1908 New Zealand general election


The 1908 New Zealand general election was held on Tuesday, 17 and 24 November and 1 December in the general electorates, and on Wednesday, 2 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 17th session of the New Zealand Parliament. A total number of 537,003 voters turned out to vote.

Changes to the electoral law

The Second Ballot Act 1908 provided for second or runoff ballots between the top two candidates where the top candidate did not get an absolute majority. The second ballot was held 7 days after the first ballot except in 10 large rural seats, where 14 days were allowed. In 1908, 22 second ballots were held on 24 November and 1 on 1 December. At the 1911 election, all 30 second ballots were held 7 days later. Two 1909 by-elections also required second ballots.
The Second Ballot Act of 1908, which did not apply to the Maori electorates, was repealed in 1913.

Results

Party totals

The following table gives party strengths and vote distribution.

Electorate results

The following are the results of the 1908 general election:
Key
|colspan=8 style="background-color:#FFDEAD" | General electorates
|colspan=8 style="background-color:#FFDEAD" | '''Māori electorates'''

Summary of changes