| Election Name: | 1894 Victorian colonial election |
| Country: | Victoria |
| Flag Year: | 1877 |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1892 Victorian colonial election |
| Previous Year: | 1892 |
| Next Election: | 1897 Victorian colonial election |
| Next Year: | 1897 |
| Election Date: | 20 September 1894 |
| Seats For Election: | All 95 seats in the Victorian Legislative Assembly |
| Leader1: | George Turner |
| Party1: | Liberal |
| Colour1: | F7E894 |
| Leaders Seat1: | St Kilda |
| Last Election1: | 56 seats |
| Seats1: | 47 |
| Seat Change1: | 9 |
| Leader2: | James Patterson |
| Party2: | Conservative |
| Leaders Seat2: | Castlemaine |
| Colour2: | 8EB5D1 |
| Last Election2: | 28 seats |
| Seats2: | 27 |
| Seat Change2: | 1 |
| Premier | |
| Before Election: | James Patterson |
| Before Party: | Conservative |
| After Election: | George Turner |
| After Party: | Liberal |
The 1894 Victorian colonial election was held on 20 September 1894 to elect the 16th Parliament of Victoria. All 95 seats in the Legislative Assembly were up for election, though 16 were uncontested.[1]
The Electoral Act Amendment Act of 1888 had increased the number seats in the Legislative Assembly from 86 to 95, and the number of electoral districts from 55 to 84 (73 single-member electorates, 11 two-member electorates).[1] Plural voting was permitted for people who had property in more than one electorate.[1]
The Liberals were split between Oppositionists, led by George Turner, and Ministerialists, led by Conservative Premier James Patterson.[1]
Enrolments in most seats was lower than at the 1892 election, as a result of the Purification of the Rolls Act of 1891.[2] It had the effect of disenfranchising large numbers of voters, mostly the working class, who had changed their residence in the year before the election.[2]
| Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Oppositionists | 75,404 | 46.03 | 47 | 9 | ||||
| Conservative Ministerialists | 44,479 | 27.15 | 27 | 1 | ||||
| United Labour and Liberal | 32,474 | 19.82 | 18 | 9 | ||||
| Liberal Ministerialists | 11,448 | 6.99 | 3 | |||||
| Formal votes | 163,805 | |||||||
| Informal votes | 754 | |||||||
| Total | 164,559 | 95 | ||||||
| Registered voters / turnout | 234,552 | 70.85 | ||||||