Representation of the People Act 1884
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In the United Kingdom, The Representation of the People Act of 1884 (48 Vict. c. 3, also known as the Third Reform Act) and the Redistribution Act of the following year were a response to the inequality in the electoral system left by Benjamin Disraeli's 1867 Act. Taken together, these measures extended the same voting qualifications as existed in the towns and countryside, and essentially established the modern one member constituency as the normal pattern for parliamentary representation.
The act extended the 1867 concessions from the boroughs to the countryside. All men paying an annual rental of £10 or all those holding land valued at £10 now had the vote. The British electorate now totalled over 5,500,000. An Act a year later redistributed constituencies, giving more representation to urban areas (especially London).
The 1884 Reform Act sought to enfranchise the morally worthy and industrious. Although the size of the electorate was widened considerably, 40% of adult males were still without the vote at the time.
| Electoral reform in the United Kingdom
|
| Reform Acts |
| 1832 | 1867 | 1886 |
| Municipal Reform |
| Scotland (1833) | England and Wales (1835) | Ireland (1840) |
| Representation of the People Acts |
| 1884 | 1918 | 1928 | 1948 |
| 1969 | 1983 | 1985 | 2000 |
| Other acts |
| Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 | Ballot Act 1872 |
| Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act 1883 |
| Related |
| The Reform Club | Rotten borough | Carlton Club | Parliament Acts
|
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