| Election Name: | 1961 Barbadian general election |
| Country: | Barbados |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1956 Barbadian general election |
| Previous Year: | 1956 |
| Next Election: | 1966 Barbadian general election |
| Next Year: | 1966 |
| Turnout: | 61.32% (1.03pp) |
| Seats For Election: | 24 seats in the House of Assembly |
| Majority Seats: | 13 |
| Election Date: | 4 December 1961 |
| Image1: | Errol Barrow 1968 - 2.png |
| Leader1: | Errol Barrow |
| Party1: | Democratic Labour Party (Barbados) |
| Leaders Seat1: | St. John |
| Last Election1: | 4 seats |
| Seats1: | 14 |
| Seat Change1: | 10 |
| Popular Vote1: | 39,534 |
| Percentage1: | 36.30% |
| Swing1: | 16.38pp |
| Party2: | Barbados Labour Party |
| Leaders Seat2: | St. Thomas (defeated) |
| Last Election2: | 15 seats |
| Seats2: | 5 |
| Seat Change2: | 10 |
| Popular Vote2: | 40,096 |
| Percentage2: | 36.82% |
| Swing2: | 12.53pp |
| Image3: | Ernest_Mottley_1951.png |
| Leader3: | Ernest Mottley |
| Party3: | Barbados National Party |
| Leaders Seat3: | City of Bridgetown |
| Last Election3: | 3 seats |
| Seats3: | 4 |
| Seat Change3: | 1 |
| Popular Vote3: | 24,015 |
| Percentage3: | 22.05% |
| Swing3: | 0.70pp |
| Premier | |
| Before Election: | Hugh Gordon Cummins |
| Before Party: | Barbados Labour Party |
| After Election: | Errol Barrow |
| After Party: | Democratic Labour Party (Barbados) |
General elections were held in Barbados on 4 December 1961.[1] They were the first held after Barbados was granted full self-government earlier in the year. 24 MPs were elected across twelve two-member constituencies, using the block vote method.[2]
Although the incumbent Barbados Labour Party (BLP) received more votes, the non-proportional electoral system allowed the opposition Democratic Labour Party (DLP) to win 14 of the 24 seats and form a government for the first time. Among the defeated BLP candidates was the Premier Hugh Gordon Cummins, who lost his St. Thomas seat. This was also the last time an independent was elected to the assembly, with trade union leader Frank Leslie Walcott winning a seat in the St. Peter constituency.[3] Voter turnout was 61.3%.[1]