1856 New South Wales colonial election

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.^[2]

1856 New South Wales colonial election

← 1851 11 March 1856 – 19 April 1856 1858 →
All 54 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly 28 Assembly seats were needed for a majority
Registered	44,451[1]
Turnout	48.51%
Leader Stuart Donaldson Leader's seat Sydney Hamlets
Results of the election, showing winners in each seat. Seats without circles indicate the electorate returned one member.
Elected Premier Stuart Donaldson

This was not a secret ballot and voters were required to write their name and address on the ballot paper.^[3]

Only men aged over 21 who owned at least a certain amount of land or had above a certain income, could vote. If a man fulfilled these requirements in multiple constituencies, then he was allowed to cast a vote in each. This was known as plural voting.^[4][5][6]

Indigenous men were allowed to vote in theory (there was no specific law against them voting), but in practice they were generally not aware of the process, not encouraged to enrol, and were mostly excluded and unable to participate in the election. In 1856, the Australian frontier wars were ongoing between various Aboriginal First Nations and the NSW government and colonists.

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

Main article: Results of the 1856 New South Wales colonial election

New South Wales colonial election, 11 March 1856 – 19 April 1856 [2] Legislative Assembly << 1851–1858 >>
Enrolled voters		44,451
Votes cast		38,044 votes  20,109 voters		Turnout	48.51% of eligible voters
Informal votes		0		Informal	0.00
Summary of votes by party
Party		Primary votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
Total		38,044			54

See also

• Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1856–1858
• Candidates of the 1856 New South Wales colonial election
• Results of the 1856 New South Wales colonial election