1875 Quebec general election

Template:Short description Template:Use Canadian English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox election The 1875 Quebec general election was held on July 7, 1875, to elect members of the 3rd Legislative Assembly for the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Quebec Conservative Party, led by Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville, defeated the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière.

The election was the first one held under the new Quebec Elections Act, passed by the de Boucherville government to replace the pre-Confederation elections law. The new law provided for the secret ballot in Quebec elections for the first time. Under the pre-Confederation elections law, each voter had been required to publicly declare their vote to the elections officials, a form of open ballotting.

Franchise and qualificationEdit

Right to voteEdit

The right to vote in elections to the Legislative Assembly was not universal. Only male British subjects (by birth or naturalisation), aged 21 or older, were eligible to vote, and only if they met a property qualification.<ref name =QEA-8>The Quebec Elections Act, SQ 1875, c. 7, s. 8.</ref> For residents of larger cities, the qualification was being the owner or occupant of real property assessed at three hundred dollars or more, or for tenants, an annual rent of thirty dollars or more. For any other municipality, the qualification was being an owner or occupant of real property assessed at two hundred dollars or more, or twenty dollars in annual value. For tenants in smaller centers, the qualification was paying an annual rent of twenty dollars or more.

Women were completely barred from voting.<ref name =QEA-8/>

Judges and many municipal and provincial officials were also barred from voting, particularly officials with law enforcement duties, or duties relating to public revenue.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 11.</ref> The Returning Officer in each riding was also barred from voting, except when needed to give a casting vote in the event of a tie vote.<ref name="ReferenceA">The Quebec Election Act, s. 205.</ref>

Qualification for the Legislative AssemblyEdit

Candidates for election to the Legislative Assembly had to meet stricter qualifications than voters. To stand for election, a candidate had to

Be at least twenty-one years of age;
Be of the male sex;
Be a subject of Her Majesty (either by birth or naturalisation);
Be free from all legal incapacity;
Be the proprietor in possession of lands or tenements worth at least $2,000, over and above all encumbrances and charges on the property.<ref name =QEA-124>The Quebec Election Act, s. 124.</ref>

Women were completely barred from membership in the Assembly.<ref name =QEA-124/>

Electoral mapEdit

The Legislative Assembly was composed of sixty-five single-member constituencies or "ridings". The 1875 election was conducted under the pre-Confederation electoral map of the former Province of Canada. That map had set the boundaries for the sixty-five constituencies of Canada East, which became Quebec. The British North America Act, 1867 provided that the pre-Confederation electoral map would continue to be used for Quebec elections until altered by the Legislature of Quebec.<ref>Constitution Act, 1867, s. 80.</ref> The map of the sixty-five constituencies was also to be used in federal elections, until altered by Parliament.<ref>Constitution Act, 1867, s. 40.</ref>

Conduct of the electionEdit

New election lawEdit

The election was the first election conducted under The Quebec Election Act, a completely new election law passed by the Quebec Legislature.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, SQ 1875, c. 7.</ref> The new Act replaced the pre-Confederation election law, which had been continued in use for the first two elections, in 1867 and 1871.<ref name=BNA67-84>British North America Act, 1867, s. 84.</ref><ref>An Act respecting Elections of Members of the Legislature, Consolidated Statutes of Canada 1859, c. 6.</ref> Two significant changes under the new law were the introduction of the secret ballot, and a requirement that all constituencies vote on the same day.

Secret ballotEdit

The 1875 election for the Legislative Assembly was the first time the secret ballot was used in Quebec.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, ss. 181-185, 187.</ref> Under the pre-Confederation law used in the first two general elections, voting had been by open ballotting, where voters publicly declared their vote to the polling officials.<ref name=BNA67-84/><ref>An Act respecting Elections of Members of the Legislature, Consolidated Statutes of Canada 1859, c. 6, ss. 51-54.</ref>

Preparation of voter listsEdit

The Act required that each municipality prepare a voter list in March of each year, based on the valuation of property and ownership used for the tax rolls. The list was drawn up the secretary-treasurer of each municipality.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 12.</ref> The municipal council then reviewed the list and could make corrections to it. Once approved by the municipal council, the list was in force until the preparation of the list in the next year.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, ss. 27 to 36.</ref> Any person who was dissatisfied by their inclusion or exclusion from the list could appeal to the local judge of the superior court or district magistrate, whose decision on the issue was final.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, ss. 41-48.</ref>

Procedure for the electionEdit

The election began with a proclamation issued by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, setting the date for nomination of candidates. The date was the same for all constituencies.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 65.</ref> The provincial Clerk of the Crown in Chancery then issued sixty-five writs, directed to the Returning Officer for each constituency, directing them to conduct the election.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 76, Form C.</ref> The Returning Officer would be the registrar or sheriff of the constituency.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 78.</ref>

On the date set for nominations, the Returning Officer would hold a public meeting to receive nominations. The meeting was conducted at the most central and convenient location in the constituency, in a court house, city hall or registry office, between noon and one o'clock.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, ss. 96 to 98.</ref>

To be nominated, a candidate had to file a nomination paper with the Returning Officer, signed by at least twenty-five supporters eligible to vote in the constituency, and accompanied with a deposit of $200. The nomination paper and deposit had to be filed on or before the nomination meeting.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, ss. 104 to 109.</ref>

If only one nomination was received, the Returning Officer would declare that person to be elected, and immediately report the result to the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery with the return of the writ.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, ss. 117 to 119.</ref> If two or more candidates were nominated, voting would occur one week after the nomination date set in the writ.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 73.</ref> The Returning Officer would establish polling stations throughout the constituency.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 89.</ref> On polling day, the polls would open in each station and voters would cast their ballots in the locked ballot box.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, ss. 157 to 171.</ref> When the polls closed, the deputy returning officers would unlock the ballot box, count the ballots in the presence of the candidates or their agents, and prepare a record of the vote. The deputy returning officer would then place all of the records and ballots in the ballot box, lock it, and deliver the ballot box to the Returning Officer.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, ss. 189 to 195.</ref>

Once all the ballot boxes were received, the Returning Officer would open all the ballot boxes in the presence of witnesses and total the votes from each polling station.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 200.</ref> The Returning Officer would declare the candidate with the most votes elected.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 204.</ref> If there was a tie between the top two candidates, the Returning Officer was required to give a written casting vote immediately to decide the election. In no other circumstances could the Returning Officer vote.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

The Returning Officer would then prepare a complete report of the results of the election, along with his return of the writ, and forward it all to the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 206.</ref>

ResultsEdit

The election resulted in a Conservative victory. The Conservatives were maintained in office with a strong majority, although a somewhat reduced seat count. The Liberals held steady with nineteen seats, the same as in the 1871 election.

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1875 Election Results
Party		Party Leader	Seats			Popular Vote
Party		Party Leader	1871	Elected<ref>Quebec National Assembly: La répartition des sièges aux élections générales</ref>	Seat Change	Votes Cast<ref name=QNA-votes>Quebec National Assembly: La répartition des voix aux élections générales</ref>	Percentage<ref name=QNA-votes/>	Percentage Change
Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville	46	43	-3	44,328	50.67%	-1.1%
Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière	19	19	0	33,763	38.59%	-0.8%
Independent Conservative		0	3	+3	8,850	10.74%	+1.9%
Other		-	0	-	8,850	10.74%	+1.9%
Total			65	65	-	86,941	100%	-