1856 New South Wales colonial election

1856 New South Wales colonial election
	11 March 1856 – ; 19 April 1856
	11 March 1856 – ; 19 April 1856
All 54 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly; 28 Assembly seats were needed for a majority
	Elected Premier ; Stuart Donaldson;

The 1856 New South Wales colonial election was held between 11 March and 19 April 1856. This election was for all of the 54 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and it was conducted in 18 single-member constituencies, 13 2-member constituencies, two 3-member constituencies and one 4-member constituency, all with a first past the post system.[1] This was not a secret ballot and voters were required to write their name and address on the ballot paper.[2]

This was the first election held since the introduction of self-government in New South Wales. The resulting parliament, devoid of anything resembling party structure, ran for two weeks before Stuart Donaldson assumed the premiership, and struggled to deliver stable government during its term.

Key dates

Date	Event
10 March to 5 April 1856	Nominations for candidates for the election closed.
11 March to 19 April 1856	Polling days.
22 May 1856	Opening of new Parliament.

Results

New South Wales colonial election, 11 March 1856 – 19 April 1856 [1] Legislative Assembly –1858 >>
Enrolled voters
Votes cast	38,044		Turnout	48.51
Informal votes	0		Informal	0.00
Summary of votes by party
Party	Primary votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
Total	38,044			54

References

Green, Antony. "1856 election totals". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
Green, Antony. "1856 Northumberland Boroughs re-count". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 20 September 2020.

"Former members of the New South Wales Parliament, 1856-2006". New South Wales Parliament.

1856 New South Wales colonial election

Key dates

Results

References

See also