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Results and statistics

Referendum on the 1980 sovereignty-association proposal for Québec

Summary

The No option obtained a majority of 59.56%.

In this section

Question

The Government of Québec has made public its proposal to negotiate a new agreement with the rest of Canada, based on the equality of nations; this agreement would enable Québec to acquire the exclusive power to make its laws, levy its taxes and establish relations abroad – in other words, sovereignty – and at the same time, to maintain with Canada an economic association including a common currency; no change in political status resulting from these negotiations will be effected without approval by the people through another referendum; on these terms, do you give the Government of Québec the mandate to negotiate the proposed agreement between Québec and Canada?

Results and statistics from the May 20, 1980 referendum

Date of issue of the writ or order April 15, 1980
Number of electoral divisions 110
Number of registered electors 4,367,584
Average number of registered electors per electoral division 39,705
Number of votes for the Yes option 1,485,851
Number of votes for the No option 2,187,991
Majority in favour of the No option 702,140
Number of valid ballots 3,673,842
Number of rejected ballots 65,012
Number of votes cast 3,738,854
Voter turnout 85.61%

Results by electoral division

  • Options
    • Yes: Le comité national du OUI / The YES National Committee
    • No: Comité des Québécoises et des Québécois pour le NON / Committee of Quebecers for the NO vote
  • The percentage of valid ballots allocated to each option is determined by calculating the number of valid ballots in relation to the total number of valid ballots.
Electoral division Number of Yes votes Number of No votes Majority option Majority
Abitibi-Est 17,890 (52.04%) 16,487 (47.96%) Oui 1,403
Abitibi-Ouest 11,462 (46.87%) 12,993 (53.13%) Non 1,531
Anjou 16,896 (46.38%) 19,537 (53.62%) Non 2,641
Argenteuil 9,257 (30.78%) 20,822 (69.22%) Non 11,565
Arthabaska 13,884 (40.83%) 20,120 (59.17%) Non 6,236
Beauce-Nord 15,532 (44.3%) 19,527 (55.7%) Non 3,995
Beauce-Sud 12,125 (42.55%) 16,371 (57.45%) Non 4,246
Beauharnois 15,258 (43.22%) 20,044 (56.78%) Non 4,786
Bellechasse 9483 (38.88%) 14908 (61.12%) Non 5 425
Berthier 11137 (39.1%) 17345 (60.9%) Non 6,208
Bonaventure 7,308 (33.18%) 14,715 (66.82%) Non 7,407
Bourassa 12,125 (36.09%) 21,468 (63.91%) Non 9,343
Bourget 14,141 (46.69%) 16,147 (53.31%) Non 2,006
Brôme-Missi 7,022 (25.97%) 20,012 (74.03%) Non 12,990
Chambly 25,195 (46.72%) 28,728 (53.28%) Non 3,533
Champlain 14,549 (43.96%) 18,544 (56.04%) Non 3,995
Charlesbourg 23,075 (47.74%) 25,262 (52.26%) Non 2,187
Charlevoix 10,244 (42.42%) 13,906 (57.58%) Non 3,662
Châteauguay 17,441 (40.18%) 25,967 (59.82%) Non 8,526
Chauveau 25,829 (47.86%) 28,134 (52.14%) Non 2,305
Chicoutimi 19,980 (58.51%) 14,170 (41.49%) Oui 5,810
Crémazie 14,147 (43.85%) 18,112 (56.15%) Non 3,965
D’Arcy McGee 1,563 (4.12%) 36,365 (95.88%) Non 34,802
Deux-Montagnes 16,239 (42.16%) 22,276 (57.84%) Non 6,037
Dorion 12,448 (42.44%) 16,886 (57.56%) Non 4,438
Drummond 15,382 (43.37%) 20,088 (56.63%) Non 4,706
Dubuc 14,815 (52.97%) 13,155 (47.03%) Oui 1,660
Duplessis 18,280 (53.03%) 16,192 (46.97%) Oui 2,088
Fabre 23,681 (45.15%) 28,773 (54.85%) Non 5,092
Frontenac 14,847 (48.67%) 15,659 (51.33%) Non 812
Gaspé 10,435 (41.12%) 14,941 (58.88%) Non 4,506
Gatineau 8,943 (25.02%) 26,807 (74.98%) Non 17,864
Gouin 12,395 (48.71%) 13,051 (51.29%) Non 656
Hull 10,531 (33.22%) 21,173 (66.78%) Non 10,642
Huntingdon 6,573 (26.96%) 17,805 (73.04%) Non 11,232
Iberville 13,786 (38.41%) 22,102 (61.59%) Non 8,316
Îles-de-la-Madeleine 3,405 (45.78%) 4,033 (54.22%) Non 628
Jacques-Cartier 7,957 (25.91%) 22,754 (74.09%) Non 14,797
Jeanne-Mance 19,008 (32.54%) 39,412 (67.46%) Non 20,404
Jean-Talon 11,928 (41.59%) 16,753 (58.41%) Non 4,825
Johnson 10,609 (39.13%) 16,504 (60.87%) Non 5,895
Joliette-Montcalm 17,346 (43.09%) 22,911 (56.91%) Non 5,565
Jonquière 22,058 (60.74%) 14,258 (39.26%) Oui 7,800
Kamouraska-Témiscouata 10,922 (43.97%) 13,920 (56.03%) Non 2,998
L’Acadie 9,410 (26.42%) 26,205 (73.58%) Non 16,795
Lac-Saint-Jean 17,674 (57.61%) 13,007 (42.39%) Oui 4,667
Lafontaine 18,284 (49.73%) 18,486 (50.27%) Non 202
Laporte 20,072 (49.24%) 20,692 (50.76%) Non 620
Laprairie 18,882 (34.5%) 35,844 (65.5%) Non 16,962
L’Assomption 30,125 (51.14%) 28,786 (48.86%) Oui 1,339
Laurentides-Labelle 15,371 (49.43%) 15,723 (50.57%) Non 352
Laurier 8,583 (27.36%) 22,792 (72.64%) Non 14,209
Laval 16,714 (33.76%) 32,789 (66.24%) Non 16,075
Laviolette 12,321 (43.31%) 16,130 (56.69%) Non 3,809
Lévis 20,104 (49.57%) 20,450 (50.43%) Non 346
Limoilou 13,898 (46.18%) 16,199 (53.82%) Non 2,301
Lotbinière 9,212 (37.09%) 15,627 (62.91%) Non 6,415
Louis-Hébert 20,946 (51.6%) 19,650 (48.4%) Oui 1,296
Maisonneuve 11,703 (50.66%) 11,400 (49.34%) Oui 303
Marguerite-Bourgeoys 13,108 (28.2%) 33,369 (71.8%) Non 20,261
Maskinongé 10,260 (36.62%) 17,759 (63.38%) Non 7,499
Matane 11,154 (47.59%) 12,285 (52.41%) Non 1,131
Matapédia 9,558 (47.88%) 10,405 (52.12%) Non 847
Mégantic-Compton 8,102 (34.77%) 15,202 (65.23%) Non 7,100
Mercier 12,163 (48.09%) 13,131 (51.91%) Non 968
Mille-Îles 25,588 (48.03%) 27,682 (51.97%) Non 2,094
Montmagny-L’Islet 10,052 (38.08%) 16,348 (61.92%) Non 6,296
Montmorency 19,097 (49.36%) 19,589 (50.64%) Non 492
Mont-Royal 5,001 (14.78%) 28,825 (85.22%) Non 23,824
Nicolet-Yamaska 9,826 (36.62%) 17,006 (63.38%) Non 7,180
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce 4,633 (14.72%) 26,843 (85.28%) Non 22,210
Orford 9,983 (33.65%) 19,684 (66.35%) Non 9,701
Outremont 11,488 (35.31%) 21,050 (64.69%) Non 9,562
Papineau 12,317 (29.91%) 28,866 (70.09%) Non 16,549
Pointe-Claire 3,947 (9.68%) 36,841 (90.32%) Non 32,894
Pontiac-Témiscamingue 5,591 (25.34%) 16,476 (74.66%) Non 10,885
Portneuf 11,179 (41.66%) 15,658 (58.34%) Non 4,479
Prévost 21,177 (45.13%) 25,749 (54.87%) Non 4,572
Richelieu 15,559 (48.6%) 16,455 (51.4%) Non 896
Richmond 8,393 (40.42%) 12,371 (59.58%) Non 3,978
Rimouski 16,799 (53.15%) 14,805 (46.85%) Oui 1,994
Rivière-du-Loup 11,065 (43.36%) 14,452 (56.64%) Non 3,387
Robert Baldwin 9,170 (18.66%) 39,977 (81.34%) Non 30,807
Roberval 16,088 (50.65%) 15,672 (49.35%) Oui 416
Rosemont 13,716 (44.79%) 16,907 (55.21%) Non 3,191
Rouyn-Noranda 11,095 (44.19%) 14,015 (55.81%) Non 2,920
Saguenay 14,032 (61.91%) 8,634 (38.09%) Oui 5,398
Sainte-Anne 7,706 (30.58%) 17,497 (69.42%) Non 9,791
Saint-François 12,513 (41.86%) 17,377 (58.14%) Non 4,864
Saint-Henri 11,547 (38.38%) 18,541 (61.62%) Non 6,994
Saint-Hyacinthe 12,453 (39.77%) 18,863 (60.23%) Non 6,410
Saint-Jacques 11,392 (54.89%) 9,364 (45.11%) Oui 2,028
Saint-Jean 13,617 (38.92%) 21,373 (61.08%) Non 7,756
Saint-Laurent 7,920 (21.69%) 28,588 (78.31%) Non 20,668
Saint-Louis 7,678 (28.68%) 19,091 (71.32%) Non 11,413
Sainte-Marie 11,722 (50.52%) 11,481 (49.48%) Oui 241
Saint-Maurice 12,929 (45.63%) 15,408 (54.37%) Non 2,479
Sauvé 18,982 (45.11%) 23,096 (54.89%) Non 4,114
Shefford 11,539 (34.54%) 21,871 (65.46%) Non 10,332
Sherbrooke 12,960 (43.2%) 17,040 (56.8%) Non 4,080
Taillon 31,997 (50.99%) 30,752 (49.01%) Oui 1,245
Taschereau 9,438 (46.92%) 10,677 (53.08%) Non 1,239
Terrebonne 23,417 (47.12%) 26,282 (52.88%) Non 2,865
Trois-Rivières 12,995 (40.95%) 18,736 (59.05%) Non 5,741
Vanier 16,682 (49.55%) 16,983 (50.45%) Non 301
Vaudreuil-Soulanges 13,423 (35.82%) 24,055 (64.18%) Non 10,632
Verchères 19,750 (48.22%) 21,207 (51.78%) Non 1,457
Verdun 9,446 (31.09%) 20,938 (68.91%) Non 11,492
Viau 10,800 (34.08%) 20,890 (65.92%) Non 10,090
Westmount 4,374 (13.14%) 28,908 (86.86%) Non 24,534
Note: The percentages in the summary tables are rounded to two decimal places, so the sums may not add up to 100%.

Statistics by electoral division

  • The number of votes cast is obtained by adding the number of valid ballots and the number of rejected ballots.
  • Voter turnout is established by calculating the vote cast in relation to the number of registered electors.
Electoral division Number of votes cast Voter turnout Number of registered electors
Abitibi-Est 34,937 65.65% 53,221
Abitibi-Ouest 24,721 78.3% 31,573
Anjou 37,109 87.74% 42,293
Argenteuil 30,535 85.44% 35,740
Arthabaska 34,420 87.26% 39,446
Beauce-Nord 35,457 86.23% 41,117
Beauce-Sud 28,830 84.95% 33,938
Beauharnois 35,821 89.66% 39,954
Bellechasse 24 822 82.19% 30 199
Berthier 29 019 86.67% 33 484
Bonaventure 22,367 82.61% 27,074
Bourassa 34,693 88.04% 39,407
Bourget 30,742 87.1% 35,297
Brôme-Missi 27,500 87.53% 31,419
Chambly 54,515 91.14% 59,813
Champlain 33,553 86.64% 38,726
Charlesbourg 48,955 88.37% 55,395
Charlevoix 24,563 83.58% 29,389
Châteauguay 43,905 89.76% 48,914
Chauveau 54,696 87.54% 62,479
Chicoutimi 34,583 85.25% 40,568
Crémazie 32,821 88.68% 37,011
D’Arcy McGee 38,443 89.49% 42,956
Deux-Montagnes 39,112 86.77% 45,075
Dorion 29,971 84.54% 35,452
Drummond 36,095 86.63% 41,664
Dubuc 28,409 82.28% 34,527
Duplessis 34,958 75.63% 46,225
Fabre 53,140 88.08% 60,332
Frontenac 30,878 88.12% 35,042
Gaspé 25,684 81.4% 31,554
Gatineau 36,291 84.79% 42,801
Gouin 25,998 83.06% 31,300
Hull 32,791 83.56% 39,243
Huntingdon 24,741 85.95% 28,787
Iberville 36,469 87.14% 41,853
Îles-de-la-Madeleine 7,538 84.18% 8,955
Jacques-Cartier 31,139 87.53% 35,577
Jeanne-Mance 59,364 88.42% 67,141
Jean-Talon 29,436 88.29% 33,342
Johnson 27,496 87.09% 31,571
Joliette-Montcalm 40,775 87.02% 46,859
Jonquière 36,759 86.55% 42,473
Kamouraska-Témiscouata 25,361 80.95% 31,331
L’Acadie 36,229 88.56% 40,908
Lac-Saint-Jean 31,021 86.5% 35,862
Lafontaine 37,539 86.38% 43,457
Laporte 41,459 86.68% 47,831
Laprairie 55,887 89.18% 62,668
L’Assomption 59,957 88.21% 67,969
Laurentides-Labelle 31,511 82.05% 38,404
Laurier 32,156 85.16% 37,759
Laval 50,128 89.8% 55,822
Laviolette 28,869 84.47% 34,176
Lévis 41,276 88.03% 46,889
Limoilou 30,729 84.68% 36,290
Lotbinière 25,103 86.09% 29,160
Louis-Hébert 41,005 87.05% 47,106
Maisonneuve 23,944 80.28% 29,825
Marguerite-Bourgeoys 47,176 88.99% 53,013
Maskinongé 28,331 86.44% 32,775
Matane 23,894 79.93% 29,893
Matapédia 20,251 80.97% 25,011
Mégantic-Compton 23,583 85.4% 27,616
Mercier 26,083 81.81% 31,883
Mille-Îles 54,068 90.09% 60,014
Montmagny-L’Islet 26,791 83.63% 32,037
Montmorency 39,205 86.89% 45,120
Mont-Royal 35,034 87.58% 40,003
Nicolet-Yamaska 27,266 87.38% 31,203
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce 33,028 88.11% 37,487
Orford 30,104 86.43% 34,829
Outremont 33,290 86.27% 38,588
Papineau 42,200 83.49% 50,547
Pointe-Claire 41,212 90.36% 45,609
Pontiac-Témiscamingue 22,486 83.04% 27,079
Portneuf 27,209 86.67% 31,395
Prévost 47,722 85.69% 55,693
Richelieu 32,390 87.05% 37,210
Richmond 20,969 86.42% 24,263
Rimouski 32,016 84.81% 37,752
Rivière-du-Loup 25,941 82.56% 31,422
Robert Baldwin 49,973 89.73% 55,694
Roberval 32,106 82.76% 38,792
Rosemont 31,307 85.62% 36,565
Rouyn-Noranda 25,476 82.51% 30,878
Saguenay 22,900 78.27% 29,257
Sainte-Anne 26,018 77.88% 33,409
Saint-François 30,363 85.36% 35,570
Saint-Henri 30,820 84.73% 36,376
Saint-Hyacinthe 32,150 86.26% 37,271
Saint-Jacques 21,302 75.3% 28,289
Saint-Jean 35,525 87.27% 40,709
Saint-Laurent 37,309 87.58% 42,598
Saint-Louis 27,370 73.85% 37,061
Sainte-Marie 23,869 78.03% 30,589
Saint-Maurice 29,252 86.36% 33,874
Sauvé 42,968 85.16% 50,454
Shefford 34,387 87.98% 39,085
Sherbrooke 30,448 83.98% 36,257
Taillon 63,989 84.34% 75,871
Taschereau 21,011 78.58% 26,737
Terrebonne 50,325 88.72% 56,723
Trois-Rivières 32,253 84.33% 38,244
Vanier 34,234 84.31% 40,606
Vaudreuil-Soulanges 38,109 89.32% 42,665
Verchères 41,627 88.76% 46,896
Verdun 30,965 87.52% 35,381
Viau 32,632 85.08% 38,355
Westmount 33,692 87.98% 38,293
Note: The percentages in the summary tables are rounded to two decimal places, so the sums may not add up to 100%.

Valid and rejected ballots by electoral division

The percentage of valid ballots and the percentage of rejected ballots are established by calculating, in each case, the total number of ballots in relation to the number of votes cast.

Electoral division Number of valid ballots Number of rejected ballots
Abitibi-Est 34,377 (98.4%) 560 (1.6%)
Abitibi-Ouest 24,455 (98.92%) 266 (1.08%)
Anjou 36,433 (98.18%) 676 (1.82%)
Argenteuil 30,079 (98.51%) 456 (1.49%)
Arthabaska 34,004 (98.79%) 416 (1.21%)
Beauce-Nord 35,059 (98.88%) 398 (1.12%)
Beauce-Sud 28,496 (98.84%) 334 (1.16%)
Beauharnois 35,302 (98.55%) 519 (1.45%)
Bellechasse 24391 (98.26%) 431 (1.74%)
Berthier 28482 (98.15%) 537 (1.85%)
Bonaventure 22,023 (98.46%) 344 (1.54%)
Bourassa 33,593 (96.83%) 1,100 (3.17%)
Bourget 30,288 (98.52%) 454 (1.48%)
Brôme-Missi 27,034 (98.31%) 466 (1.69%)
Chambly 53,923 (98.91%) 592 (1.09%)
Champlain 33,093 (98.63%) 460 (1.37%)
Charlesbourg 48,337 (98.74%) 618 (1.26%)
Charlevoix 24,150 (98.32%) 413 (1.68%)
Châteauguay 43,408 (98.87%) 497 (1.13%)
Chauveau 53,963 (98.66%) 733 (1.34%)
Chicoutimi 34,150 (98.75%) 433 (1.25%)
Crémazie 32,259 (98.29%) 562 (1.71%)
D’Arcy McGee 37,928 (98.66%) 515 (1.34%)
Deux-Montagnes 38,515 (98.47%) 597 (1.53%)
Dorion 29,334 (97.87%) 637 (2.13%)
Drummond 35,470 (98.27%) 625 (1.73%)
Dubuc 27,970 (98.45%) 439 (1.55%)
Duplessis 34,472 (98.61%) 486 (1.39%)
Fabre 52,454 (98.71%) 686 (1.29%)
Frontenac 30,506 (98.8%) 372 (1.2%)
Gaspé 25,376 (98.8%) 308 (1.2%)
Gatineau 35,750 (98.51%) 541 (1.49%)
Gouin 25,446 (97.88%) 552 (2.12%)
Hull 31,704 (96.69%) 1,087 (3.31%)
Huntingdon 24,378 (98.53%) 363 (1.47%)
Iberville 35,888 (98.41%) 581 (1.59%)
Îles-de-la-Madeleine 7,438 (98.67%) 100 (1.33%)
Jacques-Cartier 30,711 (98.63%) 428 (1.37%)
Jeanne-Mance 58,420 (98.41%) 944 (1.59%)
Jean-Talon 28,681 (97.44%) 755 (2.56%)
Johnson 27,113 (98.61%) 383 (1.39%)
Joliette-Montcalm 40,257 (98.73%) 518 (1.27%)
Jonquière 36,316 (98.79%) 443 (1.21%)
Kamouraska-Témiscouata 24,842 (97.95%) 519 (2.05%)
L’Acadie 35,615 (98.31%) 614 (1.69%)
Lac-Saint-Jean 30,681 (98.9%) 340 (1.1%)
Lafontaine 36,770 (97.95%) 769 (2.05%)
Laporte 40,764 (98.32%) 695 (1.68%)
Laprairie 54,726 (97.92%) 1,161 (2.08%)
L’Assomption 58,911 (98.26%) 1,046 (1.74%)
Laurentides-Labelle 31,094 (98.68%) 417 (1.32%)
Laurier 31,375 (97.57%) 781 (2.43%)
Laval 49,503 (98.75%) 625 (1.25%)
Laviolette 28,451 (98.55%) 418 (1.45%)
Lévis 40,554 (98.25%) 722 (1.75%)
Limoilou 30,097 (97.94%) 632 (2.06%)
Lotbinière 24,839 (98.95%) 264 (1.05%)
Louis-Hébert 40,596 (99%) 409 (1%)
Maisonneuve 23,103 (96.49%) 841 (3.51%)
Marguerite-Bourgeoys 46,477 (98.52%) 699 (1.48%)
Maskinongé 28,019 (98.9%) 312 (1.1%)
Matane 23,439 (98.1%) 455 (1.9%)
Matapédia 19,963 (98.58%) 288 (1.42%)
Mégantic-Compton 23,304 (98.82%) 279 (1.18%)
Mercier 25,294 (96.98%) 789 (3.02%)
Mille-Îles 53,270 (98.52%) 798 (1.48%)
Montmagny-L’Islet 26,400 (98.54%) 391 (1.46%)
Montmorency 38,686 (98.68%) 519 (1.32%)
Mont-Royal 33,826 (96.55%) 1,208 (3.45%)
Nicolet-Yamaska 26,832 (98.41%) 434 (1.59%)
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce 31,476 (95.3%) 1,552 (4.7%)
Orford 29,667 (98.55%) 437 (1.45%)
Outremont 32,538 (97.74%) 752 (2.26%)
Papineau 41,183 (97.59%) 1,017 (2.41%)
Pointe-Claire 40,788 (98.97%) 424 (1.03%)
Pontiac-Témiscamingue 22,067 (98.14%) 419 (1.86%)
Portneuf 26,837 (98.63%) 372 (1.37%)
Prévost 46,926 (98.33%) 796 (1.67%)
Richelieu 32,014 (98.84%) 376 (1.16%)
Richmond 20,764 (99.02%) 205 (0.98%)
Rimouski 31,604 (98.71%) 412 (1.29%)
Rivière-du-Loup 25,517 (98.37%) 424 (1.63%)
Robert Baldwin 49,147 (98.35%) 826 (1.65%)
Roberval 31,760 (98.92%) 346 (1.08%)
Rosemont 30,623 (97.82%) 684 (2.18%)
Rouyn-Noranda 25,110 (98.56%) 366 (1.44%)
Saguenay 22,666 (98.98%) 234 (1.02%)
Sainte-Anne 25,203 (96.87%) 815 (3.13%)
Saint-François 29,890 (98.44%) 473 (1.56%)
Saint-Henri 30,088 (97.62%) 732 (2.38%)
Saint-Hyacinthe 31,316 (97.41%) 834 (2.59%)
Saint-Jacques 20,756 (97.44%) 546 (2.56%)
Saint-Jean 34,990 (98.49%) 535 (1.51%)
Saint-Laurent 36,508 (97.85%) 801 (2.15%)
Saint-Louis 26,769 (97.8%) 601 (2.2%)
Sainte-Marie 23,203 (97.21%) 666 (2.79%)
Saint-Maurice 28,337 (96.87%) 915 (3.13%)
Sauvé 42,078 (97.93%) 890 (2.07%)
Shefford 33,410 (97.16%) 977 (2.84%)
Sherbrooke 30,000 (98.53%) 448 (1.47%)
Taillon 62,749 (98.06%) 1,240 (1.94%)
Taschereau 20,115 (95.74%) 896 (4.26%)
Terrebonne 49,699 (98.76%) 626 (1.24%)
Trois-Rivières 31,731 (98.38%) 522 (1.62%)
Vanier 33,665 (98.34%) 569 (1.66%)
Vaudreuil-Soulanges 37,478 (98.34%) 631 (1.66%)
Verchères 40,957 (98.39%) 670 (1.61%)
Verdun 30,384 (98.12%) 581 (1.88%)
Viau 31,690 (97.11%) 942 (2.89%)
Westmount 33,282 (98.78%) 410 (1.22%)
Note: The percentages in the summary tables are rounded to two decimal places. so the sums may not add up to 100%.
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