ABSTRACT
In a democratic state, the electoral process determines who will hold political office. It is the electorate which confers the power to govern and calls government to account. The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 established the Electoral Commission, comprising not fewer than five but not more than nine Electoral Commissioners, appointed by the Crown. The Commission is an independent body which regulates political party and election finances and set the standards for running elections. Prior to the Reform Acts of 1832 and 1867, the right to vote was limited and based on rights in property. The 1832 Act – the Representation of the People Act – increased the franchise by 50 per cent, which represented only seven per cent of the population. The Reform Act of 1867 doubled the number of people entitled to vote. Women were to remain disenfranchised until 1928, but the movement for women’s right to vote pre-dates the 1867 Act.
