title: Electoral results for the district of Geelong East
text: # Electoral results for the district of Geelong East
  
  This is a list of electoral results for the electoral district of Geelong East in Victorian state elections.
  
  ## Members for Geelong East
  
  First incarnation (1859–1877, 2 members) :
  
  | Member 1 | Term | Member 2 | Term |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | James Cowie | 1859 – 1860 | Alexander Thomson | 1859 – 1861 |
  | Augustus Greeves | 1860 – 1861 | Alexander Thomson | 1859 – 1861 |
  | Butler Cole Aspinall | 1861 – 1864 | John Richardson | 1861 – 1876 |
  | George Cunningham | 1864 – 1867 | John Richardson | 1861 – 1876 |
  | Charles Kernot | 1868 – 1871 | John Richardson | 1861 – 1876 |
  | John Masters Garratt | 1871 – 1877 | Charles Kernot | 1876 – 1877 |
  
  Kernot went on to represent the re-created Geelong from 1877.
  
  Second incarnation (1976–1985) :
  
  | Member | Member | Party | Term |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | | Phil Gude | Liberal | 1976–1979 |
  | | Graham Ernst | Labor | 1979–1985 |
  
  ## Election results
  
  ### Elections in the 1980s
  
  1982 Victorian state election: Geelong East :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Labor | Graham Ernst | 13,726 | 53.6 | +5.9 |
  | | Liberal | Raymond Carey | 9,977 | 39.0 | -5.6 |
  | | Democrats | Robert Mann | 1,059 | 4.1 | -0.6 |
  | | Democratic Labor | James Jordan | 855 | 3.3 | +0.2 |
  | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 25,617 | 97.9 | 0.0 |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 561 | 2.1 | 0.0 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,178 | 94.0 | -0.5 |
  | Two-party-preferred result ||||||
  | | Labor | Graham Ernst | 14,421 | 56.3 | +4.6 |
  | | Liberal | Raymond Carey | 11,196 | 43.7 | -4.6 |
  | | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | +4.6 | |
  
  ### Elections in the 1970s
  
  1979 Victorian state election: Geelong East :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Labor | Graham Ernst | 11,713 | 47.7 | -0.8 |
  | | Liberal | Phil Gude | 10,953 | 44.6 | -6.9 |
  | | Democrats | Reginald Swetten | 1,153 | 4.7 | +4.7 |
  | | Democratic Labor | Roderick Jordan | 752 | 3.1 | +3.1 |
  | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 24,571 | 97.9 | +0.9 |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 534 | 2.1 | -0.9 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,105 | 94.5 | +0.7 |
  | Two-party-preferred result ||||||
  | | Labor | Graham Ernst | 12,702 | 51.7 | +3.2 |
  | | Liberal | Phil Gude | 11,869 | 48.3 | -3.2 |
  | | Labor gain from Liberal | Labor gain from Liberal | Swing | +3.2 | |
  
  1976 Victorian state election: Geelong East :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Liberal | Phil Gude | 11,637 | 51.5 | +6.6 |
  | | Labor | Dennis O'Brien | 10,971 | 48.5 | +3.1 |
  | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 22,608 | 97.0 | |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 691 | 3.0 | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,299 | 93.8 | |
  | | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -1.4 | |
  