snap election

plural snap elections

1. governmentAn election that is called earlier than the regularly scheduled election time.

   A legislature should no more encourage and sustain snap elections, than a court should encourage and sustain snap judgment.

   1852, “No. 18. Notes and Comments Submitted by S. R. Mallory, of Florida, upon the Printed Statements and Arguments Addressed to the Select Committee of the United States Senate, by and in behalf of D. L. Yulee, to Sustain His Claim to the Seat Held by S. R. Mallory. July, 1852.”, in The Miscellaneous Documents of the Senate of the United States, during the First Session of the Thirty-second Congress, Washington, D.C.: A. Boyd Hamilton, […], →OCLC, page 254

   5 more examples

   The echoes of the election of President by snap election ticket, which had been brewing sub rosa for almost a year, forced these views upon my mind.

   1887 September, Clara Brinkerhoff, “Art or Trade?: The Music Teachers’ National Association Dividing into an Eastern and a Western Wing”, in Edgar S. Werner, editor, The Voice: Devoted to the Human Voice in All Its Phases, volume IX, number 9, New York, N.Y.: Edgar S. Werner, →OCLC, page 139, column 1

   Mr. [Sidney] HOLLAND.—I think it is important for the House to know, because there are fairly widespread rumours going round of a general election. I do not know where the rumours came from. The Right Hon. Mr. [Peter] FRASER said that he could not authenticate the rumours. There would not be anything in the nature of a snap election.

   1942 December 4, Peter Fraser, Prime Minister, “Business of the House”, in New Zealand. Parliamentary Debates. Fourth Session, Twenty-sixth Parliament. Legislative Council and House of Representatives (House of Representatives), volume 261, Wellington, New Zealand: E. V. Paul, government printer, →OCLC, page 948, column 2

   Let hon. members stop putting the red strips of bacon under the cellophane in the hope that because they are getting in first or are yelling the loudest they are going to take all the political advantage they can from it, hoping to win a snap election by offering the old people nothing and covering it up with aid to a few in the 55 to 65 age group.

   1965 February 23, F. J. Bigg, “Pensions: Provisions for Establishment of Contributory Program”, in Canada: House of Commons Debates: Official Report: Second Session—Twenty Sixth Parliament: 13 Elizabeth II (House of Commons of Canada), volume XI, Ottawa, Canada: Roger Duhamel, […], →OCLC, page 11654, column 2

   Last year, in an excess of arrogance, the dictatorship called for its doom in a snap election. The people obliged. With over a million signatures, they drafted me to challenge the dictatorship. And I obliged.

   1986 September 22, Corazon Aquino, “Speech during the Joint Session of the US Congress 1986”, in Anna Russell, So Here I Am: Speeches by Great Women to Empower and Inspire, London: White Lion Publishing, The Quarto Group, published 2019, →ISBN, page 103, column 1

   The chief whip was in no doubt that had [Marilyn] Waring agreed to tear up the letter, stay in the caucus, and attend select committees, [Robert] Muldoon would have accepted that and not contemplated a snap election.

   2000, Barry Gustafson, “The 1984 Election”, in His Way: A Biography of Robert Muldoon, Auckland: Auckland University Press, →ISBN, page 375