Looking back at elections in Cumbria throughout the years

As the next general election approaches in June, we decided to look back at what elections looked like in our area. 

Some of the photos are from 1974, the year of two general elections thanks to the first ending with a hung parliament.

In the first election, in February, Labour made 14 gains under then Opposition leader Harold Wilson, and although Ted Heath's Conservatives won a higher share of the vote they lost 28 seats to Labour. When Heath refused to enter into a coalition he resigned and Wilson resumed the Premiership.

Before all that, though, came the thrill of the chase as candidates pounded the streets of constituencies up and down the land.

Other photos are from the 1966 United Kingdom general election which was held on Thursday March 31 1966. The result was a landslide victory for the Labour Party led by incumbent Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

Wilson decided to call a snap election since his government, elected a mere 17 months previously, in 1964, had an unworkably small majority of only four MPs.

The Labour government was returned following this snap election with a much larger majority of 98 seats. This was the last British general election in which the voting age was 21; Wilson's government passed an amendment to the Representation of the People Act in 1969 to include eligibility to vote at age 18, which was in place for the next general election in 1970.

In 1975, there was a referendum based on the United Kingdom European Communities membership. 

The electorate expressed significant support for continued EC membership, with 67 per cent voting “Yes” in favour of the status quo on a national turnout of 64 per cent compared with just 32 per cent who voted “No”.