United Kingdom law reforming the electoral system in England and Wales
United Kingdom legislation
Representation of the People Act 1867[1]
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title
An Act further to amend the Laws relating to the Representation of the People in England and Wales.
Citation
30 & 31 Vict. c. 102
Territorial extent
United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent
15 August 1867
Other legislation
Relates to
Reform Act 1884
Text of statute as originally enacted
Contemporary cartoon of Disraeli outpacing Gladstone (left) at The Derby, parodying the perceived victor in debates in a split Liberal-led Commons while Disraeli's fellow Conservative, Lord Derby led as Prime Minister from the House of Lords.
The Representation of the People Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict. c. 102), known as the Reform Act 1867 or the Second Reform Act, is an act of the British Parliament that enfranchised part of the urban male working class in England and Wales for the first time. It took effect in stages over the next two years, culminating in full commencement on 1 January 1869.[2][3]
Before the act, one million of the seven million adult men in England and Wales could vote; the act immediately doubled that number. Further, by the end of 1868 all male heads of household could vote, having abolished the widespread mechanism of the deemed rentpayer or ratepayer being a superior lessor or landlord who would act as middleman for the money paid ("compounding"). The act introduced a near-negligible redistribution of seats, far short of the urbanisation and population growth since 1832.
The overall intent was to help the Conservative Party, Benjamin Disraeli expecting a reward for his sudden and sweeping backing of the reforms discussed, yet it resulted in their loss of the 1868 general election.
^This short title was conferred on this Act by section 1 of this Act.
^Smith 1966.
^"Notes Upon 'the Representation of the People Act, 1867' (30 & 31 Vict. C. 102.): With Appendices Concerning the Antient Rights, the Rights Conferred by the 2 & 3 Will. IV C. 45, Population, Rental, Rating, and the Operation of the Repealed Enactments as to Compound Householders", Thomas Chisholm Anstey, pp. 26, 169–172.
Representation of the People Act1867 (30 & 31 Vict. c. 102), known as the ReformAct1867 or the Second ReformAct, is an act of the British Parliament...
Scottish ReformAct 1832, a similar reform applying to Scotland. Irish ReformAct 1832, a similar reform applying to Ireland. ReformAct1867 (also called...
further extended the suffrage in the UK after the Derby government's ReformAct1867. Taken together, these measures extended the same voting qualifications...
territory-specific Acts in 1867–68: the ReformAct1867 applied to English and Welsh constituencies the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868 applied to...
moderate and middle class Reform Union and gave strong support to the abortive Reform Bill 1866 and the successful ReformAct1867. It developed into a formidable...
Crown, as provided for by the Succession to the Crown Act 1707, was abolished by the ReformAct1867. Craig, F. W. S. (1989), British Electoral Facts: 1832–1987...
United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the ReformAct1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing...
parliamentary sense--and has converted these Conservative into Radical Reformers. The ReformAct1867 passed that August. It extended the franchise by 938,427 men—an...
demands including universal male franchise and the secret ballot. The ReformAct1867 redistributed more MPs from boroughs which had disproportional representation...
office.[citation needed] Many more reforms were introduced in the latter half of the 19th century. The ReformAct1867 lowered property requirements for...
Public Libraries Act (Scotland 1867) Amendment Act 1871, title. This short title was conferred on this Act by section 25 of this Act. This short title...
for all mankind". He was a leading figure in the Reform League, which campaigned for the ReformAct1867. He was called the "Burns of Labour" and "the poet...
had few proposals for social legislation in 1874–1880, and that the ReformAct1867 did not reflect a vision of Conservatism for the unenfranchised working...
policy, but did so after the Irish Church Act 1869. The government's most notable reform was the ReformAct1867 that expanded the franchise. From 1860 to...
political freedom. In the Second ReformAct1867 more middle class property owners were enfranchised, the Elementary Education Act 1870 provided free primary...
The major redistributions of constituencies following the ReformAct 1832 and ReformAct1867 both created a new House (elected in 1832 and 1868 respectively)...
The Representation of the People Act 1918 (7 & 8 Geo. 5. c. 64) was an act of Parliament passed to reform the electoral system in Great Britain and Ireland...
cutting. In 1867 the Factories Act was extended to all establishments employing 50 or more workers by another Factories Act Extension Act. An Hours of...
recently enfranchised by the Reform Act 1867 to vote "wisely". It also came about due to demands for reform from industrialists, who feared that Britain's...
for grants of public money. He felt then, and still more after the ReformAct of 1867, that "we must educate our masters," and he rather scandalized his...
general election. It became the first party since the passage of the ReformAct1867 to increase its parliamentary majority after a term in office.: 141 ...
Albert's death. The following year she supported the passing of the ReformAct1867 which doubled the electorate by extending the franchise to many urban...
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