ABSTRACT
It may appear strange that the moment selected to rip up and re-write Britain’s electoral system coincided with the critical years of the country’s largest ever war. It was no coincidence. In fact, as will be seen, wartime ideas were the inspiration rather than an awkward and time-consuming diversion. In August 1916, Herbert Asquith appointed a Speaker’s Conference on Electoral Reform to enquire into methods of electoral registration. The Conference reported in January 1917 and recommended radical alterations including: a special register for servicemen; universal male suffrage based on a simple residency qualification; redistribution of parliamentary constituencies; and the enfranchisement of the majority of women over the age of 30. Three months later, the Representation of the People Bill, which adhered in the main to the Conference’s proposals but provided also for second votes under a business or university franchise, was introduced into parliament. In analysing Conservative attitudes to reform, this chapter will demonstrate that the party took great strides towards coping with a mass electorate during the war years. By tracing the development of the party’s thinking on the electoral reform and the new voters, it sheds new light on the party’s priorities, attitudes to class and confidence in the electoral climate.
