West Tyrone by-election 2018: result
The West Tyrone by-election was held on 3 May 2018. Órfhlaith Begley (Sinn Féin) won with 16,346 votes, 46.7% of the valid vote, a majority of 7,956 over Thomas Buchanan (Democratic Unionist Party).
The House of Commons Library describes the result as: “Sinn Féin hold by Órfhlaith Begley with a majority of 7,956”.
At the general election of 8 June 2017, Barry McElduff (Sinn Féin) won the seat with 50.7% of the vote; the same party held it at the by-election.
Turnout was 54.7% of the 64,101 electorate, lower than the 67.9% at that general election.
The largest change in a party's share since the general election was for Social Democratic & Labour Party, up 4.9 percentage points.
By-election result, 3 May 2018
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Órfhlaith Begley | Sinn Féin | 16,346 | 46.7% | −4.1 |
| Thomas Buchanan | Democratic Unionist Party | 8,390 | 24.0% | −3.0 |
| Daniel Christopher McCrossan | Social Democratic & Labour Party | 6,254 | 17.9% | +4.9 |
| Chris Smyth | Ulster Unionist Party | 2,909 | 8.3% | +3.1 |
| Stephen William Donnelly | Alliance | 1,130 | 3.2% | +0.9 |
Electorate 64,101; valid votes 35,029; rejected ballots 305. Change is in percentage points against the previous general election, by party.
Previous general election in West Tyrone, 8 June 2017
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry McElduff | Sinn Féin | 22,060 | 50.7% | +7.3 |
| Thomas Buchanan | Democratic Unionist Party | 11,718 | 27.0% | +9.5 |
| Daniel McCrossan | Social Democratic & Labour Party | 5,635 | 13.0% | −3.7 |
| Alicia Clarke | Ulster Unionist Party | 2,253 | 5.2% | −10.7 |
| Stephen Donnelly | Alliance | 1,000 | 2.3% | +0.1 |
| Ciaran McClean | Green Party Northern Ireland | 427 | 1.0% | −1.0 |
| Barry Brown | Citizens Independent Social Thought Alliance | 393 | 0.9% |
Electorate 64,009; valid votes 43,486; majority 10,342. The Commons Library describes it as: “Sinn Féin hold by Barry McElduff with a majority of 10,342”.
All general elections and by-elections
Sources
- By-election result page
Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
d73182206d4481ec… - By-election candidate results (CSV)
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39948e0479889c0d… - Previous general election result page
Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
cff8c17c7801c943… - Previous general election candidate results (CSV)
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