The Avon by-election was held in 1887 to elect a member for the Avon electorate to the New Zealand House of Representatives, during the 9th session of Parliament. The election was held on 1 June 1887, less than four months before the next general election. Edwin Blake won the election against William Dunlop, with a majority of 3.

1887 Avon by-election[1]
Candidate Votes %
Papanui Riccarton Total
Edwin Blake 162 93 255 49.32
William Dunlop 190 62 252 48.74
Informal votes 10 1.93
Turnout 517
Majority for Blake 3 0.58

Turnout was particularly low; in the previous election (which Dunlop lost by a greater margin) 731 valid votes (69%) were cast in an electorate of 1,065 voters, while in the following election (held by Blake) 1,428 valid votes (72%) were cast in an electorate of 1,990 voters.

References

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  1. ^ "The Avon Election". Star. 2 June 1887. p. 3. Retrieved 23 April 2010 – via Papers Past.