title: Okanagan South
text: # Okanagan South
  
  Okanagan South was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It first appeared in the general election of 1979 and last appeared in the 1986 general election. The riding is similar to its main predecessor, South Okanagan, which last appeared in 1975. The area of the riding was originally part of the Yale riding until 1890, then part of Yale-East from 1894 to 1900, then part of the electoral district of Okanagan from 1903 to 1912, and then South Okanagan until 1975.
  
  The riding returned one member to the legislature in 1979 and 1983, and two members in 1986.
  
  ## Notable MLAs
  
  The most famous MLA from this riding was indubitably William Richards Bennett, Premier of BC 1975-1986.
  
  ## Election results
  
  32nd British Columbia election, 1979 :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Social Credit | William Richards Bennett | 20,552 | 62.45% | – | unknown |
  | | New Democratic | Hugh Duncan Dendy | 10,881 | 33.06% | | unknown |
  | | Progressive Conservative | Ernest Garedner Arthur | 1,479 | 4.49% | | unknown |
  | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 32,912 | 100.00% | |
  | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 324 | | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
  
  33rd British Columbia election, 1983 :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Social Credit | William Richards Bennett | 27,647 | 66.05% | – | unknown |
  | | New Democratic | Brian Christopher Taylor | 12,859 | 30.72% | | unknown |
  | | Liberal | Robert N, McKee | 848 | 2.03% | | unknown |
  | | Independent | Peter C.L. Griffiths | 338 | 0.81% | | unknown |
  | | Independent | Frederick L. Bartell | 165 | 0.39% | | unknown |
  | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 41,857 | 100.00% | |
  | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 476 | | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
  
  vte1986 British Columbia general election :
  
  | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Elected |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Social Credit | Clifford Jack Serwa | 24,287 | 30.38 | Y |
  | | Social Credit | Larry Chalmers | 23,380 | 29.25 | Y |
  | | New Democratic | Hugh Duncan Dendy | 13,035 | 16.31 |
  | | New Democratic | Eileen M. Robertson | 12,111 | 15.15 |
  | | Liberal | David G. King | 3,651 | 4.57 |
  | | Liberal | William Henry Gow | 3,225 | 4.03 |
  | | New Republic Party | Frederick L. Bartell | 245 | 0.31 |
  | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 79,934 |
  | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 1,094 |
  | Seat increased to two members from one. |||||||
  
  Redistribution of the riding following the 1986 election saw the seat broken into two, Okanagan West and Okanagan East.
  
  