# 1973 Ballymena Borough Council election

Elections to Ballymena Borough Council were held on 30 May 1973 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used four district electoral areas to elect a total of 21 councillors.

## Election results

| Party | Party | Seats | First Pref. votes | FPv% | ±% |
| | UUP | 9 | 8,688 | 37.9% | |
| | DUP | 5 | 5,607 | 37.9% | |
| | Ind. Unionist | 3 | 2,142 | 9.3% | |
| | Independent | 2 | 3,324 | 14.5% | |
| | Alliance | 1 | 1,469 | 6.4% | |
| | Vanguard | 1 | 1,276 | 5.6% | |
| | NI Labour | 0 | 438 | 1.9% | |
| Totals | Totals | 21 | 22,944 | 100.0% | — |

## Districts summary

Results of the Ballymena Borough Council election, 1973 by district :
| Ward | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | Total Cllrs |
| Ward | UUP | UUP | DUP | DUP | Alliance | Alliance | Vanguard | Vanguard | Others | Others | | Total Cllrs |
| Area A | 45.3 | 2 | 13.6 | 1 | 2.3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 38.8 | 1 | 4 |
| Area B | 16.0 | 1 | 39.1 | 2 | 5.3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 39.6 | 3 | 6 |
| Area C | 40.9 | 3 | 18.4 | 1 | 4.5 | 0 | 22.4 | 1 | 13.8 | 0 | 5 |
| Area D | 50.8 | 3 | 22.8 | 1 | 11.7 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 14.7 | 1 | 6 |
| Total | 37.9 | 9 | 24.2 | 5 | 6.4 | 1 | 5.6 | 1 | 25.9 | 5 | 21 |

## Districts results
### Area A

1973: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Independent Unionist
Ballymena Area A - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | UUP | Thomas Hume | 21.74% | 934 | | | | | |
| | Ind. Unionist | Clifford Davison | 20.81% | 894 | | | | | |
| | UUP | Thomas McCaughey | 14.87% | 639 | 666 | 1,036 | | | |
| | DUP | William Wilson | 13.64% | 586 | 592 | 612 | 759.4 | 818.57 | 849.95 |
| | Independent | J. J. O'Hagan | 17.99% | 773 | 792 | 794 | 822.6 | 835.02 | 835.46 |
| | UUP | D. McCarthy | 8.70% | 374 | 409 | | | | |
| | Alliance | S. O. Nesbitt | 2.26% | 97 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 6,576 Valid: 4,297 (65.34%) Spoilt: 57 Quota: 860 Turnout: 4,354 (66.21%) ||||||||||

### Area B

1973: 2 x UUP, 2 x Independent Unionist, 1 x DUP, 1 x Independent
Ballymena Area B - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | Independent | A. Simpson | 22.30% | 1,390 | | | | | |
| | DUP | Sandy Spence | 20.07% | 1,251 | | | | | |
| | DUP | Roy Gillespie | 19.06% | 1,188 | | | | | |
| | UUP | W. Dickey | 11.78% | 734 | 930.8 | | | | |
| | Ind. Unionist | Hugh Simpson | 7.49% | 467 | 541 | 648.3 | 728.34 | 814.64 | 894.12 |
| | Ind. Unionist | Thomas Smyth | 6.03% | 376 | 431.6 | 504.1 | 607.6 | 693.1 | 786.54 |
| | UUP | W. O. Given | 4.19% | 261 | 305.8 | 433.98 | 481.36 | 569.28 | 685.18 |
| | Alliance | Maeve Kyle | 5.30% | 330 | 398.4 | 413.48 | 420.38 | 435.78 | |
| | Independent | W. R. McNeilly | 3.77% | 235 | 291 | 324.64 | 378 | | |
| Electorate: 9,474 Valid: 6,232 (65.78%) Spoilt: 61 Quota: 891 Turnout: 6,293 (66.42%) ||||||||||

### Area C

1973: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Vanguard
Ballymena Area C - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| | Vanguard | David Allen | 20.65% | 1,169 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | DUP | John McAuley | 18.35% | 1,039 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | UUP | George Sloane | 17.20% | 974 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | UUP | A. Hyndman | 8.76% | 496 | 514.24 | 521.17 | 525.69 | 551.96 | 559.58 | 616.08 | 621.47 | 687.04 | 750.6 | 823.03 |
| | UUP | W. McWilliams | 8.21% | 465 | 477.92 | 484.58 | 489.15 | 513.53 | 523.58 | 565.82 | 570.23 | 639.26 | 693.06 | 744.59 |
| | UUP | F. McNeill | 6.73% | 381 | 390.88 | 394.03 | 394.22 | 416.31 | 421.68 | 437.53 | 438.56 | 491.07 | 524.02 | 566.39 |
| | Alliance | M. M. McAleese | 4.49% | 254 | 255.33 | 255.33 | 259.33 | 265.33 | 265.93 | 272.14 | 418.23 | 449.66 | 453.36 | |
| | Vanguard | Elizabeth Roulton | 1.89% | 107 | 264.51 | 329.04 | 329.23 | 348.44 | 349.7 | 377.8 | 382.08 | 400.1 | | |
| | Ind. Unionist | William Simpson | 3.74% | 212 | 216.37 | 218.62 | 219.8 | 241.74 | 243.9 | 274.19 | 298.19 | | | |
| | NI Labour | F. R. Kelly | 3.06% | 173 | 174.14 | 174.5 | 213.59 | 226.59 | 226.71 | 238.86 | | | | |
| | Ind. Unionist | Robert McCosh | 3.41% | 193 | 199.84 | 205.87 | 206.96 | 211.15 | 212.92 | | | | | |
| | Independent | J. Montgomery | 2.54% | 144 | 147.23 | 148.67 | 149.67 | | | | | | | |
| | NI Labour | B. Galbraith | 0.97% | 55 | 57.85 | 58.21 | | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 9,068 Valid: 5,662 (62.44%) Spoilt: 89 Quota: 944 Turnout: 5,751 (63.42%) |||||||||||||||

### Area D

1973: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent
Ballymena Area D - 6 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| | UUP | Samuel Henry | 34.37% | 2,321 | | | | | | | | |
| | DUP | Maurice Mills | 19.81% | 1,338 | | | | | | | | |
| | Independent | Patrick Burke | 11.58% | 782 | 823.18 | 826.54 | 903.82 | 907.82 | 955.46 | 967.36 | | |
| | UUP | R. L. D. Pinkerton | 2.71% | 183 | 555.94 | 574.98 | 579.58 | 625.38 | 653.44 | 912.32 | 1,065.32 | |
| | UUP | David Thompson | 5.29% | 357 | 663.24 | 678.64 | 688.96 | 790.46 | 813.4 | 890.72 | 1,063.72 | |
| | Alliance | J. O'Mullan | 7.48% | 505 | 527.04 | 528.72 | 577.58 | 580.9 | 770.64 | 804.86 | 830.76 | ???? |
| | DUP | H. S. Roulton | 3.04% | 205 | 266.48 | 574.2 | 584.22 | 594.58 | 597.86 | 617.8 | 694.34 | ???? |
| | UUP | J. D. Walker | 4.07% | 275 | 420 | 427 | 429.58 | 517.1 | 531.26 | 565.92 | | |
| | UUP | John Magaughin | 1.91% | 129 | 368.54 | 376.66 | 388 | 416.36 | 428.68 | | | |
| | Alliance | Phyllis Doloughan | 4.19% | 283 | 297.5 | 298.06 | 339.34 | 346.36 | | | | |
| | UUP | Dorothy Smith | 2.44% | 165 | 283.32 | 287.8 | 292.68 | | | | | |
| | NI Labour | S. McQuiston | 1.64% | 111 | 126.08 | 127.2 | | | | | | |
| | NI Labour | J. A. Rooney | 1.47% | 99 | 99 | 100.96 | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 10,323 Valid: 6,753 (65.42%) Spoilt: 91 Quota: 965 Turnout: 6,844 (66.30%) |||||||||||||
* Data missing from stage 9