East Antrim

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                Antrim East Antrim East Belfast East Belfast East Londonderry Foyle Foyle Fermanagh & South Tyrone Lagan
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Map and graph by Conal Kelly

This constituency stretches along the coastal strip on the northern side of Belfast Lough and the western side of the North Channel. It takes in the central and eastern chunks of Mid and East Antrim District Council, the easternmost part of Antrim and Newtownabbey District Council, and the easternmost corner of Causeway Coast and Glens District Council. The DUP and Alliance hold two Assembly seats each, and the UUP one. The member of parliament since 2005 is Sammy Wilson (DUP); he defeated Roy Beggs (UUP), who had represented East Antrim since it was created in 1983 (see 1983-92 East Antrim results).

East Antrim was created in 1983; the 1995 boundary changes removed only a few Newtownabbey wards from the constituency. In 2010 it lost the Cloughfern ward in Newtownabbey and gained three Moyle wards. This made the new constituency 4.1% more Catholic, and 3.9% less Protestant than the old. The 2011 census found that the average age of East Antrim residents was 39.03 (4th of the 18 constituencies), and the median age 40 (equal 2nd). 20.39% of the population were or had been brought up as Catholics (14th of the 18 constituencies), 70.11% were or had been brought up as Protestants (5th), 0.97% were of non-Christian religious background (6th), and 8.53% had no religion (5th).

In the multi-option national identity question, 69.53% said that they had British identity (4th of 18 constituencies), 10.45% said that they had Irish identity (15th), 31.27% Northern Irish (5th), 1.93% English, Scots or Welsh (4th), and 1.97% something other (16th).

17.20% lived in households of social grade AB (5th of the 18 constituencies), 28.39% in C1 households (7th), 25.82% C2 (11th) and 28.59% DE (12th).

4.53% claim some ability in the Irish language (14th of 18 constituencies) and 12.6% in Ulster Scots (3th).

See spreadsheets from the 2011 Assembly election, the 2010 Westminster election, the 2007 Assembly election, the 2005 Westminster election, the 2003 Assembly election, the 2001 Westminster election, the 1998 Assembly election, the 1997 Westminster election and the 1996 Forum/talks election. See also the detailed guide from 2007 by "Sammy Morse".

Recent election results


DUP UUP Oth U Alliance Oth SDLP SF
2022a 29.6% 24.2% 9.1% 23.1% 1.9% 3.0% 9.1%
2019w 45.3% 14.7% 2.8% 27.3% 1.8% 2.4% 5.7%
2019lg 32.0% 20.3% 8.2% 22.4% 9.5%  1.2% 6.5%
2017w 57.3% 11.9% 2.5% 15.6%   3.4% 9.3%
2017a 35.2% 22.7% 8.7% 16.1% 3.4%  4.1% 9.9%
2016a 36.1% 20.2% 13.3% 14.6% 3.8%  3.8% 8.1%
2015w 36.1% 18.8% 18.2% 15.0%
4.9% 6.9%
2014lg 28.9% 22.6% 14.5% 14.6% 10.1%  3.1% 6.3%
2011a 46.2% 16.9% 6.4% 15.5% 2.3%  4.6% 8.2%
2011lg 35.6% 17.2% 4.9% 19.1% 13.3%  4.5% 5.4%
2010w 45.9% 23.7% 6.0% 11.1%   6.6% 6.8%
2007a
42.8% 20.6% 2.3% 15.0% 4.6% 8.0% 6.7%
2005w 46.9% 25.1%
14.7%   7.4% 5.4%
2005lg 36.7% 21.2% 1.5% 16.7% 14.6%  5.1%  4.2% 

NB that the figures for elections before 2010 are projections onto the new boundaries. Figures for the new boundaries can be found at the bottom of this page.
NB also that the Conservatives supported the UUP candidate(s) in 2010 and 2011.

2022 Assembly election (five seats)

@Gordon Lyons (DUP) 6,256 (15.5%)
@John Stewart (UUP) 6,195 (15.4%)
@David Hilditch (DUP) 5,662 (14.1%)
@Stewart Dickson (Alliance) 5,059 (12.6%)
Danny Donnelly (Alliance) 4,224 (10.5%)

Oliver McMullan (SF) 3,675 (9.1%)
Norman Boyd (TUV) 3,661 (9.1%)
@Roy Beggs Jr (UUP) 3,549 (8.8%)
Siobhán McAlister (SDLP) 1,200 (3.0%)
Mark Bailey (Green) 754 (1.9%)

@ member of the Assembly when it was dissolved.
DUP 11,918 (29.6%, -5.6%) 2 seats
UUP 9,744 (24.2%, +1.5%) 1 seat (-1)
Alliance 9,283 (23.1%, +7.0%) 2 seats
SF 3,675 (9.1%, -0.8%)
TUV 3,661 (9.1%, +5.0%)
SDLP 1,200 (3.0%, -1.1%)
Green 754 (1.9%, -0.2%)

Electorate: 67,699
Votes cast: 40,693 (60.1%, ±0%), spoilt votes 458 (1.1%)
Valid votes: 40,235, quota 6,706

Good balancing from Alliance who took one of the UUP's two seats despite starting with fewer votes. This was the only UUP seat lost in the election. TUV were 2,076.4 behind DUP for the last seat, with an undistributed DUP surplus of 166.7 votes and Alliance surpluses of 578.5 which would have further widened a big gap. East Antrim had the lowest quota of the election at 6,706 compared with the average of 8,129 and the highest of 9,815 in Newry and Armagh. East Antrim also tied with Newry and Armagh for the fewest counts of the election at five.

2019 Westminster election

*Sammy Wilson (DUP) 16,871 (45.3%, -12.1%)
Danny Donnelly (Alliance) 10,165 (27.3%, +11.7%)
@Steve Aiken (UUP) 5,475 (14.7%, +2.8%)
Oliver McMullan (SF) 2,120 (5.7%, -3.6%)
Aaron Rankin (Cons) 1,043 (2.8%, +0.3%)
Angela Mulholland (SDLP) 902 (2.4%, -0.9%)
Philip Randle (Green) 685 (1.8%, +1.8%)

* outgoing MP.
@ member of the Assembly.

Electorate: 64,830; Total Poll: 37,431 (57.7%); Invalid Votes: 170 (0.5%); Valid Votes: 37,261

Wilson successfully returned for the fifth time. Alliance drew votes directly from both DUP and SF here, more from DUP because there were more to draw from. In a five-seat Assembly election, these votes would give the DUP and Alliance two seats each. The last one would between the UUP and a third DUP, with the former more likely.

2019 local government election

From the 2011 census, East Antrim includes:

The entire Mid and East Antrim DEA of Carrick Castle
The entire Mid and East Antrim DEA of Coast Road
The entire Mid and East Antrim DEA of Knockagh
The entire Mid and East Antrim DEA of Larne Lough
4% of the Mid and East Antrim DEA of Braid
and
58% of the Antrim and Newtownabbey DEA of Three Mile Water
13% of the Antrim and Newtownabbey DEA of Macedon
and
24% of the Causeway Coast and Glens DEA of The Glens

With some adjustment for voter community background, I project the 2019 results as:

DUP 9,454 (32.0%)
Alliance 6,609 (22.4%)
UUP 5,984 (20.3%)
Inds 2,527 (8.6%)
SF 1,931 (6.5%)
TUV 1,572 (5.3%)
SDLP 342 (1.2%)
PUP 304 (1.0%)
UKIP 285 (1.0%)
DVP 265 (0.9%)
Green 256 (0.9%)

If cast in a five-seat STV election, those votes would certainly give the DUP two seats and Alliance and the UUP one each, with Alliance best placed to pick up the last one.

2017 Westminster election

*Sammy Wilson (DUP) 21,873 (57.3%, +21.2%)
@Stewart Dickson (Alliance) 5,950 (15.6%, +0.6%)
@John Stewart (UUP) 4,524 (11.9%, -6.9%)
Oliver McMullan (SF) 3,555 (9.3%, +2.4%)
Margaret McKillop (SDLP) 1,278 (3.4%, -1.5%)
Mark Logan (Conservative) 963 (2.5%, +0.9%)

* outgoing MP.
@ member of the Assembly.

Electorate: 62,908; Total Poll: 38.629 (60.8%); Invalid Votes: 126 (0.3%); Valid Votes: 38,143

A thumping victory for Sammy Wilson. In a five-seat Assembly election, this would elect three DUP candidates, one Alliance, and a fourth Unionist - UUP unless the DUP did a very good job of balancing.

2017 Assembly election (five seats)

@David Hilditch (DUP) 6,000 (16.0%)
@Roy Beggs (UUP) 5,121 (13.7%)
@Stewart Dickson (Alliance) 4,179 (11.2%)
@Gordon Lyons (DUP) 3,851 (10.3%)
@Oliver McMullan (SF) 3,701 (9.9%)
John Stewart (UUP) 3,377 (9.0%)
Stephen Ross (DUP) 3,313 (8.9%)
Danny Donnelly (Alliance) 1,817 (4.9%)
Noel Jordan (UKIP) 1,579 (4.2%)
Ruth Wilson (TUV) 1,534 (4.1%)
Margaret McKillop (SDLP) 1,524 (4.1%)
Dawn Patterson (Green) 777 (2.1%)
Conor Sheridan (Cross Community Labour Alternative) 393 (1.1%)
Alan Dunlop (Conservatives) 152 (0.4%)
Ricky Best (Independent) 106 (0.3%)
DUP 13,164 (35.2%, -0.9%) 2 seats (-1)
UUP 8,498 (22.7%, +2.5%) 2 seats (+1)
Alliance 5,996 (16.1%, +1.5%) 1 seat
SF 3,701 (9.9%, +1.7%) (-1)
UKIP 1,579 (4.2%, -2.4%)
TUV 1,534 (4.1%, -1.0%)
SDLP 1,524 (4.1%, +0.3%)
Green 777 (2.1%, ±0%)
Cross Community Labour Alternative 393 (1.1%, -0.6%)
Conservatives 152 (0.4%)
Independent 106 (0.3%)

Electorate: 62,933
Votes cast: 37,836 (60.1%); spoilt 412 (1.1%)  
Valid votes: 37,424; Quota 6,238


A rare gain for the UUP, with the DUP and SF both losing a seat, SF's outgoing MLA Oliver McMullan finishing 1643.11 votes behind the UUP's John Stewart on the final count with another 96 Unionist votes undistributed. This was the only Nationalist seat lost to a Unionist in the entire election.

2016 Brexit referendum

Total electorate: 63,997
Turnout: 41,564 (65.0%), 6/18
Invalid votes: 19 (0.05%)
Votes to REMAIN: 18,616 (44.8%)
Votes to LEAVE: 22,929 (55.2%)
Third highest LEAVE vote share in Northern Ireland.

2016 Assembly election (six seats)

@David Hilditch (DUP) 5,906
@Roy Beggs (UUP) 3,848
@Gordon Lyons (DUP) 3,472
@Stewart Dickson (APNI) 3,115
@Oliver McMullan (SF) 2,633
@Alastair Ross (DUP) 2,323
Noel Jordan (UKIP) 2,207
John Stewart (UUP) 1,985
Ruth Wilson (TUV) 1,643
Danny Donnelly (APNI) 1,632
Margaret McKillop (SDLP) 1,229
Maureen Morrow (UUP) 719
Dawn Patterson (Green) 693
Conor Sheridan (Cross Community Labour Alternative) 551
Jim McCaw (PUP) 455
DUP 11,701 (36.1%, -10.1%) 3 seats UUP 6,552 (20.2%, +3.3%) 1 seat
Alliance 4,747 (14.6%, -0.9%) 1 seat
SF 2,633 (8.1%, -0.1%) 1 seat
UKIP 2,207 (6.8%)
TUV 1,643 (5.1%, +0.5%)
SDLP 1,229 (3.8%, -0.8%)
Green 693 (2.1%, -0.2%)
CCLA 551 (1.7%)
PUP 455 (1.4%)

Electorate: 64,194
Votes cast: 32,744 (51.0%); spoilt 333 (1.0%)
Valid votes 32,411; quota 4,631

All six outgoing MLA's were re-elected, but this got very close at the end. On the penultimate count, Stewart (UUP) was excluded with 2926.89 votes, 126.42 less than Jordan (UKIP), with Ross (DUP) less than 120 ahead of the UKIP candidate and McMullan (SF) about 450 votes ahead of the DUP. Had Stewart's votes split evenly and consistently between UKIP and the DUP, both Ross and Jordan would have overtaken McMullan for the last seat. But in fact almost half of Stewart's votes were non-transferable, with 900 going to the DUP, 500 to UKIP and 40 to SF; the result being that SF held the last seat by a margin of 104.79 over UKIP. Might it have been different if Jordan, or indeed Ross, had been behind Stewart on the penultimate count? Their votes in either case could have split more evenly between the two other Unionist candidates, creating greater difficulty for McMullen.

2015 Westminster election

*Sammy Wilson (DUP) 12,103 (36.1%, -9.7%)
Roy Beggs (UUP) 6,308 (18.8%, -4.8%)
Stewart Dickson (Alliance) 5,021 (15.0%, +3.9%)
Noel Jordan (UKIP) 3,660 (10.9%)
Oliver McMullan (SF) 2,314 (6.9%, +0.1%)
Ruth Wilson (TUV) 1,903 (5.7%, -0.3%)
Margaret Anne McKillop (SDLP) 1,639 (4.9%, -1.7%)
Alex Wilson (Conservative) 549 (1.6%)
Electorate: 62,811; Total Poll: 33,688 (53.6%); Invalid Votes: 191 (0.6%); Valid Votes: 33,497

A successful defence by Wilson, though with votes slipping to UKIP who did very well here. The TUV vote, after encouraging local elections in 2014, is not impressive.

If cast in a six-seat Assembly election, these votes would probably give the DUP two seats, and one each to the UUP, Alliance, UKIP and SF.

2014 local government election

From the 2011 census, East Antrim includes:

The entire Mid and East Antrim DEA of Carrick Castle
The entire Mid and East Antrim DEA of Coast Road
The entire Mid and East Antrim DEA of Knockagh
The entire Mid and East Antrim DEA of Larne Lough
4% of the Mid and East Antrim DEA of Braid
and
58% of the Antrim and Newtownabbey DEA of Three Mile Water
13% of the Antrim and Newtownabbey DEA of Macedon
and
24% of the Causeway Coast and Glens DEA of The Glens

With some adjustment for voter community background, I project the 2014 results as:

DUP 8013 (29%)
UUP 6253 (23%)
Alliance 4042 (15%)
TUV 2482 (9%)
Inds 2006 (7%)
SF 1745 (6%)
PUP 1523 (5%)
SDLP 853 (3%)
NI21 786 (3%)

If cast in a six-seat STV election, those votes would certainly give the DUP two seats and Alliance and the UUP one each. The other two would be likely to go to the second UUP runner, then SF - if they got enough transfers from independent Nationalists; otherwise the TUV.

2011 Assembly election (six seats)

@Sammy Wilson MP (DUP) 7,181 (24.7%)
@David Hilditch (DUP) 3,288 (11.3%)
@Roy Beggs (UUP) 3,042 (10.5%)
Stewart Dickson (Alliance) 2,889 (10.0%)
Oliver McMullan (SF) 2,369 (8.2%)
Rodney McCune (UUP) 1,851 (6.4%)
Gerardine Mulvenna (Alliance) 1,620 (5.6%)
@Alastair Ross (DUP) 1,608 (5.5%)
Ruth Wilson (TUV) 1,346 (4.6%)
Justin McCamphill (SDLP) 1,333 (4.6%)
Gordon Lyons (DUP) (1,321) (4.6%)
Daniel Donnelly (Green) 664 (2.3%)
Steven Moore (BNP) 511 (1.8%)

@ member of the Assembly when it was dissolved.
DUP 13398 (46.2%, +0.7%) 3 seats
UUP 4893 (16.9%, -5.0%) 1 seat (-1)
Alliance 4509 (15.5%, -0.7%) 1 seat
SF 2,369 (8.2%, +4.3%) 1 seat (+1)
TUV 1,346 (4.6%)
SDLP 1,333 (4.6%, -1.3%)
Green 664 (2.3%, +0.3%)
BNP 511 (1.8%)

Electorate 61,617
Votes cast: 29,430 (47.8%); spoilt 407 (1.4%)
Valid votes 29,023; quota 4,147

One of the most significant results of the election - the only case where boundary changes which favoured Nationalists actually resulted in a gain (whereas Unionists gained three Nationalist seats for this reason). A good result for SF who were only 45 votes ahead of the SDLP in 2010 but outpolled them almost two to one this time, and took the second UUP seat as a result. Alliance came within 69 votes of a chance at a second seat; in the event the runner up was McCune of the UUP, 499 votes behind McMullan.

2011 local government election

My projection of votes cast in Carrickfergus, Larne and the three Moyle and three Newtownabbey wards in the constituency is as follows:

DUP 10,331 (35.6%)
Alliance 5,536 (19.1%)
UUP 4,995 (17.2%)
SF 1,574 (5.4%)
SDLP 1,304 (4.5%)
TUV 784 (2.7%)
Green 404 (1.4%)
PUP 412 (1.4%)
BNP 237 (0.8%)
Inds 3,451 (11.9%)

In a six-seat STV election these votes would get the DUP two seats, and Alliance and the UUP one each; the destination of the last two seats is very difficult to call.

2010 Westminster election (one seat)

*@Sammy Wilson (DUP) 13,993 (45.9%, -1.0%)
Rodney McCune (UCUNF) 7,223 (23.7%, -1.4%)
Gerry Lynch (Alliance) 3,377 (11.1%, -3.6%)
Oliver McMullan (Sinn Féin) 2,064 (6.8%, +1.4%)
Justin McCamphill (SDLP) 2,019 (6.6%, -0.8%)
Samuel Morrison (TUV) 1,826 (6.0%)
Electorate: 60,204; Total Poll: 30,640 (50.9%); Invalid Votes: 138 (0.5%); Valid Votes: 30,502

* incumbent
@ elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly from this constituency

A solid hold for Wilson, and another place where the TUV failed to break through. A six-seat Assembly election on these votes would get the DUP three seats, the UUP one for sure, and the last two probably going to SF and Alliance, though the UUP would be in with a chance of a second.

2007 Assembly Election (7 March, six seats)

Full details of each count are available here.

*Sammy Wilson MP (DUP) 6755 (22.5%)
*George Dawson (DUP) 4167 (13.9%)
*Sean Neeson (Alliance) 3114 (10.4%)
*Roy Beggs [jr] (UUP) 3076 (10.2%)
*David Hilditch (DUP) 2732 (9.1%)
*Ken Robinson (UUP) 1881 (6.3%)
Daniel O'Connor (SDLP) 1769 (5.9%)
Stewart Dickson (Alliance) 1624 (5.4%)
Mark Dunn (UUP) 1617 (5.4%)
Oliver McMullan (SF) 1168 (3.9%)
Thomas Robinson (UKUP) 731 (2.4%)
Mark Bailey (Green) 612 (2.0%)
John Anderson (Independent) 398 (1.3%)
Tim Lewis (Conservative) 395 (1.3%)

*Elected in 2003 from East Antrim
DUP 13,654 (45.5%, +10.9%) 3 seats
UUP 6,574 (21.9%, -7.9%) 2 seats
Alliance 4,738 (15.8%, +4.8%) 1 seat
SDLP 1,769 (5.9%, -2.0%)
SF 1,168 (3.9%, +1.4%)
UKUP 731 (2.4%, +0.6%)
Green 612 (2.0%, +1.5%)
Anderson 398 (1.3%, +0.2%)
Conservative 395 (1.3%, +0.7%)

Electorate 56,666 
Votes cast 30,293 (53.5%%); spoilt votes 254 (0.8%) 
Valid votes 30,039; quota 4,292

No change, with the SDLP not really being in reach of the final seat; O'Connor was 897 votes behind Ken Robinson of the UUP, with no votes to spare.

2005 Westminster election (5 May, 1 seat)

@Sammy Wilson (DUP) 15,766 (49.6% +13.6%)
* Roy Beggs (UUP) 8,462 (26.6% -9.8%)
@Sean Neeson (Alliance) 4,869 (15.3% +2.8%)
Daniel O'Connor (SDLP) 1,695 (5.3% -2.0%)
James McKeown (Sinn Fein) 828 (2.6% +0.1%)
David Kerr (Vote for Yourself Rainbow Dream Ticket) 147 (0.5%)

* outgoing MP
@ Member of the Assembly

The DUP's most widely expected gain. These votes, if cast in a six-seat STV election, would give the DUP three seats, the UUP two and Alliance one.

2005 Local Government Election (5 May)

East Antrim is made up of all 15 wards in Larne; all 17 wards in Carrickfergus; 4 of the 25 wards in Newtownabbey (3 of the 7 wards in the University DEA [Jordanstown, Monkstown and Rosstulla], and 1 of the 6 wards in the Macedon DEA [Cloughfern])

Votes cast in 2005 were as follows:

DUP 12579.7 (40.0%)
UUP 7144.7 (22.7%)
Alliance 5279.7 (16.8%)
SDLP 1108.3 (3.5%)
Newtownabbey Ratepayers Association 581.4 (1.8%)
494.5 (1.6%)
UUC 420.6 (1.3%)
PUP 179.5 (0.6%)
Green 46 (0.1%)
Independents 3619 11.5%

Extrapolating from local government elections is tricky because the East Antrim constituency breaches the boundaries of two local electoral areas. However, these votes if cast in a six-seat STV election across the whole East Antrim constituency would be likely to give the DUP three seats, and the UUP and Alliance one each, with the last most likely to go to the UUP.

2003 Assembly election (26 November; six seats)

Also available: details of each count with analysis of transfers.
*Roy Beggs Jr (UUP) 5175 (16.7%)
#Sammy Wilson (DUP) 4544 (14.7%)
George Dawson (DUP) 3163 (10.2%)
*David Hilditch (DUP) 2856 (9.2%)
*Daniel O'Connor (SDLP) 2428 (7.8%)
*Sean Neeson (Alliance) 2180 (7.0%)
*Ken Robinson (UUP) 2062 (6.7%)
Roy McCune (UUP) 1646 (5.3%)
Jack McKee (Ind) 1449 (4.7%)
Stewart Dickson (Alliance) 1192 (3.9%)
*Roger Hutchinson (Ind) 1011 (3.3 %)
Oliver McMullan (SF) 768 (2.5%)
Tom Robinson (UKUP) 564 (1.8%)
Carolyn Howarth (PUP) 534 (1.7%)
Robert Mason (Ind) 364 (1.2%)
John Anderson (Ind) 348 (1.1%)
Anne Monaghan (NIWC) 307 (1.0%)
Alan Greer (Cons) 196 (0.6%)
Andrew Frew (Green) 165 (0.5%)
DUP 10,563 (34.1%, +11.9%) 3 seats
UUP 8,883 (28.7%, -0.9%) 2 seats
Alliance 3,372 (10.9%, -9.2%) 1 seat Best result for Alliance in Northern Ireland
Inds 3,172 (10.2%)
SDLP 2,428 (7.8%, +1.9%)
SF 768 (2.5%, +0.4%)
UKUP 564 (1.8%, -6.2%)
PUP 534 (1.7%, -2.3%)
NIWC 307 (1.0%)
Con 196 (0.6%, -0.1%)
Green 165 (0.5%)

Electorate 55,473 
Votes cast 31,343 (56.5%); spoilt votes 391 (1.2%) 
Valid votes 30,952; quota 4,422 

* Member of 1998-2003 Assembly for East Antrim
# Member of 1998-2003 Assembly for East Belfast

Reaction: The DUP's vote management got them three seats, gaining from Roger Hutchinson and Daniel O'Connor, with the UUP and Alliance incumbents holding on. The final margin of Dawson over O'Connor was a substantial 796 votes, with Dawson's running mate only 14 votes ahead of him; the gap between them had never been as much as 300 votes. The UUP candidates had balanced even better, with never more than 66 votes separating Robinson and McCune, but the numbers weren't there and McCune was eventually eliminated.

East Antrim had lost 10.57% of its electorate in the great electoral register shake-out, varying from 17.96% in the Northland ward of Carrickfergus to 5.27% in Boneybefore, also in Carrickfergus. 10 constituencies lost fewer voters, 7 lost more.

2001 Westminster Election (7 June; 1 seat)

*Roy Beggs Sr (UUP) 13,101 (36.4%)
@Sammy Wilson (DUP) 12,973 (36.0%)
John Mathews (Alliance) 4,483 (12.5%)
@Danny O'Connor (SDLP) 2,641 (7.3%)
Robert Mason (Independent) 1,092 (3.0%)
Jeanette Graffin (Sinn Féin) 903 (2.5%)
Alan Greer (Conservative) 807 (2.2%)

Electorate: 60,897; votes cast: 36,327 (59.6%); spoilt votes: 327 (0.9%)
Valid votes: 36,000; UUP majority 128

* outgoing MP
@ member of the Assembly

This result was a welcome relief to the UUP after several disappointing losses elsewhere, though the narrowness of the result was alarming. If this election had been for six seats to an Assembly, the DUP and UUP would each have won two, and Alliance one; the last seat would have been between a fifth Unionist and the SDLP.

2001 Local Government Election (7 June)

Votes cast in 2001 were as follows:

DUP 10179.5 (29%)
UUP 9280.1 (27%)
Alliance 6219.5 (18%) Best equivalent result in Northern Ireland
SDLP 1320 (4%)
PUP 945.9 (3%)
UUAP 555.9 (2%)
SF 554.3 (2%)
Community Candidates 218.2 (1%)
NIUP 216 (1%)
Newtownabbey Ratepayers Association 108.3 (1%)
Independents 5093.8 (14%)

These votes if cast in a six-seat STV election across the whole East Antrim constituency would have certainly have given the UUP and DUP two seats and Alliance one. The last seat could have gone to anyone.

1998 Assembly Election (25 June; six seats)

Also available: details of each count with analysis of all transfers.
 
Roy Beggs Jr (UUP) 5,764
*Sean Neeson (Alliance) 5,247
David Hilditch (DUP) 4,876
*Jack McKee (DUP) 3,013 
Roger Hutchinson (UKUP) 2,866
*May Steele (UUP) 2,399 
Ken Robinson (UUP) 2,384
Danny O'Connor (SDLP) 2,106
Stewart Dickson (Alliance) 1,921 
James Brown (Unionist) 1,571 
William Greer (PUP) 1,432 
Chrissy McAuley (SF) 746 
Tommy Kirkham (UDP) 596 
Robert Lindsay Mason (Pro-Agreement Independent) 424 
Terence Dick (C) 233 
James Barr McKissock (NLP) 32 
UUP 10,547 (29.62%) 2 seats
DUP 7,889 (22.15%) 1 seat
Alliance 7,168 (20.13%) 1 seat
     Best result for Alliance in Northern Ireland
UKUP 2,866 (8.05%) 1 seat
SDLP 2,106 (5.91%) 1 seat
Unionist 1,571 (4.41%) 
PUP 1,432 (4.02%) 
SF 746 (2.09%) 
UDP 596 (1.67%) 
Pro-Agreement Ind 424 (1.19%) 
C 233 (0.65%) 
NLP 32 (0.09%) 

Electorate: 59,313 
Votes cast: 36,103 (60.9%); spoilt votes: 493 (1.4%) 
Valid votes: 35,610; quota: 5,088

* elected in 1996 Forum/talks election from East Antrim

This was a major shock. On the first count it was clear that the UKUP had probably done well enough to take a seat, which in itself was surprising. But as transfers continued, the SDLP candidate, who had started eighth, overtook candidates from first the UUP and then the DUP to take the final place, in an area where he was the SDLP's only local councillor, by 4191 votes to McKee's 4152, a margin of 49 votes, the closest of the whole election.

1997 Local Government Election

Votes cast in 1997 were as follows:

UUP 6758 (28%)
DUP 4888.2 (20%)
Alliance 4510.5 (19%)
PUP 991.1 (4%)
SDLP 409 (2%)
Labour 274.7 (1%)
UDP 232.7 (1%)
UKUP 220.0 (1%)
Newtownabbey Ratepayers Association 176.4 (1%)
Northern Ireland Labour 65.5 (0.27%)
Others 5,591.3 (23%)
Total valid 24,117.5 (41% of electorate)

1997 Westminster Election (one seat)

*Roy Beggs Sr (Ulster Unionist Party) 13,318 (39%)
ƒ Sean Neeson (Alliance Party of Northern Ireland) 6,929 (20%)
ƒ Jack McKee (Democratic Unionist Party) 6,682 (19%)
Terence Dick (Conservative Party) 2,334 (7%)
Billy Donaldson (Progressive Unionist Party) 1,757 (5%)
Danny O'Connor (Social Democratic and Labour Party) 1,576 (5%)
Robert Mason (Independent) 1,145 (3%)
Chrissie McAuley (Sinn Féin) 543 (2%)
Maura McCann (Natural Law Party) 69 (0.20%)
Turnout 34,353 (58.26%)

* outgoing MP
ƒ member of the Forum

1996 Forum Election (five seats)

Also available: full list of 1996 candidates

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) 10,036 (30%); May Steele, Thomas Robinson elected
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) 9,557 (29%); Jack McKee, May Beattie elected
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI) 3,957 (12%); Sean Neeson elected
Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) 2,254 (7%)
Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) 2,213 (7%)
United Kingdom Unionist Party (UKU) 2,041 (6%)
Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) 1,141 (3%)
Sinn Féin (SF) 619 (2%)
Northern Ireland Women's Coalition (NIWC) 323 (1%)
Conservative Party (Con) 271 (1%)
Green Party 224 (1%)
Labour (Lab) 218 (1%)
Independent Democratic Unionist Party 107 (0.32%)
Democratic Partnership 102 (0.31%)
Ulster Independence Movement (UIM) 86 (0.26%)
Independent McMullan 81 (0.24%)
Workers Party (WP) 69 (0.21%)
Democratic Left (DL) 33 (0.10%)
Natural Law Party (NLP) 14 (0.04%)
Independent Chambers 5 (0.01%)

Electorate: 57,989; votes cast: 33,403 (57.6%); spoilt votes: 52 (0.1%); valid votes: 33,351

McKee and Neeson had both been elected to the 1982 Assembly for North Antrim.

Results 1996-2007


DUP UKUP UUP PUP Oth U Alliance Oth SDLP SF
2007a
45% 2% 22%
1% 16% 3% 6% 4%
2005w 50%
27%

15% 0% 5% 3%
2005lg 40% 
23%  1%  1%  17%  14%  4%  2% 
2003a 34%  2%  29%  2%  9%  11%  4%  8%  2% 
2001w 36% 
36% 
2%  12%  3%  7%  3% 
2001lg 29% 
27%  3%  2%  18%  16%  4%  2% 
1998a 22%  8%  30%  4%  7%  20%  1%  6%  2% 
1997lg 20%  1%  28%  4%  1%  19%  25%  2% 
1997w 19% 
39%  5%  7%  20%  3%  5%  2% 
1996f 29%  6%  30%  7%  5%  12%  3%  7%  2% 

 


See also: Full 2003 results from East Antrim | Full 1998 results from East Antrim | The Boundary Commission's Provisional Recommendations | Boundary Commission 2003 | Jim Riley's analysis of votes and seats in the 1998 Assembly election | The constituencies

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.
 
This page has been developed with the support of a project grant from the New Initiatives Fund of the Electoral Commission. However, any views expressed on this page or, in particular, other pages of this website are those of the author and not necessarily shared by The Electoral Commission.

Nicholas Whyte, 3 June 1998; last updated 7 May 2022 by Conal Kelly.



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