Snap election facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

A snap election is a special election that happens earlier than planned. Usually, the leader of a country or the ruling party decides to call it. They might do this to take advantage of a good time to win more seats, or to get public support for a big decision.

Snap elections are different from other types of elections:

They are called by politicians, not by voters (like a recall election).
They choose a whole new parliament, not just fill one empty spot (like a by-election).

When a leader calls a snap election, they often hope their party will win more seats and become stronger. But sometimes, it doesn't work out as planned, and they might even lose power! Because of this, some countries now have "fixed-term elections," meaning elections happen on a set schedule.

Snap Elections in Canada
Snap Elections in Australia
Snap Elections in New Zealand
Snap Elections in Spain
Snap Elections in the United Kingdom
See also

Snap Elections in Canada

In Canada, snap elections happen quite often. The law says that a federal parliament can last for a maximum of five years. There's also a law that tries to set election dates, but prime ministers can still call an election earlier if they want. Any election before the scheduled date is a snap election.

Some famous Canadian snap elections:

Jean Chrétien called two snap elections in 1997 and 2000 while he was Prime Minister. He won both times.
Wilfrid Laurier and John Turner both lost their jobs as Prime Minister after calling snap elections in 1911 and 1984.
In 1958, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker called an election just nine months after the last one. His party went from a minority government (where they didn't have enough seats to rule alone) to a huge majority government (where they had lots of seats). It was the biggest win in Canadian history at that time!

Snap elections can also happen in Canadian provinces:

In 1990, Ontario Premier David Peterson called an early election. He was popular, but people thought he was being too confident. His party lost badly, and he even lost his own seat!
In 2015, Alberta Premier Jim Prentice called a snap election. The province was facing economic problems, and his budget was not popular. His party, which had ruled Alberta for 44 years, lost power completely.

In 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called a snap election. He wanted his Liberal Party to win a majority of seats. He said it was so Canadians could choose who would lead them after the COVID-19 pandemic. But many people criticized him for calling an election during a new wave of Covid. Trudeau stayed Prime Minister, but his party did not win a majority.

Snap Elections in Australia

In Australia, there are a few ways federal elections can happen early:

The main parliament (House of Representatives) usually lasts 3 years. But the Prime Minister can ask the Governor-General to end it early. This happens often.
Elections for half of the Senate (another part of parliament) happen every three years. Sometimes, these can be held earlier.
A "double dissolution" can be called if the two parts of parliament disagree strongly on a bill. Then, all members of both parts of parliament have to be re-elected.

Here are some examples of early elections in Australia:

1963 election: Prime Minister Robert Menzies called an early election because his government had only a small majority of seats. They won more seats and became stronger.
1974 election: This was a "double dissolution" election. Prime Minister Gough Whitlam wanted to continue his plans, and there was a big disagreement in parliament. His government won, but with fewer seats.
1975 election: This election happened after a big political crisis. The Governor-General removed Prime Minister Whitlam from power. The new Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, won a huge victory.
1983 election: Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser called an early election, thinking he would win easily. But the popular Bob Hawke became the new leader of the Labor Party on the same day! Labor won, and Fraser's government suffered a big defeat.
1984 election: This election was called early to make sure the elections for both parts of parliament happened at the same time again.
1998 election: Prime Minister John Howard called this election six months early. The main topic of the election was a new tax called the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
2010 election: Prime Minister Julia Gillard called this election early to get more support for her leadership. The election resulted in a "hung parliament," meaning no party won enough seats to form a government alone. Labor managed to stay in power by working with other politicians.

Snap elections also happen in Australian states:

In 2021, the Premier of Tasmania, Peter Gutwein, called an election a year early. His party had lost its majority. They won the election, but only by one seat.
In 2024, the new Premier of Tasmania, Jeremy Rockliff, called an election early for the same reason.

Most Australian states and territories now have fixed election dates. This means snap elections can only happen in very special situations, like if the government loses a vote of no confidence.

Snap Elections in New Zealand

In New Zealand, elections must be held every three years. The Prime Minister decides the exact date. There have been three snap elections:

1951 snap election: This happened after a big dispute involving dock workers. The government won with more support.
1984 snap election: Prime Minister Robert Muldoon called this election because he was having trouble with some of his own party members. His government lost, and the Labour Party took over.
2002 election: Prime Minister Helen Clark called this election early. She said it was because her junior coalition partner (a smaller party working with her) had broken apart. Critics said she called it early because her party was very popular in the polls. Her party won with a much larger majority.

Snap Elections in Spain

2011 general election: Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero asked the King to call an early election.
2016 general election: This election happened because no party could form a government after the 2015 election. It was the first time in Spain's recent history that an election was called because politicians couldn't agree on who should lead.
2023 general election: Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called this snap election after his party lost many local elections.

Snap Elections in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister usually has the power to ask the King or Queen to call an election whenever they want. Parliament automatically ends after five years, but this almost never happens. So, most elections in the UK have technically been "snap elections" because they were called early. The term is usually used for elections called much earlier than expected.

Fixed-term Parliaments Act

From 2011 to 2022, a law called the Fixed-term Parliaments Act made it harder to call snap elections. An election could only happen if the government lost a vote of confidence, or if two-thirds of Members of Parliament (MPs) voted for an early election.

However, in 2019, Parliament passed a new law to bypass this Act and set a date for the 2019 general election. This only needed a simple majority vote. The Fixed-term Parliaments Act was removed in 2022. Now, the Prime Minister can again ask the Monarch to dissolve parliament and call an election.

History of UK Snap Elections

Here are some elections called early by the government's choice:

1923 general election: Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin called this election to get support for new trade rules. But it didn't work out, and no party won a clear majority.
1931 general election: Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald formed a special "National Government" during the Great Depression. They called an election to get public support to fix the economy. They won a huge victory.
1951 general election: Prime Minister Clement Attlee called this election to try and get a bigger majority for his party. But his party lost, and Winston Churchill became Prime Minister again.
1955 general election: After Winston Churchill retired, Anthony Eden became Prime Minister and immediately called an election to get public support for his new government.
1966 general election: Prime Minister Harold Wilson called this election because his party had only a very small majority. They won a big victory, getting many more seats.
February 1974 general election: Prime Minister Edward Heath called this election to get support during a miners' strike. No party won a clear majority, and Harold Wilson became Prime Minister again.
October 1974 general election: Six months later, Wilson called another election to try and win a majority for his government. He succeeded, but only by a small number of seats.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown almost called a snap election in 2007, but he didn't. After that, his popularity dropped, and he lost power in 2010.

Some elections were forced by a "vote of no confidence" (when parliament shows it no longer supports the government):

1924 general election: Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald was forced to call this election after losing a vote of no confidence. It was the third election in three years!
1979 general election: Prime Minister James Callaghan lost a vote of no confidence by just one vote. This led to an election where Margaret Thatcher and her party won.

Two elections were called by Parliament while the Fixed-term Parliaments Act was in place:

2017 general election: Prime Minister Theresa May called this election to get a clear public mandate for Brexit (leaving the European Union). She hoped to increase her party's majority, but it backfired. Her party lost seats, and she had to form a minority government.
2019 general election: Prime Minister Boris Johnson wanted an election to break a deadlock in parliament over his Brexit deal. He managed to get a new law passed to allow an early election. His party won a large majority, which allowed the UK to leave the European Union.

Local Governments in the UK

The local governments in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales also have fixed terms (usually five years). But snap elections can still be called there if the government loses a vote of no confidence or in other special cases.

2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election: This election happened because the Deputy First Minister resigned due to disagreements with his coalition partners. This caused the government to collapse, and a snap election had to be called to try and get a working government back.