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:

    “You have to make more noise than anybody else, you have to make yourself more obtrusive than anybody else, you have to fill all the papers more than anybody else, in fact you have to be there all the time and see that they do not snow you under, if you are really going to get your reform realized.”
    —Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928)

    “Without being forgiven, released from the consequences of what we have done, our capacity to act would ... be confined to one single deed from which we could never recover; we would remain the victims of its consequences forever, not unlike the sorcerer’s apprentice who lacked the magic formula to break the spell.”
    —Hannah Arendt (1906–1975)