General elections were held in
the Bahamas in December 1833. They were the first elections in which non-white residents were able to vote, and three non-white candidates were elected to the General Assembly;
Stephen Dillet Stephen Dillet Sr. (1796 - 1880) was a businessman, civil rights leader, public official, and parliamentarian in the Bahamas. He was elected to the House of Assembly in the 1833 Bahamian general election, the colony's first to allow non-white voters ...
,
Thomas Minns
Thomas "Tom" Minns (born 4 September 1994) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for Wakefield Trinity in the Betfred Super League.
He has previously played for the Leeds Rhinos, and on loan from Leeds at the ...
and
John Deane.
Background
General elections had previously been held in 1832.
[Hart, p39] However, following a series of confrontations between the General Assembly and
Governor Blayney Townley Balfour in 1833 over control of public buildings and the appointment of civil servants, Balfour dissolved the Assembly on 4 December 1833 after the Assembly voted by 21–2 to approve a resolution to withhold funding until the Governor accepted that the Assembly had control.
[Hart, pp60–61] Balfour ordered that elections be held within a fortnight, with the vote in
Nassau set for 17 December.
[
]
Electoral system
The elections were the first to be held under the 1833 ''Act to Relieve His Majesty's Free Coloured and Black Subjects of the Bahamas Islands From All Civil Disability'', which gave free non-white men over 21 the right to vote and stand in general elections in the territory, though slaves were still excluded.[Hart, pp59–60] Although property qualifications still severely restricted the franchise, with only around 4% of the population eligible to vote,[ several non-white candidates ran in the elections.][ The 25 members of the Assembly were elected in 13 constituencies ranging in size from one to four seats.][
]
Results
Aftermath
Henry Adderley, the elected member for Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
, claimed that he had been elected "contrary to his wish and consent", and asked to be excused from the Assembly.[ The Assembly was opened on 17 January 1834.][Hart, p62]
In July 1834, several by-elections were held to elect additional members; George Anderson and Thomas Cartwright were elected from Exuma, George Adderly and Benjamin Sims Jr were elected from Long Island, James Malcolm was elected from Harbour Island
A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...
, and George Camplejohn and Samuel Clutsam were elected from Eleuthera.[
]
References
1833 elections in North America
1833
Events January–March
* January 3 – Reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (1833), Reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.
* February 6 – His Royal Highness Prince Otto ...
1833 in the British Empire
1833 in the Caribbean
19th century in the Bahamas
December 1833 events
{{Bahamas-stub