# Similkameen (electoral district)

Similkameen was the name of a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia formed around the historic mining district of the same name. It made its first appearance on the hustings in the election of 1903. After the 1963 election, which was the occasion of this riding's last appearance, this electoral district was combined with Grand Forks-Greenwood to form Boundary-Similkameen for the 1966 election.

## Demographics

* Population, 1901
* Population change, 1901–1961
* Area (km$^2$)
* Population density (people per km$^2$)

## Notable MLAs

* Lytton Wilmot Shatford (Conservative, 1903–1917)
* William Alexander McKenzie (Conservative, 1918–1933)
* Charles Herbert Percy Tupper (Liberal, 1933–1941)
* Frank Richter, Jr. (Social Credit, 1953–1966)

## Electoral history

Note: Winners of each election are in bold.
10th British Columbia election, 1903 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Lytton Wilmot Shatford | 299 | 58.28% | unknown |
| | Liberal | William Alexander McLean | 214 | 41.72% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 513 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
11th British Columbia election, 1907 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Lytton Wilmot Shatford | 298 | 56.55% | | unknown |
| | Liberal | Curtis Smith | 200 | 37.95% | | unknown |
| | Socialist | George Edgar Winkler | 29 | 5.50% | – | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 527 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
12th British Columbia election, 1909 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Lytton Wilmot Shatford | 440 | 68.22% | unknown |
| | Liberal | Richard Elmhirst | 205 | 31.78% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 645 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
| $^1$ Also spelled Elmhurst. |||||||
13th British Columbia election, 1912 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Lytton Wilmot Shatford | Acclaimed | -.-% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | n/a | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
14th British Columbia election, 1916 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Lytton Wilmot Shatford | 650 | 55.41% | unknown |
| | Liberal | Robert Scott Conklin | 523 | 44.59% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 1,173 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
15th British Columbia election, 1920 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | William Alexander McKenzie | 1,354 | 51.72% | unknown |
| | Liberal | Edward John Chambers | 1,264 | 48.28% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 2,618 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
16th British Columbia election, 1924 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | William Alexander McKenzie | 1,306 | 39.56% | | unknown |
| | Provincial | Percy Walter Gregory | 1,224 | 37.08% | – | unknown |
| | Liberal | Zella May McGregor | 771 | 23.36% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 3,301 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
17th British Columbia election, 1928 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | William Alexander McKenzie | 2,079 | 55.53% | unknown |
| | Liberal | Charles Herbert Percy Tupper $^2$ | 1,665 | 44.47% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 3,744 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 63 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
| $^2$ Not to be confused with Canadian Prime Minister Sir Charles Tupper or his son, Sir Charles Hibbert Tupper. |||||||
18th British Columbia election, 1933 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Charles Herbert Percy Tupper | 1,765 | 43.23% | | unknown |
| | Non-Partisan Independent Group | William Alexander McKenzie | 1,386 | 33.95% | – | unknown |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Francis Henry (Frank) Brown | 730 | 17.88% | | unknown |
| | Independent | Thomas Heeney | 202 | 4.95% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 4,083 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 81 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
18th British Columbia election, 1937 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Charles Herbert Percy Tupper | 2,266 | 43.55% | unknown |
| | Conservative | Harry Howes Boyle | 2,130 | 40.94% | unknown |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Francis Henry (Frank) Brown | 807 | 15.51% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 5,203 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 71 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
19th British Columbia election, 1941 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Bernard George Webber | 2,601 | 41.16% | unknown |
| | Liberal | Charles Herbert Percy Tupper | 1,965 | 31.10% | unknown |
| | Conservative | Thomas F. Daly | 1,753 | 27.74% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 6,319 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 118 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
19th British Columbia election, 1945 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Coalition | Reginald Robert Laird | 3,447 | 57.09% | – | unknown |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Bernard George Webber | 2,591 | 42.91% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 6,038 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 53 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
20th British Columbia election, 1949 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Coalition | Maurice Patrick Finnerty | 5,744 | 58.78% | – | unknown |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Bernard George Webber | 4,028 | 41.22% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 9,772 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 284 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
21st British Columbia election, 1952 $^3$ :
| Party | Candidate | Votes 1st count | % | Votes final count | % | ±% |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Harold Sidney Kenyon | 3,433 | 32.02% | 4,668 | 49.77% | unknown |
| | B.C. Social Credit League | Harry Denyer Francis | 3,344 | 31.19% | 4,712 | 50.23% | unknown |
| | Liberal | Maurice Patrick Finnerty | 2,545 | 23.73% | - | -.- % | unknown |
| | Progressive Conservative | Edward Titchmarsh | 1401 | 13.07% | - | -.- % | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 10,723 | 100.00% | 9,380 | | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 296 | | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | % | | | | |
| $^3$ Preferential ballot. First and final of three counts only shown. |||||||
22nd British Columbia election, 1953 $^4$ :
| Party | Candidate | Votes 1st count | % | Votes final count | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Frank Richter, Jr. | 4,465 | 43.29% | 5,418 | 56.89% |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Harold Sidney Kenyon | 3,419 | 33.14% | 4,105 | 43.11% | unknown |
| | Liberal | James Bowie Fairley | 2,109 | 20.44% | - | -.- % | unknown |
| | Progressive Conservative | John Brown McLaren Clarke | 323 | 3.13% | - | -.- % | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 10,316 | 100.00% | 9,523 | | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 347 | | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | % | | | | |
| $^4$ Preferential ballot. First and second of three counts only shown. |||||||
23rd British Columbia election, 1956 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Social Credit | Frank Richter, Jr. | 5,189 | 53.94% | – | unknown |
| | Liberal | Frank William Laird | 1,181 | 37.94% | | unknown |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Stephen Archibald Mepham | 2,200 | 22.87% | | unknown |
| | Progressive Conservative | James Douglas Southworth | 487 | 5.06% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 9,620 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 90 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
24th British Columbia election, 1960 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Social Credit | Frank Richter, Jr. | 4,797 | 46.84% | – | unknown |
| | CCF | Francis Douglas Stuart | 3,151 | 30.77% | | unknown |
| | Liberal | Johannes Joseph Winkelaar | 1,454 | 14.20% | | unknown |
| | Progressive Conservative | Winnifred Odetta Mathias | 840 | 8.20% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 10,242 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 75 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
25th British Columbia election, 1963 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Social Credit | Frank Richter, Jr. | 5,093 | 48.71% | – | unknown |
| | New Democratic | Francis Douglas Stuart | 2,636 | 25.21% | | unknown |
| | Liberal | Alwyn Day Coleman Washington | 1,423 | 13.61% | | unknown |
| | Progressive Conservative | Evelyn Annie McElroy | 1,303 | 12.46% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 10,455 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 86 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
The riding was redistributed following the 1963 election. The main successor riding was Boundary-Similkameen.

## Sources

Elections BC Historical Returns