# Electoral history of Joseph Ward

This is a summary of the electoral history of Sir Joseph Ward, Prime Minister of New Zealand, (1906–12; 1928–30) Leader of the Liberal Party (1906–12; 1913–19; 1928–30) and Member of Parliament for Awarua (1887–1919) and Invercargill (1925–1930).

## Parliamentary elections
### 1887 election

General election, 1887: Awarua :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Joseph Ward | 660 | 50.84 |
| | Independent | George Froggatt | 401 | 30.89 |
| | Independent | James Walker Bain | 237 | 18.25 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 259 | 19.95 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,298 | 62.46 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,078 | |

### 1890 election

General election, 1890: Awarua :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Joseph Ward | Unopposed | | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,158 | | |

### 1893 election

General election, 1893: Awarua :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Joseph Ward | Unopposed | | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,129 | | |

### 1896 election

General election, 1896: Awarua :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | Joseph Ward | 1,836 | 63.60 |
| | Conservative | Cuthbert Cowan | 1,051 | 36.40 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,887 | 72.68 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 785 | 27.19 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,887 | |

### 1897 by-election

1897 Awarua by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Joseph Ward | 2,066 | 69.42 | +5.82 |
| | Conservative | Cuthbert Cowan | 910 | 30.58 | −5.82 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,976 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,156 | 38.84 | +11.65 |

### 1899 election

General election, 1899: Awarua :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Joseph Ward | 2,417 | 77.92 | +14.06 |
| | Conservative | W. T. Murray | 685 | 22.08 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,732 | 55.83 | +28.12 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,102 | 76.37 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,062 | | |

### 1902 election

General election, 1902: Awarua :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Sir Joseph Ward | 2,795 | 75.37 | −2.55 |
| | Independent | David Whyte | 913 | 24.63 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,882 | 50.75 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,708 | 76.69 | +0.32 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,835 | | |

### 1905 election

General election, 1905: Awarua :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Sir Joseph Ward | 3,586 | 81.68 | +6.31 |
| | Independent | Henry Woodnorth | 738 | 16.82 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 66 | 1.50 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,848 | 64.87 | +14.12 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,390 | 83.39 | −6.70 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,264 | | |

### 1908 election

General election, 1908: Awarua, First ballot :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Sir Joseph Ward | 3,069 | 64.92 | −16.76 |
| | Independent | William Morris | 886 | 18.74 | |
| | Conservative | Alfred Snowball | 595 | 12.58 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 177 | 3.74 | +2.24 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,183 | 46.18 | −18.69 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,727 | 81.65 | −1.74 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,789 | | |

### 1911 election

General election, 1911: Awarua, First ballot :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Sir Joseph Ward | 2,893 | 53.65 | −11.27 |
| | Reform | John Hamilton | 2,265 | 42.01 | |
| | Independent | William Morris | 152 | 2.81 | −15.93 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 82 | 1.52 | −2.22 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 628 | 11.64 | −34.18 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,392 | 86.71 | +5.06 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,218 | | |

### 1914 election

General election, 1914: Awarua :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Sir Joseph Ward | 3,132 | 62.16 | +8.51 |
| | Reform | John Hamilton | 1,906 | 37.83 | −4.18 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 34 | 0.67 | +0.85 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,226 | 24.33 | +12.69 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,038 | 83.03 | +3.68 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,067 | | |

### 1919 election

General election, 1919: Awarua :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Reform | John Hamilton | 3,164 | 55.99 | +18.16 |
| | Liberal | Sir Joseph Ward | 2,407 | 42.59 | −19.57 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 80 | 1.41 | +0.74 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 757 | 13.39 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,651 | 81.46 | +1.57 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,937 | | |

### 1923 by-election

1923 Tauranga by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Reform | Charles Macmillan | 4,360 | 57.41 |
| | Liberal | Sir Joseph Ward | 3,235 | 42.59 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 35 | 0.46 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,125 | 14.81 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,630 | 85.53 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,921 | |
| | Reform hold | Reform hold | Swing | |

### 1925 election

General election, 1925: Invercargill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Sir Joseph Ward | 4,957 | 46.91 | |
| | Reform | James Hargest | 4,798 | 45.41 | |
| | Labour | Pat Hickey | 811 | 7.68 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 159 | 1.50 | −9.22 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 55 | 0.52 | −0.34 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,621 | 93.73 | +3.44 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,332 | | |

### 1928 election

1928 general election: Invercargill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | United | Sir Joseph Ward | 7,309 | 63.89 | +16.98 |
| | Reform | Morell Macalister | 4,131 | 36.11 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,178 | 27.78 | +26.27 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 88 | 0.76 | +0.25 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,528 | 93.12 | −0.61 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,380 | | |

## Local elections
### 1881 election

Campbelltown mayoral election, 1881 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Joseph Ward | 52 | 75.36 |
| | Independent | Walter Searle | 17 | 24.64 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 35 | 50.72 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 69 | |

### 1882 election

Campbelltown mayoral election, 1882 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Joseph Ward | Unopposed | | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |

### 1883 election

Campbelltown mayoral election, 1883 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Joseph Ward | 35 | 71.43 |
| | Independent | Timothy James Warren | 14 | 28.57 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21 | 42.85 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49 | |