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The electoral district of Schoterland was created in 1888 out of part of the Sneek district, which was reduced from three seats to one. Schoterland's boundaries remained the same throughout the electoral district's existence. Fully located in the province of Friesland, it included the rural municipalities of Aengwirden, Haskerland, Opsterland, Schoterland and Utingeradeel. It was a predominantly agricultural district.
The district's population increased slightly during its existence, from 45,522 in 1888 to 49,011 in 1909. A majority ranging from 59% to 68% of the population was Reformed, with around 10 to 12% being Gereformeerd. The proportion of Mennonites dropped from 8.7% in 1888 to 6.5% in 1909. Catholics made up just 3% of the population. A substantial minority of the population was nondenominational, peaking at 19.6% in 1909.
Schoterland was a left-wing, so-called "red district", electing only candidates from the parliamentary left throughout its existence. In its first election, the district elected Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis, the first socialist member of the House of Representatives. In 1891, the radical LiberalWillem Treub defeated Domela Nieuwenhuis, but did not take his seat because another radical was elected in a different district, and Treub believed the socialists should be represented in parliament as well. Nevertheless, the subsequent by-election was won by another Liberal, Hendrik Pyttersen. In 1909, Theo de Meester won the district of Schoterland as well as the district of Den Helder. He opted to represent Den Helder, thus triggering another by-election in Schoterland.
De Jong, Ron; Van der Kolk, Henk; Voerman, Gerrit (2011). Verkiezingen op de kaart 1848-2010: Tweede Kamerverkiezingen vanuit geografisch perspectief [Elections on the map 1848-2010: House of Representative elections from a geographic perspective] (in Dutch). Utrecht: Uitgeverij Matrijs. ISBN9789053454374.
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