Electoral Reform

Introduction

Electoral Reform, elimination of undemocratic, dishonest, and corrupt practices in the conduct of public elections. Reform is usually effected by statutory enactments that contain provisions for accomplishing one or more of the following ends: a change in the qualification of voters in order to include in the electorate certain categories of citizens previously barred from voting; a revision of procedures for selecting candidates and arranging elections to ensure that voters will be able to register an effective choice; the definition and outlawing of corrupt practices employed to influence the outcome of elections.

Among the practices that have been the objects of electoral reform are actual or threatened physical violence against voters; concealed pressures such as those exercised by some employers; bribery, consisting of gifts of money or other rewards for voting as directed; impersonation of duly qualified voters by others, called personation; voting more than once, called repeating; shifting voters from districts where the result is certain to others where it is doubtful, called colonization; nullification of ballots by altering counting of ballots; and some other practices.

Electoral Reform in Great Britain

In Great Britain the purchase of votes was long a common practice. Efforts to eliminate bribery and other forms of electoral corruption were embodied in numerous acts passed by Parliament between 1729 and 1918. The law known as the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act (1883), defined as corrupt practices, undue influence, personation, treating (the offer by a candidate for office to a voter of food or drink in a public place), and seven specific forms of bribery. These practices were made statutory offenses, punishable by fines, jail sentences, and loss of political rights for seven years. Under the act, the elections of parliamentary candidates found guilty of any of the above corrupt practices are voided. See more about electoral reform in Britain here.