Reform Act 1832The Representation of the People Act 1832 (2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 45), also known as the Reform Act 1832, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act, was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to reform the electoral system in England and Wales and to expand the male franchise, but excluded women from voting. The measure was brought forward by the Whig government of Prime MinisterCharles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey.
Secret ballotAnonymous voting method Presidential candidate Luis Guillermo Solís votes in the 2014 Costa Rican general election behind a privacy screen which says "The VOTE is SECRET"; Solís was elected president in the election The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vote buying.
Unreformed House of CommonsBritish legislature pre-1832 Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger addresses the House of Commons on the War of the First Coalition. The "unreformed House of Commons" is a name given to the House of Commons of Great Britain (after 1800 the House of Commons of the United Kingdom) before it was reformed by the Reform Act 1832, the Irish Reform Act 1832, and the Scottish Reform Act 1832.
BoroughA borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. A borough is usually smaller than a city. HistoryIn the Middle Ages, boroughs were settlements in England that were granted some self-government; burghs were the Scottish equivalent. In medieval England, boroughs were also entitled to elect members of parliament.Burgess (title)A burgess was the holder of a certain status in an English, Irish or Scottish borough in the Middle Ages and the early modern period, designating someone of the burgher class. It originally meant a freeman of a borough or burgh, but later came to be used mostly for office-holders in a town or one of its representatives in the House of Commons of England.
Royal charterDocument granting rights from a monarchCharter granted by King George IV in 1827, establishing King's College, Toronto, now the University of TorontoColoured engraving by H. D. Smith, commemorating the grant of a charter in 1829 to King's College, LondonA royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent.
Electoral districtRepresentative subdivisions An electoral district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, circumscription, electorate, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provide the voters therein with representation in a legislature or other polity.
Parliament of IrelandThe Parliament of Ireland (Irish: Parlaimint na hÉireann) was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until the end of 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chambers: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Lords were members of the Irish peerage ('lords temporal') and bishops ('lords spiritual'; after the Reformation, Church of Ireland bishops).
United Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandSovereign state in Northwestern Europe (1801–1922)
Kingdom of EnglandSovereign state in Europe before 1707Today part ofUnited KingdomEnglandWalesScotland (Lothian and the Scottish Borders; partially)The Kingdom of England was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 927, when all of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were united under the rule of Æthelstan, until 1 May 1707, when it relinquished its sovereignty along with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, which would later become the United Kingdom.
Kingdom of Great BritainToday part ofUnited Kingdom EnglandScotlandWales
pocket boroughRelated word or term.rotten boroughRelated word or term.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.