# 1920 British Columbia general election

The 1920 British Columbia general election was the fifteenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on October 23, 1920, and held on December 1, 1920. The new legislature met for the first time on February 8, 1921.
Although it lost eleven seats in the legislature, and fell from 50% of the popular vote to under 38%, the governing Liberal Party was able to hold on to a slim majority in the legislature for its second consecutive term in government.
The Conservative Party also lost a significant share of its popular vote, but won six additional seats for a total of fifteen, and formed the Official Opposition.
Almost a third of the vote and seven seats were won by independents and by a wide variety of fringe parties.
This was the first general election in which women could vote and run for office.

## Results

Elections to the 15th Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1920) :
| Political party | Political party | Party leader | MLAs | MLAs | MLAs | MLAs | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes |
| Political party | Political party | Party leader | Candidates | 1916 | 1920 | ± | # | ± | % | ± (pp) |
| | Liberal | John Oliver | 45 | 36 | 26 | 10 | 134,167 | 44,275 | 37.89 | 12.11 |
| | Conservative | William Bowser | 42 | 9 | 14 | 5 | 110,475 | 37,633 | 31.20 | 9.32 |
| | Independent | | 18 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 36,736 | 31,810 | 10.37 | 7.63 |
| | Federated Labour | | 14 | – | 3 | 3 | 32,230 | 32,230 | 9.10 | New |
| | People's Party | | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | 1,354 | 1,354 | 0.38 | New |
| | Independent Socialist | | 1 | 1 | – | 1 | 419 | 902 | 0.12 | 0.62 |
| | Socialist | | 7 | – | – | | 12,386 | 10,280 | 3.50 | 2.33 |
| | Soldier | | 11 | – | – | – | 10,780 | 10,780 | 3.04 | New |
| | Grand Army of United Veterans | | 2 | – | – | – | 5,441 | 5,441 | 1,54 | New |
| | Independent Liberal | | 3 | – | – | | 3,433 | 1,915 | 0.97 | 0.13 |
| | United Farmers | | 2 | – | – | – | 3,178 | 3,178 | 0.90 | New |
| | Independent Conservative | | 2 | – | – | | 1,602 | 1,412 | 0.45 | 1.23 |
| | Independent Soldier | | 2 | – | – | – | 907 | 907 | 0.26 | New |
| | Independent Farmer | | 3 | – | – | – | 526 | 526 | 0.15 | New |
| | Liberal–Conservative | | 1 | – | – | – | 424 | 424 | 0.12 | New |
| | Independent Labour | | 1 | – | – | | 30 | 2,955 | 0.01 | 1.65 |
| Total | Total | Total | 155 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 354,088 | 354,088 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
* ↑ nominated and won in both Delta and Victoria City. He would opt to resign from the Delta seat.
* ↑ Includes candidates from the Liberty League of B.C. (2,466 votes), Vancouver Ratepayers Association (3,291 votes), and Women's Freedom League (4,166 votes).
* ↑ Includes candidates not directly nominated, but supported by, the Federated Labour Party.
* ↑ Includes John Henry Burrough, a Labour candidate in Prince Rupert running on a Socialist Party platform.
* ↑ Soldier-Farmer candidates ran in rural Districts (five candidates, 3361 votes) and Soldier-Labour candidates ran in urban ones (six candidates, 7419 votes).
* ↑ Some GAUV candidates ran on a joint Soldier-Labour ticket.
Seats and popular vote by party :
| Party | Seats | Votes | Change (pp) | Change (pp) |
| █ Liberal | 26 / 47 | 37.89% | -12.11 | |
| █ Conservative | 14 / 47 | 31.20% | -9.32 | |
| █ Federated Labour | 3 / 47 | 9.10% | 9.10 | 9.1 |
| █ Independent | 3 / 47 | 10.37% | 7.63 | 7.63 |
| █ Soldier/GUAV | 0 / 47 | 4.58% | 4.58 | 4.58 |
| █ Socialist | 0 / 47 | 3.50% | 2.33 | 2.33 |
| █ Other | 2 / 47 | 3.36% | -2.21 | |

## MLAs elected
### Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1920 British Columbia general election (single-member districts) :
| Riding | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes |
| Name | 1916 | 1916 | Party | Party | Votes | Share | Margin # | Margin % | Lib | Con | FLP | PP | Soc | Sol | UF | I-Lib | I-Con | Ind | Oth | Total |
| Alberni | | Lib | | Ind | 841 | 43.94% | 166 | 8.67% | 398 | – | – | – | – | 675 | – | – | – | 841 | – | 1,914 |
| Atlin | | Lib | | Lib | 390 | 36.69% | 90 | 8.47% | 390 | 229 | 300 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 114 | 30 | 1,063 |
| Cariboo | | Lib | | Lib | 561 | 61.65% | 212 | 28.30% | 561 | 349 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 910 |
| Chilliwhack | | Lib | | Lib | 1,911 | 53.16% | 227 | 6.32% | 1,911 | 1,684 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3,595 |
| Columbia | | Lib | | Lib | 584 | 60.58% | 204 | 21.16% | 584 | 380 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 964 |
| Comox | | Lib | | PP | 1,354 | 32.83% | 121 | 2.93% | 806 | 1,233 | – | 1,354 | – | – | – | 731 | – | – | – | 4,124 |
| Cowichan | | Ind | | Ind | 1,145 | 52.60% | 113 | 5.20% | – | 1,032 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,145 | – | 2,177 |
| Cranbrook | | Lib | | Lib | 941 | 50.98% | 36 | 1.96% | 941 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 905 | – | – | 1,846 |
| Delta | | Con | | Lib | 1,334 | 37.50% | 218 | 6.13% | 1,334 | 1,116 | – | – | – | 1,107 | – | – | – | – | – | 3,557 |
| Dewdney | | Lib | | Con | 1,535 | 45.45% | 166 | 4.91% | 1,369 | 1,535 | 473 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3,377 |
| Esquimalt | | Con | | Con | 1,158 | 49.87% | 473 | 20.37% | 685 | 1,158 | – | – | – | 479 | – | – | – | – | – | 2,322 |
| Fernie | | Lib | | FLP | 932 | 38.37% | 158 | 6.51% | 723 | 774 | 932 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2,429 |
| Fort George | | Con | | Lib | 1,140 | 55.18% | 353 | 17.09% | 1,140 | 787 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 139 | 2,066 |
| Grand Forks | | Lib | | Lib | 390 | 50.39% | 6 | 0.78% | 390 | 384 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 774 |
| Greenwood | | Lib | | Lib | 392 | 49.06% | 100 | 12.51% | 392 | 292 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 115 | 799 |
| The Islands | | Lib | | Lib | 581 | 40.86% | 100 | 7.03% | 581 | 481 | – | – | – | 360 | – | – | – | – | – | 1,422 |
| Kamloops | | Lib | | Lib | 1,617 | 37.43% | 209 | 4.84% | 1,617 | 1,295 | – | – | – | – | 1,408 | – | – | – | – | 4,320 |
| Kaslo | | Lib | | Con | 760 | 50.53% | 16 | 1.06% | 744 | 760 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,504 |
| Lillooet | | Con | | Con | 339 | 47.48% | 126 | 17.65% | 213 | 339 | – | – | – | 162 | – | – | – | – | – | 714 |
| Nanaimo | | Lib | | Lib | 1,370 | 41.19% | 199 | 5.98% | 1,370 | 785 | 1,171 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3,326 |
| Nelson | | Con | | Con | 1,232 | 61.75% | 469 | 23.50% | 763 | 1,232 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,995 |
| Newcastle | | I-Soc | | FLP | 704 | 42.00% | 280 | 16.7% | – | – | 704 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 972 | 1,676 |
| New Westminster | | Lib | | Lib | 1,980 | 43.07% | 369 | 8.03% | 1,980 | 1,006 | – | – | – | 1,611 | – | – | – | – | – | 4,597 |
| North Okanagan | | Lib | | Lib | 2,037 | 53.51% | 267 | 7.02% | 2,037 | – | – | – | – | – | 1,770 | – | – | – | – | 3,807 |
| North Vancouver | | Lib | | Ind | 2,681 | 54.68% | 1,501 | 30.61% | 913 | 1,180 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2,810 | – | 4,903 |
| Omineca | | Lib | | Lib | 630 | 60.87% | 357 | 34.49% | 630 | 273 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 132 | – | 1,035 |
| Prince Rupert | | Lib | | Lib | 1,501 | 43.70% | 804 | 23.41% | 1,501 | 561 | – | – | 676 | – | – | – | 697 | – | – | 3,435 |
| Revelstoke | | Lib | | Lib | acclaimed | acclaimed | acclaimed | acclaimed | acclaimed | acclaimed | acclaimed | acclaimed | acclaimed | acclaimed | acclaimed | acclaimed | acclaimed | acclaimed | acclaimed | acclaimed |
| Richmond | | Lib | | Con | 2,863 | 37.89% | 151 | 2.00% | 2,712 | 2,863 | 1,499 | – | – | 272 | – | – | – | 210 | – | 7,556 |
| Rossland | | Lib | | Con | 257 | 38.02% | 18 | 2.66% | 180 | 257 | 239 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 676 |
| Saanich | | Lib | | Lib | 1,858 | 39.78% | 102 | 2.19% | 1,858 | 1,756 | – | – | – | 1,057 | – | – | – | – | – | 4,671 |
| Similkameen | | Con | | Con | 1,354 | 51.72% | 90 | 3.44% | 1,264 | 1,354 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2,618 |
| Slocan | | Lib | | Con | 568 | 41.55% | 97 | 7.09% | 471 | 568 | 328 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,367 |
| South Okanagan | | Con | | Con | 1,882 | 56.77% | 449 | 13.54% | 1,433 | 1,882 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3,315 |
| South Vancouver | | Lib | | FLP | 3,255 | 37.75% | 811 | 9.41% | 1,969 | 2,444 | 3,255 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 955 | – | 8,623 |
| Trail | | Con | | Con | 1,315 | 60.80% | 467 | 21.60% | 848 | 1,315 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2,163 |
| Yale | | Lib | | Con | 913 | 39.58% | 176 | 7.63% | 737 | 913 | – | – | – | – | – | 657 | – | – | – | 2,307 |
* ↑ Candidates in Esquimalt, New Westminster and Saanich were Soldier-Labour; others were Soldier-Farmer
* ↑ The incumbent James Hurst Hawthornthwaite (Ind-Soc), elected in a 1918 byelection, and formerly the Socialist MLA for Nanaimo City, came in third with 419 votes.
* ↑ The incumbent George Samuel Hanes, formerly elected as a Liberal, was the winning candidate with 2,681 votes. His candidacy was endorsed by the local Liberal association and the Great War Veterans Association.
    = open seat
    = winning candidate was in previous Legislature
    = incumbent had switched allegiance
    = previously incumbent in another riding
    = not incumbent; was previously elected to the Legislature
    = incumbency arose from byelection gain
    = other incumbents renominated
    = candidate repudiated by local association
    = multiple candidates
Results by riding - 1920 British Columbia general election (multiple-member districts) :
| Party | Party | Vancouver City | Vancouver City | Vancouver City | Victoria City | Victoria City | Victoria City |
| Party | Party | Votes | Share | Change | Votes | Share | Change |
| | Liberal | 78,789 | 38.96% | -10.42% | 19,933 | 36.96% | -14.33% |
| | Conservative | 60,570 | 29.95% | -10.85% | 17,688 | 32.79% | -4.11% |
| | Federated Labour | 22,117 | 10.97% | New | 1,212 | 2.25% | New |
| | Independent | 16,121 | 7.97% | 5.02% | 4,485 | 8.32% | 4.46% |
| | Socialist | 11,710 | 5.79% | 4.35% | – | – | -4.13% |
| | Grand Army of United Veterans | 5,441 | 2.69% | New | – | – | – |
| | Women's Freedom League | 4,166 | 2.06% | New | – | – | – |
| | Vancouver Ratepayers Association | 3,291 | 1.63% | New | – | – | – |
| | Soldier–Labour | – | – | – | 5,329 | 9.88% | New |
| | Liberty League of BC | – | – | – | 2,466 | 4.57% | New |
| | Independent Liberal | – | – | – | 2,045 | 3.79% | -1.14% |
| | Independent Soldier | – | – | – | 778 | 1.44% | New |
| | Independent Conservative | – | – | -2.82% | – | – | – |
| | Independent Labour | – | – | -2.60% | – | – | – |
| | Social Democratic | – | – | – | – | – | -3.02% |
| Total | Total | 202,205 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 53,936 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
| Seats won | Seats won | 5 1 | 5 1 | 5 1 | 3 1 | 3 1 | 3 1 |
| Incumbents returned | Incumbents returned | 3 1 | 3 1 | 3 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |