1866 Clarence colonial by-election
# 1866 Clarence colonial by-election

A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of the Clarence on 27 August 1866 following the resignation of John Laycock.

## Dates

| Date | Event |
| - | - |
| 1 August 1866 | Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and close of electoral rolls. |
| 20 August 1866 | Nominations |
| 27 August 1866 | Polling day, between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm |
| 10 September 1866 | Return of writ |

## Candidates

* John Robertson had been appointed Secretary for Lands but had been defeated at the resulting 1866 West Sydney by-election.
* Alexander MacKellar had been the second placed candidate at the 1859 election for The Clarence receiving 30.3% of the vote.

## Results

1866 The Clarence by-election Monday 27 August :

| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - |
| John Robertson (elected) | John Robertson (elected) | 219 | 57.2 |
| Alexander MacKellar | Alexander MacKellar | 164 | 42.8 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 383 | 98.2 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | 7 | 1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | 390 | 18.3 |
