# Preston (electoral district)

Preston is a provincial electoral district in the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. It has existed from 1993 to 2013 and since 2021 and elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.
The electoral district includes the majority African Nova Scotian communities of North Preston and East Preston, plus the communities of Cherry Brook, Lake Loon, Lake Echo, Mineville, Montague Gold Mines, Westphal, and part of the Tam O'Shanter Ridge neighbourhood of Dartmouth.
The electoral district was created in 1991 and was conceived to provide representation to the area's rural Black community. The electoral district was abolished following the 2012 electoral boundary review when the provincial government wanted all of the province's ridings to have equal representation. It was largely replaced by the new electoral district of Preston-Dartmouth. The riding was re-created following the 2019 boundary review, mostly out of Preston-Dartmouth, but also out of parts of Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank, Cole Harbour-Portland Valley, Eastern Shore and a small part of Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley. The riding was reinstated after a court challenge that also re-instated the province's three protected Acadians ridings.
It was the first riding in all of Nova Scotia to feature an entirely African Nova Scotian slate of candidates in the 2021 provincial election.

## Geography

Preston covers 164 km$^2$ (63 sq mi) of land area.

## Members of the Legislative Assembly

The electoral district was represented by the following members of the Legislative Assembly:
Preston :
| Legislature | Years | Member | Party |
| Riding recreated from parts of Halifax Eastern Shore, Cole Harbour and Bedford-Musquodoboit Valley. |||||
| 56th | 1993–1998 | Wayne Adams | Liberal |
| 57th | 1998–1999 | Yvonne Atwell | New Democratic |
| 58th | 1999–2003 | David Hendsbee | Progressive Conservative |
| 59th | 2003–2006 | Keith Colwell | Liberal |
| 60th | 2006–2009 | Keith Colwell | Liberal |
| 61st | 2009–2013 | Keith Colwell | Liberal |
| Riding dissolved into Preston-Dartmouth and Dartmouth East |||||
| Riding recreated from parts of Preston-Dartmouth, Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank, Cole Harbour-Portland Valley, Eastern Shore, and Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley. |||||
| 64th | 2021–2023 | Angela Simmonds | Liberal |
| 64th | 2023–2024 | Twila Grosse | Progressive Conservative |
| 65th | 2024–present | Twila Grosse | Progressive Conservative |

## Election results
### 2024

vte2024 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Twila Grosse | 2,056 | 51.3% |
| | New Democratic | C.C. Simmonds | 1,177 | 29.4% |
| | Liberal | Carlo Simmons | 709 | 17.7% |
| | Green | Andre Anderson | 66 | 1.6% |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,008 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing |
| Source: Elections Nova Scotia |||||||

### 2023 by-election

Nova Scotia provincial by-election, August 8, 2023 Resignation of Angela Simmonds :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Progressive Conservative | Twila Grosse | 1,950 | 45.22 | +16.53 | $49,241.83 |
| | New Democratic | Colter Simmonds | 1,145 | 26.55 | -1.37 | $70,390.30 |
| | Liberal | Carlo Simmons | 1,021 | 23.68 | -19.71 | $46,215.10 |
| | Green | Anthony Edmonds | 101 | 2.34 | – | $930.16 |
| | Nova Scotians United | Bobby Taylor | 95 | 2.20 | – | $5,782.79 |
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | Total valid votes/Expense limit | Total valid votes/Expense limit | 4,312 | 99.29 | – | $76,489.21 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 31 | 0.71 | -0.08 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,343 | 38.79 | -7.56 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 11,195 |
| | Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal | Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +18.12 |
| Source: Elections Nova Scotia |||||||

### 2021

vte2021 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Angela Simmonds | 2,226 | 43.38 | -5.65 | $32,830.44 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Archy Beals | 1,472 | 28.69 | +6.00 | $22,433.28 |
| | New Democratic | Colter C.C. Simmonds | 1,433 | 27.93 | +4.36 | $34,576.51 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 5,131 | 99.21 | – | $67,272.14 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 41 | 0.79 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,172 | 46.36 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 11,157 |
| | Liberal notional hold | Liberal notional hold | Swing | Swing | -5.82 |
| Source: Elections Nova Scotia |||||||
2017 provincial election redistributed results :
| Party | Vote | % |
| Liberal | 2,418 | 49.04 |
| New Democratic | 1,162 | 23.57 |
| Progressive Conservative | 1,119 | 22.69 |
| Green | 231 | 4.68 |
| Independent | 1 | 0.02 |

### 2009

2009 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Keith Colwell | 1,888 | 43.57% | 1.44% |
| | New Democratic | Janet Sutcliffe | 1,314 | 30.33% | 11.16% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Dwayne Provo | 1,076 | 24.83% | -12.00% |
| | Green | Sarah Densmore | 55 | 1.27% | -0.60% |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,333 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Preston" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. |||||||

### 2006

2006 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Keith Colwell | 1,853 | 42.13% | 8.16% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Dwayne Provo | 1,620 | 36.83% | 4.06% |
| | New Democratic | Douglas Sparks | 843 | 19.17% | -12.88% |
| | Green | David Farrell | 82 | 1.86% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,398 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Preston" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. |||||||

### 2003

2003 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Keith Colwell | 1,411 | 33.98% | 20.60% |
| | Progressive Conservative | David Hendsbee | 1,361 | 32.77% | -14.53% |
| | New Democratic | Douglas Sparks | 1,331 | 32.05% | -7.27% |
| | Marijuana | Marc-Boris St-Maurice | 50 | 1.20% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,153 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Preston" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. |||||||

### 1999

1999 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | David Hendsbee | 1,800 | 47.31% | 27.74% |
| | New Democratic | Yvonne Atwell | 1,496 | 39.32% | -3.67% |
| | Liberal | Wendell Thomas | 509 | 13.38% | -24.07% |
| Total | Total | Total | 3,805 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Preston" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. |||||||

### 1998

1998 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Yvonne Atwell | 1,777 | 42.99% | 30.95% |
| | Liberal | Wayne Adams | 1,548 | 37.45% | -1.13% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Ross D. Isenor | 809 | 19.57% | -1.37% |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,134 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Preston" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. |||||||

### 1993

1993 Nova Scotia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Wayne Adams | 1,872 | 38.57% | – |
| | Independent | David Hendsbee | 1,381 | 28.46% | – |
| | Progressive Conservative | Darryl Gray | 1,016 | 20.94% | – |
| | New Democratic | Yvonne Atwell | 584 | 12.03% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,853 | – |
| Source(s) Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Preston" (PDF). nslegislature.ca. Nova Scotia. Chief Electoral Officer (1993). Returns of the General Election for the House of Assembly, Thirty-Third General Election (PDF). Queen's Printer. |||||||