Representation of the People Act 1918

A British statute that greatly expanded the electorate, enfranchising nearly all men over 21 and women over 30 who met specified property or household conditions.

Representation of the People Act 1928: A British statute that gave women the vote on the same terms as men, generally at age 21. It removed the 1918 act’s age and property inequalities for women.
Franchise: The legal right to vote in an election. The act’s central operation was to redefine who held this right.
First World War: A global conflict fought from 1914 to 1918, centered on Europe and involving many world powers. Wartime service and social change intensified pressure to reform the electorate.
Representation of the People Act 1867: A British statute that extended voting rights to many urban male householders. It expanded male voting but left women and many men outside the electorate.
Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918: A British statute that allowed women to stand for election to the House of Commons. It followed the expanded electorate by opening parliamentary candidacy to women.
Representation of the People Act 1884: A British statute that extended the household and lodger voting qualifications to county constituencies. The 1918 act replaced and broadened an electoral system built partly on its rules.
Representation of the People Act 1917: A British parliamentary reform bill considered in 1917 that developed into the 1918 franchise legislation. Its debates and proposals provided a direct route to the enacted settlement.
Representation of the People Act 1920: A United States federal law requiring states to register eligible voters without discrimination based on sex. It offers a contemporary but constitutionally different route to nationwide women’s suffrage.
1918 United Kingdom general election: The first British general election held after the First World War and the 1918 electoral reforms. It was the first election conducted under the enlarged electorate.
Household franchise: A voting qualification based on occupying a dwelling as a householder or qualifying lodger. Household and property qualifications shaped which women could vote under the act.

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