# Wainwright (provincial electoral district)

Wainwright was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1913 to 2004.

## History
### Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs)

Members of the Legislative Assembly for Wainwright :
| Assembly | Years | Member | Party |
| See Alexandra electoral district from 1909-1913 and Vermilion electoral district from 1905-1913 |||||
| 3rd | 1913–1917 | George LeRoy Hudson | Conservative |
| 4th | 1917–1921 | George LeRoy Hudson | Conservative |
| 5th | 1921–1926 | John Russell Love | United Farmers |
| 6th | 1926–1930 | John Russell Love | United Farmers |
| 7th | 1930–1935 | John Russell Love | United Farmers |
| 8th | 1935–1940 | William Masson | Social Credit |
| 9th | 1940–1944 | William Masson | Social Credit |
| 10th | 1944–1948 | William Masson | Social Credit |
| 11th | 1948–1952 | William Masson | Social Credit |
| 12th | 1952–1955 | William Masson | Social Credit |
| 13th | 1955–1959 | Henry A. Ruste | Social Credit |
| 14th | 1959–1963 | Henry A. Ruste | Social Credit |
| 15th | 1963–1967 | Henry A. Ruste | Social Credit |
| 16th | 1967–1971 | Henry A. Ruste | Social Credit |
| 17th | 1971–1975 | Henry A. Ruste | Social Credit |
| 18th | 1975–1979 | Charles Stewart | Progressive Conservative |
| 19th | 1979–1982 | Charles Stewart | Progressive Conservative |
| 20th | 1982–1986 | Butch Fischer | Progressive Conservative |
| 21st | 1986–1989 | Butch Fischer | Progressive Conservative |
| 22nd | 1989–1993 | Butch Fischer | Progressive Conservative |
| 23rd | 1993–1997 | Butch Fischer | Progressive Conservative |
| 24th | 1997–2001 | Butch Fischer | Progressive Conservative |
| 25th | 2001–2002 | Butch Fischer | Progressive Conservative |
| 25th | 2002–2004 | Doug Griffiths | Progressive Conservative |
| See Battle River-Wainwright electoral district from 2004-2019 |||||

## Election results
### 1913

vte1913 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George LeRoy Hudson | 711 | 53.62% | – |
| | Liberal | Henry Yale Pawling | 615 | 46.38% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 1,326 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | N/A | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 2,082 | 63.69% | – |
| | Conservative pickup new district. | Conservative pickup new district. | Conservative pickup new district. | Conservative pickup new district. | Conservative pickup new district. | Conservative pickup new district. | Conservative pickup new district. |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1913 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1917

vte1917 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George LeRoy Hudson | 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 | – |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | N/A |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1917 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1921

vte1921 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | United Farmers | John Russell Love | 1,877 | 57.77% | – |
| | Liberal | Harcus Strachan | 913 | 28.10% | – |
| | Conservative | George LeRoy Hudson | 459 | 14.13% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 3,249 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | N/A | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 3,273 | 99.27% | – |
| | United Farmers gain from Conservative | United Farmers gain from Conservative | Swing | Swing | N/A |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1921 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1926

vte1926 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | United Farmers | John Russell Love | 1,609 | 61.27% | 3.50% |
| | Conservative | George LeRoy Hudson | 1,017 | 38.73% | 24.60% |
| Total | Total | Total | 2,626 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 139 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 3,896 | 70.97% | -28.30% |
| | United Farmers hold | United Farmers hold | Swing | Swing | -3.56% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1926 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1930

vte1930 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes 1st count | % | Votes final count | ±% |
| | United Farmers | John Russell Love | 1,446 | 46.63% | 1,564 | -14.64% |
| | Independent | Ernest A. Pitman | 1,005 | 32.41% | 1,254 | – |
| | Liberal | Stephen R. Bowerman | 650 | 20.96% | – | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 3,101 | – | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 144 | – | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 4,333 | 74.89% | 3.92% | – |
| | United Farmers hold | United Farmers hold | Swing | Swing | -4.16% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1930 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. |||||||

### 1935

vte1935 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | William Masson | 2,382 | 54.88% | – |
| | Liberal | Peter Milne | 953 | 21.96% | 1.00% |
| | United Farmers | H. L. Coursier | 811 | 18.69% | -27.94% |
| | Conservative | Robert Smallwood | 194 | 4.47% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,340 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | N/A | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 5,191 | 83.61% | 8.72% |
| | Social Credit gain from United Farmers | Social Credit gain from United Farmers | Swing | Swing | 9.35% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1935 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1940

vte1940 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes 1st count | % | Votes final count | ±% |
| | Social Credit | William Masson | 2,296 | 43.23% | 2,583 | -11.65% |
| | Independent | N. P. Strachan | 1,611 | 30.33% | 2,169 | – |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Kenneth S. Tory | 1,039 | 19.56% | – | – |
| | Independent Progressive | Albert Lester Blue | 365 | 6.87% | – | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 5,311 | – | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 189 | – | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 7,201 | 76.38% | -7.23% | – |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | -10.01% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1940 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. |||||||

### 1944

vte1944 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | William Masson | 2,939 | 65.71% | 22.47% |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | M. D. Meade | 1,300 | 29.06% | 9.50% |
| | Labor–Progressive | R. Garneau | 234 | 5.23% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,473 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 92 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 6,448 | 70.80% | -5.58% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | 11.87% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1944 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1948

vte1948 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | William Masson | 2,877 | 62.58% | -3.12% |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Stewart Wright | 887 | 19.30% | -9.77% |
| | Liberal | John Alexander Kelly | 833 | 18.12% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,597 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 314 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 6,979 | 70.37% | -0.43% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | 3.32% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1948 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1952

vte1952 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | William Masson | 2,578 | 58.75% | -3.83% |
| | Liberal | John Davidson | 1,105 | 25.18% | 7.06% |
| | Independent | Kenneth S. Tory | 705 | 16.07% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,388 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 301 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 5,443 | 86.15% | 15.78% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | -4.86% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1952 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1955

vte1955 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Henry A. Ruste | 2,637 | 54.86% | -3.89% |
| | Liberal | John M. Saville | 1,537 | 31.97% | 6.79% |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | James Jackson | 570 | 11.86% | – |
| | Labor–Progressive | E. P. Taylor | 63 | 1.31% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,807 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 548 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 7,434 | 72.03% | -14.11% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | -5.34% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1955 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1959

vte1959 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Henry A. Ruste | 3,465 | 72.28% | 17.42% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Donald Mills | 668 | 13.93% | – |
| | Liberal | Henry D. Frizzell | 387 | 8.07% | – |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | John Wesley Connelly | 274 | 5.72% | -6.14% |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,794 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 10 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 7,283 | 65.96% | -6.07% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | 17.73% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1959 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1963

vte1963 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Henry A. Ruste | 3,465 | 76.66% | 4.38% |
| | Liberal | John M. Saville | 668 | 14.78% | -6.71% |
| | New Democratic | John Wesley Connelly | 387 | 8.56% | 2.82% |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,520 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 24 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 7,284 | 62.38% | -3.58% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | 1.77% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1963 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1967

vte1967 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Henry A. Ruste | 3,807 | 82.83% | 6.17% |
| | New Democratic | Glenn Valleau | 789 | 17.17% | 8.61% |
| Total | Total | Total | 4,596 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 38 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 7,307 | 63.42% | 1.04% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | 1.89% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1967 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1971

vte1971 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Henry A. Ruste | 3,311 | 63.38% | -19.45% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Clifford Smallwood | 1,366 | 26.15% | – |
| | New Democratic | Gary Luciow | 547 | 10.47% | -6.70% |
| Total | Total | Total | 5,224 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 28 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 7,272 | 72.22% | 8.80% |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | -14.22% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1971 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1975

vte1975 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Charles Stewart | 3,039 | 59.00% | 32.85% |
| | Social Credit | Bev Penman | 1,616 | 31.37% | -32.01% |
| | New Democratic | Harold Tangen | 496 | 9.63% | -0.84% |
| Total | Total | Total | 5,151 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 8 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 7,291 | 70.76% | -1.46% |
| | Progressive Conservative gain from Social Credit | Progressive Conservative gain from Social Credit | Swing | Swing | -4.80% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1975 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1979

vte1979 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Charles Stewart | 3,489 | 56.47% | -2.52% |
| | Social Credit | Keith Cornish | 2,103 | 34.04% | 2.67% |
| | New Democratic | Alan Richards | 509 | 8.24% | -1.39% |
| | Liberal | Sultan Tejani | 77 | 1.25% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 6,178 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | N/A | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 8,660 | 71.34% | 0.58% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -2.60% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1979 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1982

vte1982 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Robert A. (Butch) Fischer | 4,589 | 61.78% | 5.31% |
| | Western Canada Concept | Bill Veitch | 2,145 | 28.88% | – |
| | New Democratic | Wes Connelly | 476 | 6.41% | -1.83% |
| | Liberal | Joseph A. Vermette | 218 | 2.93% | 1.69% |
| Total | Total | Total | 7,428 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 12 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 9,766 | 76.18% | 4.84% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | 5.23% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1982 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1986

vte1986 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Robert A. (Butch) Fischer | 4,244 | 68.56% | 6.78% |
| | New Democratic | Willy Kelch | 1,106 | 17.87% | 11.46% |
| | Western Canada Concept | Allen Abrassart | 475 | 7.67% | -21.20% |
| | Liberal | Joseph A. Vermette | 365 | 5.90% | 2.96% |
| Total | Total | Total | 6,190 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 11 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 11,100 | 55.86% | -20.32% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | 8.90% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1986 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1989

vte1989 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Robert A. (Butch) Fischer | 4,009 | 67.75% | -0.81% |
| | New Democratic | Willy Kelch | 1,182 | 19.98% | 2.11% |
| | Liberal | Joseph A. Vermette | 726 | 12.27% | 6.37% |
| Total | Total | Total | 5,917 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 19 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 10,801 | 54.96% | -0.91% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -1.46% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1989 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1993

vte1993 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Robert A. (Butch) Fischer | 5,294 | 54.80% | -12.96% |
| | Liberal | Evangéline Forcier | 1,933 | 20.01% | 7.74% |
| | Social Credit | Dale Trefz | 1,760 | 18.22% | – |
| | New Democratic | Tom A. Samuel | 674 | 6.98% | -13.00% |
| Total | Total | Total | 9,661 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 16 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 15,882 | 60.93% | 5.97% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -6.49% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1993 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 1997

vte1997 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Robert A. (Butch) Fischer | 6,232 | 52.74% | -2.06% |
| | Social Credit | Jerry D. Barber | 3,348 | 28.33% | 10.12% |
| | Liberal | Ronald Williams | 1,568 | 13.27% | -6.74% |
| | New Democratic | Lilas I. Lysne | 668 | 5.65% | -1.32% |
| Total | Total | Total | 11,816 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 29 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 19,756 | 59.96% | -0.97% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -5.19% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 1997 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 2001

vte2001 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Robert A. (Butch) Fischer | 6,910 | 63.62% | 10.88% |
| | Alberta First | Jerry D. Barber | 1,394 | 12.83% | – |
| | Liberal | Ronald Williams | 1,269 | 11.68% | -1.59% |
| | Independent | Jeff Newland | 868 | 7.99% | – |
| | New Democratic | Lilas I. Lysne | 420 | 3.87% | -1.79% |
| Total | Total | Total | 10,861 | – | – |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 16 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | Eligible electors / turnout | 19,292 | 56.38% | -3.58% |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | 13.19% |
| Source(s) Source: "Wainwright Official Results 2001 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 2002 by-election

Alberta provincial by-election, 2002 :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Progressive Conservative | Doug Griffiths | 2,924 | 44.6 |
| | Alberta First | Jerry D. Barber | 1,695 | 25.9 |
| | Liberal | Horst Schreiber | 1,114 | 17.0 |
| | Social Credit | Robin Skitteral | 519 | 7.9 |
| | New Democratic | Lilas Lysne | 227 | 3.5 |
| | Green | Colleen Biggs | 73 | 1.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,552 | 33.6 |

## Plebiscite results
### 1957 liquor plebiscite

1957 Alberta liquor plebiscite results: Wainwright :
| 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 | % |
| | No | 1,674 | 50.65% |
| | Yes | 1,631 | 49.35% |
| Total votes | Total votes | 3,305 | 100% |
| Rejected, spoiled and declined | Rejected, spoiled and declined | 33 | 33 |
| 6,897 eligible electors, turnout 48.40% ||||
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 were 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. Wainwright was divided on the issue with the vote almost being a tie. The voter turnout in the district was light but still slightly 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 such as Wainwright 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.