East Down was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.
East Down was a county constituency comprising the towns of Ardglass, Ballynahinch, Crossgar, Downpatrick, Dunmore, Killinchy, Killyleagh, Kilmore, Saintfield and Strangford, all in the former Down District Council.
[1] It was created in 1929 as one of the eight seats replacing the former Down constituency when the House of Commons (Method of Voting and Redistribution of Seats) Act (Northern Ireland) 1929 introduced first past the post elections throughout Northern Ireland.
The constituency survived unchanged, returning one member of Parliament until the Parliament of Northern Ireland was temporarily suspended in 1972, and then formally abolished in 1973.
On occasions, however, it was contested by members of the Ulster Liberal Party, and various nationalist candidates who usually received over 40% of the votes cast.