The New Zealand general election of 1908 was held November 17, November 24 and December 1 to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 17th session of the New Zealand Parliament. A total number of 537,003 (79.8%) voters turned out to vote.
The Second Ballot Act 1908 provided for second or runoff ballots between the top two candidates where the top candidate did not get an absolute majority. The second ballot was held seven days after the first ballot except in ten large rural seats, where fourteen days was allowed. In 1908, 22 second ballots were held on 24 November and one (Bay of Plenty) on 1 December. At the 1911 election, all 30 second ballots were held seven days later. The Second Ballot Act, which did not apply to the Maori seats, was repealed in 1913.
The Maori vote was held on December 2.
1908 was the year the second-ballot voting system was introduced.
[edit] Results
[edit] Summary of Changes
- A boundary redistribution resulted in the abolition of seven seats:
- At the same time, seven new seats came into being:
- Dunedin West
- Gisborne
- Stratford
- Taumarunui
- Tauranga
- Wellington South
- Wellington Suburbs
 Elections and referendums in New Zealand | | | General elections | | | | Referendums | Alcohol licensing, 1896–87 · Gambling, 1949 · Military training, 1949 · Pub closing time and alcohol licensing, 1949 · Pub closing time and parliamentary term, 1967 · Parliamentary term, 1990 · Voting method, 1992 · Voting method, 1993 · Firefighters, 1995 · Pensions, 1997 · Justice, 1999 · MP reduction, 1999 · Smacking, 2009 · Voting method, 2011 | |
