General elections were held in Southern Rhodesia on 25 April 1946, seven years after the previous elections in 1939, the term of the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly having been extended so that there would be no general elections during World War II. The elections showed a strong shift to the right, as the United Party government led by Prime Minister Godfrey Huggins lost its overall majority; however, Huggins could count on the support of one of the factions of the Rhodesia Labour Party in any vote of confidence and therefore remained in office.
During the war a number of changes to the franchise had been made. The arrival of large numbers of British subjects to train as pilots for the Royal Air Force from 1940 led to a sudden increase in the electorate. Many Rhodesians felt that the forces personnel ought not to have the vote, given that their presence in Rhodesia was transitory and they had no long-term commitment. Therefore, the Assembly passed the Electoral Amendment Act 1941 which disfranchised them. The Act also disfranchised British subjects from other dominions who were not prepared to make a declaration of willingness to serve in Southern Rhodesia's defence forces. A third provision of the Act was to extend a previous lifetime disqualification of those sentenced to imprisonment to those given suspended prison sentences.
In the Civil Disabilities Act 1942, anyone convicted of treasonable or seditious practices, those who had deserted from or evaded service in the Army, or who were cashiered or dishonourably discharged, was disqualified from registration as a voter. To cope with the large number of Rhodesians serving away from the colony in the armed forces, the Active Service Voters Act 1943 permitted them to record their votes in a general election. They were permitted to vote for a political party rather than an individual candidate.
There were no alterations to the boundaries of the electoral districts.
The twists and turns within the Rhodesia Labour Party which led it to divide into two parties at this election are recounted in the article on the Rhodesia Labour Party.
Jacob Smit, who had been an ally of Huggins in Reform Party days and previously served at the Ministry of Finance, went into opposition early in 1944. He joined a group of conservatives who were developing a new political party on the principles of economy in public spending, free enterprise, and seeking dominion status within the British Empire. Smit was soon appointed the Leader of this group, which named itself the Southern Rhodesia Liberal Party.
| Constituency Electorate and turnout | Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AVONDALE 1,632 (75.4%) | Albert Rubidge Washington Stumbles | L | 567 |
| Cecil Douglas Dryden | UP | 488 | |
| Neil Housman Wilson | Ind | 77 | |
| Alexander Aitken Draper | SR Lab | 57 | |
| George Arthur Henry Radford | Lab | 41 | |
| BULAWAYO CENTRAL 1,644 (63.8%) | †Donald Macintyre | SR Lab | 353 |
| Henry Alfred Holmes | UP | 327 | |
| Mathew Henry Gibson | Lab | 242 | |
| Olive Hope Robertson | L | 127 | |
| BULAWAYO EAST 1,231 (70.8%) | David Wood Young | UP | 632 |
| Llewellyn Davies | L | 239 | |
| BULAWAYO NORTH 1,407 (61.3%) | †Thomas Hugh William Beadle | UP | 666 |
| Cecil Maurice Baker | Lab | 196 | |
| BULAWAYO SOUTH 1,949 (61.5%) | James Stuart McNeillie | Lab | 518 |
| Malcolm Granger Fleming | UP | 425 | |
| Theodore Albert Edward Holdengarde | L | 185 | |
| Arthur Harold Bean | SR Lab | 71 | |
| CHARTER 1,051 (74.8%) | Jacob Letterstedt Smit | L | 360 |
| Herbert Jordan Posselt | UP | 304 | |
| Mrs. Louise Hosea Fourie | Lab | 122 | |
| EASTERN 1,247 (71.2%) | Aubrey William Dunn | L | 490 |
| †Jacobus Petrus De Kock | UP | 398 | |
| GATOOMA 1,175 (62.0%) | George Munro | L | 287 |
| William George Vowles | UP | 243 | |
| Arthur Henry Edwin Haycock | Lab | 198 | |
| GWANDA 1,113 (67.3%) | William Henry Elliott | UP | 292 |
| George Wilburn Rudland | L | 287 | |
| Edwin Harley | Lab | 170 | |
| GWELO 1,405 (70.6%) | Robert Williamson | L | 441 |
| †Max Danziger | UP | 385 | |
| Harry Joseph Filmer | Lab | 166 | |
| HARTLEY 1,360 (68.6%) | Thomas James Golding | L | 487 |
| †Hugh Volant Wheeler | UP | 446 | |
| HIGHLANDS 1,951 (75.7%) | Charles Arden Bott | L | 757 |
| †Leslie Benjamin Fereday | UP | 595 | |
| Charles Findlay | Lab | 124 | |
| HILLSIDE 1,690 (71.0%) | †Harry Herbert Davies | Lab | 673 |
| Eric Tom Hepburn | UP | 438 | |
| John Wilfred Bush | L | 88 | |
| INSIZA 1,165 (61.4%) | Reginald Stephen Garfield Todd | UP | 330 |
| Victor Henry van Breda | Lab | 195 | |
| Guy Maxwell Foy Southey | L | 190 | |
| LOMAGUNDI 1,128 (66.1%) | Patrick Archibald Wise | L | 374 |
| † George Henry Hackwill | UP | 372 | |
| MARANDELLAS 1,292 (74.0%) | Leslie Major Cullinan | UP | 476 |
| William Thomas Edward Fitzsimons | L | 340 | |
| Edward Bostock Harben | SR Lab | 140 | |
| MAZOE 918 (64.4%) | †Edward Walter Lionel Noaks | UP | 360 |
| Jack Herbert Keightley | L | 213 | |
| William Ramsay Ramsay | SR Lab | 18 | |
| QUE QUE 1,361 (79.9%) | George Arthur Davenport | UP | 377 |
| John Henry Cremer | L | 257 | |
| Thomas Nangle | Lab | 246 | |
| RAYLTON 1,613 (67.2%) | †Lawrence John Walter Keller | Lab | 470 |
| Kenneth Mackenzie Goodenough | UP | 360 | |
| Barend Gerhardus Retief | SR Lab | 183 | |
| David Graham Johnstone | L | 71 | |
| SALISBURY CENTRAL 1,470 (63.5%) | Leslie Manfred Noel Hodson | UP | 438 |
| Ronald Leo Thomas | L | 224 | |
| Charles Olley | Ind | 191 | |
| †Edgar Pope Vernall | Lab | 73 | |
| Mrs. Agnes Tait Wilson | Ind | 7 | |
| SALISBURY CITY 1,683 (66.7%) | †Jacob Hendrik Smit | L | 565 |
| Robert Wynne Truscott | UP | 352 | |
| Arthur Tom North | Lab | 115 | |
| Mrs. Gladys Maasdorp | SR Lab | 91 | |
| SALISBURY GARDENS 1,408 (66.4%) | Sir Ernest Lucas Guest | UP | 472 |
| David Keith Watt | L | 390 | |
| Ernest Roy Wright | SR Lab | 39 | |
| Edwin Robert Wilson Major | Lab | 34 | |
| SALISBURY NORTH 1,199 (67.8%) | †Godfrey Martin Huggins | UP | 525 |
| Eric Kenneth Hockey | L | 265 | |
| David Heurtley Linton | Ind | 23 | |
| SALISBURY SOUTH 1,741 (65.4%) | Denzil Crichton Paul | L | 453 |
| †George Henry Walker | Lab | 338 | |
| Mrs. Muriel Ena Rosin | UP | 295 | |
| Mrs. Otilia Liebermann | Ind | 52 | |
| SELUKWE 1,237 (68.0%) | George Baden-Powell Tunmer | L | 421 |
| Egon Aage Klifborg | Lab | 232 | |
| Charles William Fenton Wells | UP | 188 | |
| UMTALI NORTH 1,036 (65.9%) | †Tom Ian Findlay Wilson | UP | 413 |
| Harry Thomas Fairbridge Went | SR Lab | 129 | |
| Christopher Henry Perrem | L | 96 | |
| Roelof Hendrik Venter | Lab | 45 | |
| UMTALI SOUTH 1,181 (70.9%) | †James Brown Lister | SR Lab | 421 |
| Edgar Cuthbert Fremantle Whitehead | UP | 331 | |
| George Cyril Hamilton-Browne | L | 68 | |
| Hajo Spandow | Lab | 17 | |
| VICTORIA 1,333 (67.8%) | Raymond Osborne Stockil | L | 522 |
| †William Alexander Eustace Winterton | UP | 342 | |
| John Theodore Appel | Lab | 40 | |
| WANKIE 1,125 (46.2%) | John Alexander Ewing | UP | 200 |
| †Allan Watson Whittington | Lab | 197 | |
| Benjamin Austen Williams | L | 123 | |
| WESTERN 1,198 (66.1%) | †Patrick Bissett Fletcher | UP | 395 |
| Frederick William Sauerman | L | 154 | |
| Francis Edward John Patrick Murray | Lab | 131 | |
| Frank Richard Peach | Ind | 74 | |
| Martin Olds | SR Lab | 38 |
On 15 July 1946 an election petition from George Henry Hackwill in relation to the Lomagundi district was allowed. As a result, Patrick Archibald Wise was unseated, and Hackwill was declared elected.
Tom Ian Findlay Wilson resigned from the Assembly in September 1946. A byelection was held to replace him on 8 November 1946.
| Constituency Electorate and turnout | Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| UMTALI NORTH 800 (79.3%) | Edgar Cuthbert Fremantle Whitehead | UP | 427 |
| Christopher Henry Perrem | L | 207 |
Thomas James Golding died on 2 August 1947. A byelection was held in his constituency on 26 September 1947.
| Constituency Electorate and turnout | Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HARTLEY 943 (49.9%) | Patrick Archibald Wise | L | 543 |
| Ralph Drew Palmer | UP | 294 |