Before the secret ballot, voting in Britain was a theatrical, violent and public affair. The Act that made democracy private turned 150 this year.

Sep 29, 2023 · Malcolm and Tom Crook have distinguished between this long history of balloting and ‘the modern secret ballot’ of the nineteenth century, which involved standardized ballot papers and screens or compartments to ensure secrecy when filling them in. Prior to this, ballots in municipal and other local elections were often signed by voters ...

United Kingdom general elections (elections for the House of Commons) have occurred in the United Kingdom since the first in 1802.

Nov 23, 2020 · Later reforms have affected the election process, establishing the types of elections (for Parliament, local, and European Parliament), reforming the process, lowering the age for candidates to 18, and more.

14 December – The UK's strongest ever recorded tornado strikes Portsmouth with a top wind speed of 213 to 240 mph (343 to 386 km/h) (T8 (F4) rating). 19 December – Frigates HMS Nymphe and HMS Pallas are wrecked near Dunbar .

This was done by a show of hands and by each man going to the Returning Officer and registering his vote. There was no secret ballot until 1872. County elections were held in the county town (in York for Yorkshire, Alnwick for Northumberland, Lancaster for Lancashire).

Poll Books list who voted at elections and who they voted for. The earliest ones are from around 1700 and they continued until 1872 when the secret ballot was introduced. While all poll books record the name of the voter, some also record other …

Elections in the Kingdom of Great Britain were principally general elections and by-elections to the House of Commons of Great Britain. General elections did not have fixed dates, as parliament was summoned and dissolved within the royal prerogative, although …

Since medieval times, few people had the right to vote (“suffrage”). Parliament was rotten, representation was unequal, and elections were corrupt. The 1800s saw three Reform Acts (1832, 1867, 1884) extend voting rights, but there was a way to go before universal suffrage.

The National Archives’ catalogue contains collections and contact details of local archives around the UK and beyond. To locate these records, search our catalogue with keywords and refine your...