Map by Conal Kelly

This constituency takes in the largely rural south-eastern corner of Northern Ireland, including most of Down District Council, the eastern part of Newry and Mourne District Council, and a small part of Banbridge District Council. The MP has been Eddy McGrady (SDLP) since he defeated Enoch Powell (UUP) in 1987. The constituency lost the Dromore area to Lagan Valley and Saintfield to Strangford in the 1995 revision. (See the 1983-1992 election results.)

See also results of all South Down elections 1993-2003.
 

			Surplus Wells		Exclude Curran & O'Hagan		Exclude Blaney, Miller, Powell & Wharton		Exclude Fitzpatrick
Jim Wells	DUP	6789	-310	6479	-	6479	-	6479	-	6479
P.J. Bradley	SDLP	5337	0.36	5337.36	18	5355.36	327.6	5682.96	1454	7136.96
Dermot Nesbitt	UUP	5368	43	5411	9	5420	339.04	5759.04	38.16	5797,2
Caitriona Ruane	SF	5118	0	5118	6	5124	87.08	5211.08	204	5415.08
Willie Clarke	SF	4083	0.08	4083.08	9	4092.08	93.08	4185.16	83.04	4268.2
Margaret Ritchie	SDLP	4261	0.76	4261.76	52	4313.76	351.56	4665.32	183.04	4848.36
Eamonn O'Neill	SDLP	3942	0.92	3942.92	21	3963.92	256.32	4220.24	472.08	4692.32
Jim Donaldson	UUP	2885	99.52	2984.52	5	2989.52	265.44	3254.96	9.16	3264.12
Eamonn McConvey	SF	2806	0.12	2806.12	27	2833,12	128,04	2961.16	25	2986.16
Marian Fitzpatrick	SDLP	2382	0,44	2382.44	27	2409.44	146.2	2555.64	-2555.64	0
Raymond Blaney	Green	799	0.76	799.76	52	851.76	-851.76	0	-	-
Trudy Miller	NIWC	565	0,6	565.6	24	589.6	-589.6	0	-	-
Neil Powell	Alliance	489	0.48	489.48	6	495.48	-495,48	0	-	-
Nelson Wharton	UKUP	245	115.64	360.64	2.08	362.72	-362.72	0	-	-
Malachi Curran	Ind	162	0.08	162.08	-162.08	0	-	-	-	-
Desmond O'Hagan	WP	115	0.08	115.08	-115.08	0	-	-	-	-
			47.16	47.16	19.08	66.24	305.2	371.44	87.16	458.6

Stage 2: Of Wells' 6789 DUP votes, 2488 transferred to Donaldson and 1075 to Nesbitt, thus 3563 (52.5%) to the UUP; 2891 (42.6%) to Wharton (UKUP); 23 to O'Neill, 19 to Ritchie, 11 to Fitzpatrick and 9 to Bradley, thus 62 (0.9%) to the SDLP; 19 (0.3%) to Blaney (Green); 15 (0.2%) to Miller (NIWC); 12 (0.2%) to Powell (Alliance); 3 to McConvey, 2 to Clarke and none to Ruane, thus 5 (0.1%) to SF; 2 (0.03%) to Curran (Ind); and also 2 (0.03%) to O'Hagan (WP) with 218 (3.2%) non-transferable.

			Surplus Bradley		Exclude McConvey		Exclude Donaldson		Surplus Nesbitt
Jim Wells	DUP	6479	-	6479	-	6479	-	6479	-	6479
P.J. Bradley	SDLP	7136.96	-657.96	6479	-	6479	-	6479	-	6479
Dermot Nesbitt	UUP	5797.20	5.52	5802.72	20	5822.72	2503	8325.72	-1846.72	6479
Caitriona Ruane	SF	5415.08	34.96	5450.04	574.38	6024.42	2.12	6026.54	9	6035.54
Willie Clarke	SF	4268.20	10.58	4278.78	1641.96	5920.74	5.7	5926.44	8	5934.44
Margaret Ritchie	SDLP	4848.36	73.14	4921.5	498.46	5419.96	58	5477.96	256	5733.96
Eamonn O'Neill	SDLP	4692.32	523.02	5215.34	135	5350.34	61.18	5411.52	286	5697.52
Jim Donaldson	UUP	3264.12	1.84	3265.96	3.46	3269.42	-3269.42	0	-	-
Eamonn McConvey	SF	2986.16	4.14	2990.30	-2990.30	0	-	-	-	-
		458.60	4.76	463.36	117.04	580.40	639.42	1219.82	1287.72	2507.54

Stage 6: Of the 1454 votes transferred from Fitzpatrick to Bradley, 1137 went to O'Neill and 159 to Ritchie, thus 1296 (89.1%) to the SDLP; 76 went to Ruane, 23 to Clarke and 9 to McConvey, thus 108 (7.4%) to SF; 12 went to Nesbitt and 4 to Donaldson, thus 16 (1.1%) to the UUP; and 34 (2.3%) were non-transferable.

Stage 9: Of the 2503 votes transferred from Donaldson to Nesbitt (UUP), 286 went to O'Neill and 256 to Ritchie, thus 542 (21.7%) to the SDLP; 9 went to Ruane and 8 to Clarke, thus 17 (0.7%) to SF; and 1944 (77.7%) were non-transferable.

NB The official results sheets tally the 666 invalid votes as non-transferable from the start, and give the successive non-transferable totals in each count as 666, 713.16, 732.24, 1037.44, 1124.6, 1129.36, 1246.4, 1885.82 and 3173.54. This is procedurally incorrect. The corrected values are given above.

See also: Jim Riley's analysis of votes and seats in the 1998 Assembly election | The constituencies | Single Transferable Vote | The political parties | Useful books and links

Full 2003 results for each seat: East Belfast | North Belfast | South Belfast | West Belfast | East Antrim | North Antrim | South Antrim | North Down | South Down | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | Foyle | Lagan Valley | East Londonderry | Mid Ulster | Newry and Armagh | Strangford | West Tyrone | Upper Bann

Other sites based at ARK: ORB (Online Research Bank) | CAIN (Conflict Archive on the INternet) | Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey

Your comments, please! Send an email to me at nicholas.whyte@gmail.com..3

Compiled by Nicholas Whyte, Becky Vanasek and Simon Smyth, 11 April 2004.