05/05/05 - LIBERAL DEMOCRAT LAURA TROUTMAN TOPS THE POLL 
Sheldon pupils went to the polls on May 5th with the rest of the country.
Our local consituency of Wiltshire North is a Conservative/Liberal Democrat marginal - and the school proved to be similarly balanced.
1,401 pupils voted, which represented an 89% turnout. The result was a Liberal Democrat victory for Laura Troutman with 31% of the vote. The Conservative, Chris Lawton, came second with 24%. The big surprise was a strong showing for the Communist, Tim Ledwitch, who gained a 15% share of the poll.
The Green candidate, Michael Napier, achieved a creditable 12%, but Tony Blair will be disappointed with only 11% for the Labour candidate, Sara Poolman.
The result in the Wiltshire North constituency went the other way. The sitting Conservative MP, James Gray, who spoke to Sheldon sixth form students before the election, defeated the Liberal Democrat candidate, Paul Fox, who is a governor of the school.
Full Result
Candidate |
Party |
Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Laura Troutman | Liberal Democrat | 430 |
| Chris Lawton | Conservative | 330 |
| Tim Ledwitch | Communist | 216 |
| Michael Napier | Green | 171 |
| Sara Poolman | Labour | 158 |
| Alex Machell | UKIP | 42 |