Some say many voters have trouble voting with preferntial ballots and that many votes are either exhausted or in some other way not used to elect a member.
However in 1944, in Edmonton and Calgary a very high proportion of votes were used to elect one member or another.
Edmonton had 2747 exhausted votes, only 7 percent of the 38,00 valid votes cast in the district.
Calgary had 3071 exhausted votes, only 8 percent of the 38,00 valid votes cast in the district.
In Edmonton and Calgary, a high proportion of the votes that were not exhausted were used to elect a member.
In Edmonton, only 5171 of the active votes (only 12 percent of valid votes) were not used to elect the winners. These were the votes received by Kennedy, the only candidate not to be either elected or eliminated with the votes being either transferred to others or declared exhausted..
In Calgary, only 3608 of the active votes (only 9 percent of valid votes) were not used to elect the winners. These were the votes received by Robert Alderman, the only candidate not to be either elected or eliminated with the votes being either transferred to others or declared exhausted.
So in total, effective votes were 79 percent and 83 percent for Edmonton and Calgary, respectively.
in Edmonton, 7918 (21 percent of valid votes) were not used to elect someone.
in Calgary, 6679 (17 percent of valid votes) were not used to elect someone.
This compares well to single-member plurality where as much as 82 percent of valid votes are not used to elect the winner.
Parties of choice elected
As well, of first preferences, almost all voters saw a member elected for the party who got their first preference, even if the elected candidate was not their individual choice.
Edmonton
These parties saw one or more of their candidates elected:
Social Credit
Ind. Movement (anti-SC)
CCF
Veterans & Active Force (Williams)
Only voters for Labour-Progressive Party did not see anyone of their party of choice elected. These were only 1680 in number.
and when MacPherson, the last LPP candidate standing, was eliminated, many of his votes went to Page (anti-SC coalition) and Williams (Veterans & Active Force). So the election of these two was partly due to support from LPP voters.
Calgary
These parties saw one or more of their candidates elected:
Ind. Movement (anti-SC)
CCF
Social Credit
Only voters for Labour-Progressive Party did not see anyone of their party of choice elected. These were only 1247 in number.
And when Lenihan, the last LPP candidate standing, was eliminated, many of his votes went to Leisemer and Alderman, both of the CCF. So Liesemer's election was partly due to support from LPP voters.
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This information is from the book, A Report on Alberta Elections
and two documents:
General Statement of the Returning Officer, Edmonton 1944 and
General Statement of the Returning Officer, Calgary 1944, obtained from the Provincial Archives of Alberta (1971.138 or 1970.158).
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