1939 Southern Rhodesian general election


General elections were held in Southern Rhodesia on 14 April 1939, the fifth elections since the colony of Southern Rhodesia was granted internal self-government. Prime Minister Godfrey Huggins' United Party government were re-elected in a landslide. The elections were called slightly earlier than the deadline as Huggins feared the German invasion of Czechoslovakia would lead to European War.

Electoral system

In 1937, a new Electoral Act was passed. The franchise was extended slightly to those who were not British subjects but who had been in active wartime service in the armed forces. Electors were also required to have lived for three months in their electoral districts. The requirement for qualifying for the vote on the basis of receiving salary or wages of £100 per annum was extended also to people with income of £100 per annum, a change which principally benefited those who had investment income but few assets. Voters were also no longer required to demonstrate proficiency in English through a dictation test. The postal vote, which had been introduced in 1928, was extended in 1937 to all voters living more than 25 miles away from the nearest polling station. Finally, those who had drawn government rations were disenfranchised.
A boundary revision in 1938 enabled the elimination of the four remaining double-member electoral districts as the Colony was split into 30 single-member districts.

Byelections

Salisbury Gardens

Sir Percival Fynn died on 25 April 1940. Owing to the war, normal party politics had been suspended and a joint selection conference including members of both the United Party and the Rhodesia Labour Party was included. Four candidates stood for the selection: Cecil Douglas Dryden, Mrs. Gladys Maasdorp, Arthur William Redfern and O.P. Wheeler. Redfern was selected and returned unopposed on 26 June 1940.

Umtali North

Edgar Whitehead resigned from the Assembly on 24 June 1940. A byelection was held to replace him on 27 August 1940.
Constituency
Electorate and turnout		CandidatePartyVotes
UMTALI NORTH
821 		Tom Ian Finlay WilsonUP312
UMTALI NORTH
821 		Thomas NorrisLab130

Hartley

Hugh Volant Wheeler resigned on 30 June 1940. A byelection was held in his constituency on 27 August 1940.
Constituency
Electorate and turnout		CandidatePartyVotes
HARTLEY
943 		William Muter LeggateRP247
HARTLEY
943 		Tom Cecil Leonard HowardInd120
HARTLEY
943 		Leonard Tolcher TraceyInd104

Lomagundi

Lewis Aloys MacDonald Hastings resigned on 30 June 1940. A byelection was held in his constituency on 27 August 1940.
Constituency
Electorate and turnout		CandidatePartyVotes
LOMAGUNDI
827 		George Henry HackwillUP220
LOMAGUNDI
827 		Edward George HolmanInd178

Victoria

William Alexander Eustace Winterton resigned on 30 October 1940. A byelection was held on 10 December 1940.
Constituency
Electorate and turnout		CandidatePartyVotes
VICTORIA
1,014 		Walter Brumage RichardsUP232
VICTORIA
1,014 		Harry Joseph FilmerLab228
VICTORIA
1,014 		Richard Fraser DottInd National163

Insiza

Robert Clarkson Tredgold resigned on 28 February 1943. A byelection was held on 21 April 1943 to replace him.
ConstituencyCandidatePartyVotes
INSIZALeslie Thomas SmithThe Labour Party280
INSIZAVictor Henry SauermanLab197
INSIZAJohn Everett ChickUP151