and it is more generally recognised that the checking of the ballot boxes and the counting of the first choices – operations required in the simplest methods of counting votes – consume the largest amount of time, and when these are finished any transfer of votes required by PR are not difficult. The votes have on this occasion been counted more expeditiously than in 1921.
It has been proved beyond question that PR is a practicable system of election. What of its results? Has it made votes effective? Has it given fair representation? Take the figures of Belfast. In every division any group of citizens amounting to a quota has received a spokesman. There are comparatively few citizens in Belfast who are not conscious of having secured through their choice some share of the representation. The total figures for Belfast were: -
Parties Votes Seats
Unionist 67,911 8
Independent Unionist 38,036 4
Labour 18,114 3
Nationalist 17,558 1
Republican 3,146 0
Totals 144,765 16
An inspection of the table will show how fair the result has been. The official Unionists have secured half the representation. They secured very nearly half the votes. Labour has secured an advantage; its third seat represents in large measure the surplus Nationalist votes. The Labour and Nationalists between them polled nearly 36,000 votes, and have secured four of the seats.
Despite many believing PR was a fairer and more reflective system of voting, the Northern Ireland prime minister James Craig oversaw its disbandment by the time of the next election to the Northern Ireland Parliament in 1929.
