# Okotoks-High River

Okotoks-High River was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1930 to 1971.

## History

Okotoks-High River :
| Assembly | Years | Member | Party |
| Riding created from High River, Okotoks and Rocky Mountain |||||
| 7th | 1930–1935 | George Hoadley | United Farmers |
| 8th | 1935–1935 | William Morrison | Social Credit |
| 8th | 1935–1940 | William Aberhart | Social Credit |
| 9th | 1940–1944 | John T. Broomfield | Independent |
| 10th | 1944–1948 | Ivan Casey | Social Credit |
| 11th | 1948–1952 | Ivan Casey | Social Credit |
| 12th | 1952–1955 | Ivan Casey | Social Credit |
| 13th | 1955–1959 | Ross Laird Ellis | Liberal–Conservative |
| 14th | 1959–1963 | Ernest George Hansell | Social Credit |
| 15th | 1963–1967 | Edward P. Benoit | Social Credit |
| 16th | 1967–1971 | Edward P. Benoit | Social Credit |
| Riding dissolved into Highwood |||||
The Okotoks—High River electoral district was formed prior to the 1930 Alberta general election from the Okotoks electoral district, northern portion of the High River electoral district, and a small portion of the Rocky Mountain electoral district. The electoral district was named after the Town of Okotoks and Town of High River.
The Okotoks-High River electoral district would be abolished in the 1971 electoral boundary re-distribution, and merge with the northern portion of the Pincher Creek-Crowsnest electoral district to form the Highwood electoral district.

### Electoral history

The first member of the Legislative Assembly elected in the Okotoks-High River electoral district was United Farmers of Alberta representative George Hoadley, who had previously held the former Okotoks electoral district through its entire history from 1909 to 1930. Hoadly would soundly defeat his Liberal opponent and former Mayor from 1928-1929 Malcolm MacGougan.
Hoadley would fail to hold the seat in the 1935 Alberta general election, falling to Social Credit candidate William Morrison. Morrison would defeat two other candidates, Liberal A. S. Dick and future Mayor of Okotoks and Conservative Victor E. Hessell. Morrison would only represent the district for a couple of weeks before resigning to provide a seat for newly confirmed party leader and Premier William Aberhart. Aberhart had convinced Morrison to resign so that he could take the seat and provide cabinet representation to southern Alberta to quell complaints about the lack of ministers for the region. Morrison's resignation occurred before the newly elected Legislative Assembly had its first sitting. Aberhart would only represent the district for one sitting, choosing to contest the 1940 Alberta general election in the Calgary electoral district.

## Election results
### 1930

vte1930 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | United Farmers | George Hoadley | 2,834 | 62.95% | – |
| | Liberal | Malcolm MacGougan | 1,668 | 37.05% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,502 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 238 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 6,499 | 72.93% | – |
| | United Farmers pickup new district. | United Farmers pickup new district. | United Farmers pickup new district. | United Farmers pickup new district. | United Farmers pickup new district. | United Farmers pickup new district. | United Farmers pickup new district. |
| Source(s) Source: "Okotoks-High River Official Results 1930 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1935

vte1935 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | William Morrison | 3,062 | 55.78% | – |
| | United Farmers | George Hoadley | 1,005 | 18.31% | -44.64% |
| | Liberal | A. S. Dick | 970 | 17.67% | -19.38% |
| | Conservative | Victor E. Hessell | 452 | 8.23% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 5,489 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 165 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 6,590 | 85.80% | 12.86% |
| | Social Credit gain from United Farmers | Social Credit gain from United Farmers | Swing | Swing | 5.79% |
| Source(s) Source: "Okotoks-High River Official Results 1935 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1935 by-election

vteAlberta provincial by-election, November 4, 1935 Upon the resignation of William Morrison to provide a seat for the Premier :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | William Aberhart | Acclaimed | – | – |
| Total | Total | Total | N/A | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | N/A | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | N/A | N/A | – |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | N/A |
| Source(s) "Past By-Election results". Elections Alberta. Retrieved June 12, 2020. |||||||

### 1940

vte1940 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | John T. Broomfield | 4,352 | 57.80% | – |
| | Social Credit | Ivan Casey | 3,178 | 42.20% | -13.58% |
| Total | Total | Total | 7,530 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 268 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 9,681 | 80.55% | -5.25% |
| | Independent gain from Social Credit | Independent gain from Social Credit | Swing | Swing | -10.94% |
| Source(s) Source: "Okotoks-High River Official Results 1940 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1944

vte1944 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes 1st count | % | Votes final count | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Ivan Casey | 2,932 | 44.61% | 3,425 | 2.41% |
| | Independent | John T. Broomfield | 2,196 | 33.41% | 2,347 | -24.38% |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | J. A. Jeffery | 1,444 | 21.97% | – | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 6,572 | – | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 107 | – | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 9,854 | 67.78% | -12.77% | – |
| | Social Credit gain from Independent | Social Credit gain from Independent | Swing | Swing | -2.20% |
| Source(s) Source: "Okotoks-High River Official Results 1944 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.Instant-runoff voting requires a candidate to receive a plurality (greater than 50%) of the votes. As no candidate received a plurality of votes, the bottom candidate was eliminated and their 2nd place votes were applied to both other candidates until one received a plurality. |||||||

### 1948

vte1948 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Ivan Casey | 3,077 | 63.34% | 18.73% |
| | Liberal | Percy C. Dougherty | 1,291 | 26.57% | – |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Ellis W. Oviatt | 490 | 10.09% | -11.89% |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,858 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 1,105 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 9,538 | 62.52% | -5.26% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | 12.78% |
| Source(s) Source: "Okotoks-High River Official Results 1948 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1952

vte1952 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Ivan Casey | 3,077 | 70.44% | 7.11% |
| | Liberal | Harold Sears | 1,291 | 29.56% | 2.98% |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,368 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 277 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 7,171 | 64.77% | 2.26% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | 2.06% |
| Source(s) Source: "Okotoks-High River Official Results 1952 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1955

vte1955 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal–Conservative | Ross Laird Ellis | 2,607 | 51.23% | – |
| | Social Credit | Ivan Casey | 2,482 | 48.77% | -21.67% |
| Total | Total | Total | 5,089 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 178 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 6,815 | 77.29% | 12.51% |
| | Liberal–Conservative gain from Social Credit | Liberal–Conservative gain from Social Credit | Swing | Swing | -19.22% |
| Source(s) Source: "Okotoks-High River Official Results 1955 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1959

vte1959 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Ernest George Hansell | 2,642 | 51.42% | 2.65% |
| | Independent | Ross Laird Ellis | 1,427 | 27.77% | -33.46% |
| | Progressive Conservative | James S. McLeod | 1,069 | 20.81% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 5,138 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | N/A | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 6,939 | 74.05% | -3.24% |
| | Social Credit gain from Liberal–Conservative | Social Credit gain from Liberal–Conservative | Swing | Swing | 10.60% |
| Source(s) Source: "Okotoks-High River Official Results 1959 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1963

vte1963 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Edward P. Benoit | 2,361 | 52.70% | 1.28% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Samuel Brown | 1,585 | 35.38% | 14.57% |
| | Liberal | Robert E. G. Armstrong | 448 | 10.00% | – |
| | New Democratic | Bill Steemson | 86 | 1.92% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,480 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 13 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 6,842 | 65.67% | -8.38% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | -3.16% |
| Source(s) Source: "Okotoks-High River Official Results 1963 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1967

vte1967 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Edward P. Benoit | 2,289 | 48.85% | -3.85% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Thomas E. Hughes | 2,097 | 44.75% | 9.37% |
| | New Democratic | Georgina M. Smith | 212 | 4.52% | 2.60% |
| | Liberal | Ron A. Baker | 88 | 1.88% | -9.12% |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,686 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 34 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 6,607 | 71.44% | 5.77% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | -6.61% |
| Source(s) Source: "Okotoks-High River Official Results 1967 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

## Plebiscite results
### 1957 liquor plebiscite

1957 Alberta liquor plebiscite results: Okotoks—High River :
| Question A: Do you approve additional types of outlets for the sale of beer, wine and spirituous liquor subject to a local vote? ||||
| Ballot choice | Ballot choice | Votes | % |
| | Yes | 2,088 | 62.18% |
| | No | 1,270 | 37.82% |
| Total votes | Total votes | 3,358 | 100% |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 33 | 33 |
| 6,602 eligible electors, turnout 51.36% ||||
On October 30, 1957, a stand-alone plebiscite was held province wide in all 50 of the then current provincial electoral districts in Alberta. The government decided to consult Alberta voters to decide on liquor sales and mixed drinking after a divisive debate in the legislature. The plebiscite was intended to deal with the growing demand for reforming antiquated liquor control laws.
The plebiscite was conducted in two parts. Question A, asked in all districts, asked the voters if the sale of liquor should be expanded in Alberta, while Question B, asked in a handful of districts within the corporate limits of Calgary and Edmonton, asked if men and women should be allowed to drink together in establishments.
Province wide Question A of the plebiscite passed in 33 of the 50 districts while Question B passed in all five districts. Okotoks-High River voted in favour of the proposal by a wide margin. Voter turnout in the district was well above the province wide average of 46%.
Official district returns were released to the public on December 31, 1957. The Social Credit government in power at the time did not consider the results binding. However the results of the vote led the government to repeal all existing liquor legislation and introduce an entirely new Liquor Act.
Municipal districts lying inside electoral districts that voted against the plebiscite were designated Local Option Zones by the Alberta Liquor Control Board and considered effective dry zones. Business owners who wanted a license had to petition for a binding municipal plebiscite in order to be granted a license.