1938 Trinidad and Tobago general election

← 1933 1938 (1938) 1946 →
7 seats in the Legislative Council 4 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   TLP UP Leader Arthur Andrew Cipriani Adrian Cola Rienzi Party Trinidad Labour Party Unionist Party Leader since 1934 1938? Leader's seat Port of Spain Victoria County Last election 3 seats New party Seats won 3 / 7 2 / 7 Seat change New party Popular vote Unopposed 2,471

General elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago in 1938.

Electoral system

The Legislative Council had 12 official members (civil servants), six nominated members, seven elected members and the Governor, who served as the legislature's speaker. The seven elected members were elected from single-member constituencies.^[1]

The franchise was limited to people who owned property in their constituency with a rateable value of $60 (or owned property elsewhere with a rateable value of $48) and tenants or lodgers who paid the same sums in rent. All voters were required to understand spoken English.^[2] Anyone who had received poor relief within the most recent six months before election day was disqualified from voting.^[1]

The restrictions on candidates were more severe, with candidature limited to men that lived in their constituency, were literate in English, and owned property worth at least $12,000 or from which they received at least $960 in rent a year. For candidates who had not lived in their constituency for at least a year, the property values were doubled.^[2]

Results