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:

    “No advance in wealth, no softening of manners, no reform or revolution has ever brought human equality a millimetre nearer.”
    —George Orwell (1903–1950)

    “No legislation can suppress nature; all life rushes to reproduction; our procreative faculties are matured early, while passion is strong, and judgment and self-restraint weak. We cannot alter this, but we can alter what is conventional. We can refuse to brand an act of nature as a crime, and to impute to vice what is due to ignorance.”
    —Tennessee Claflin (1846–1923)