The
introduction of the Secret Ballot in 1872
certainly reduced the level of corruption in parliamentary elections.
However, some politicians still spent large sums of money persuading
people to vote for them. William Gladstone
believed this was unfair and in 1883 his government introduced proposals
to stop candidates using their wealth to win elections. The Corrupt
Practices Act specified how much money candidates could spend during
election time and banned such activities as the buying of food or
drink for voters. The Corrupt Practices Act even stated the number
of conveyances that could be used for bringing voters to the polls.
John Leech,
Punch Magazine (1842)
Available from Amazon Books
(order below)
