Reform Act

Reform Act may refer to:

  • Reform Act 1832 (England and Wales), which gave representation to previously underrepresented urban areas and extended the qualifications for voting
  • Scottish Reform Act 1832, a similar reform applying to Scotland
  • Irish Reform Act 1832, a similar reform applying to Ireland
  • Reform Act 1867, which widened the franchise and adjusted representation to be more equitable
  • Ballot Act 1872 (sometimes called the "Reform Act of 1872"), which introduced the secret ballot
  • Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act 1883 (sometimes called the "Reform Act of 1883"), which introduced campaign spending limits
  • Reform Act 1884, which allowed people in counties to vote on the same basis as those in towns. Home ownership was the only qualification
  • Reform Act 1885, which split most multi-member constituencies into multiple single-member ones
  • Reform Act 1918, which abolished property qualifications for men and introduced limited female suffrage
  • Reform Act 1928, which widened suffrage by giving women electoral equality with men

Famous quotes containing the words reform and/or act:

    “When I go into a museum and see the mummies wrapped in their linen bandages, I see that the lives of men began to need reform as long ago as when they walked the earth. I come out into the streets, and meet men who declare that the time is near at hand for the redemption of the race. But as men lived in Thebes, so do they live in Dunstable today.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    “It matters not how a man dies, but how he lives. The act of dying is not of importance, it lasts so short a time.”
    —Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)