Rowallene Alliance Councillor Patrick Clarke has thanked the voters following his bid to win a seat in the NI Assembly during last week’s election.
He said: “On behalf of the Alliance Party and the South Down Alliance Association I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that came out and voted Brown for South Down on 5th May.
“With your help we achieved 2200 first preferences votes, and 2869 votes overall – the best ever result for Alliance in a South Down Assembly election! This also equated to a 3.3% increase of our vote share from 2011, and more than a 150% increase in first preference votes!
“This was a great result for Alliance, and for voters wanting an alternative, progressive voice in Stormont. Our message resonated particularly well with young voters and voters wanting reform on social issues.
“It’s worth pointing out that between myself, John McCallister and the Green Party’s John Hardy, progressive candidates outside of the political mainstream gained almost 4,200 votes – a great platform to build upon for a different form of politics in South Down.”
