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Electoral registers

This leaflet explains the changes in the law regarding who could vote and what electoral records are available at the Somerset Heritage Centre.

Who could vote?

The right to vote in political elections (suffrage) was originally limited to men and based on the type of property they held. Women were not allowed to vote at parliamentary elections until 1918.

Prior to 1832 constituencies were unequal and electoral qualifications varied from district to district. In the counties, men aged between 21 and 70 with freehold property worth at least 40 shillings a year could vote at local and parliamentary elections and were eligible for jury service. In the boroughs, qualifications for the franchise varied considerably depending upon the terms of the Charter of Incorporation and the custom and local usage of the borough. Some parts of the country were therefore completely unrepresented in Parliament whereas ancient boroughs could return two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons, even those that had diminished in size and importance (the ‘rotten boroughs’).

Universal suffrage for men did not occur until 1918 and for women, 1928. The franchise was gradually extended by the following parliamentary acts:

1832 Reform Act

  • Register of electors established
  • Forty-shilling freeholders kept their right to vote
  • Borough franchise extended to occupiers (owner or tenant) of property with an annual value of £10
  • County franchise extended to copyholders paying £10 annual rent, tenants paying £50 annual rent, leaseholders (20 years) of land worth £50 a year, and long-term leaseholders (60 years) of land valued at £10 a year

1867 Reform Act

  • Borough franchises extended to all householders paying rates and lodgers paying a £10 annual rent (all subject to a 12 months residence qualification)
  • County franchise extended to occupiers of property (owners or tenants) rated at £12 a year who paid poor rates, and those with lands worth £5 a year. By 1869 a third of all adult males were eligible to vote

1884 Reform Act

  • County franchise extended to all male householders paying rates and lodgers paying £10 annually (all subject to a 12 months residence qualification)
  • A service or occupation franchise was included for people with lands or tenements worth £10 a year. Around 40% of adult males and all women still did not have the vote

Representation of the People Acts (1918, 1928 and 1969)

  • 1918: Vote given to all men over 21 and to women over 30 who were ratepayers or wives of ratepayers
  • 1928: Vote given to all women over the age of 21
  • 1969: Minimum voting age for men and women lowered to 18

People disqualified from voting

  • Aliens, unless naturalised since 1870
  • Peers (and peeresses after the 1963 Peerage Act)
  • ‘Lunatics’ and people in prison
  • Policemen (until 1887) and postmasters (until 1918)
  • Election agents and other people paid to assist at elections (until 1918)
  • Families receiving public assistance (until 1918)
  • Commissioners and most government revenue collectors (until 1918)
  • Anyone convicted of election bribery (for five years thereafter)
  • First World War conscientious objectors from 1918-1923

What records do we hold?

Poll books (ref. Q/REP)

From 1696 lists of ‘forty-shilling freeholders’ were drawn up by each parish. These poll books were kept amongst the Quarter Sessions records. From the 18th century they were usually based on Land Tax returns (ref. Q/REL). Early poll books provide information such as the freeholder's name, where they lived and descriptions of any freehold they had, the names of occupiers/tenants and election candidates, and a mark of the vote cast. After 1832 descriptions of the voter's abode and property stopped. Poll books for 1714, 1807, 1818, 1826, 1832, 1835 and 1837 are held at the Somerset Heritage Centre.

Electoral registers (ref. Q/RER)

From 1832 registers of people who could vote were compiled by each parish and arranged by the year they came into force. Initially this was carried out by the Clerk of the Peace using lists drawn up by overseers of the poor. The County Council later took over this responsibility until 1974 when the task was transferred to the District Councils.

Other information

  • No registers were created during 1916 and 1917 or 1940 to 1944 due to both World Wars
  • From 1919 to 1926, and 1945, registers were issued in both Spring and Autumn
  • Service details of absent voters were given for a few years from 1918 (in separate registers for 1918 to 1919). Armed services personnel were listed in their normal home constituencies
  • From 1885-1915 the details of the landlord or landlady, weekly rent and the number of rooms rented were often noted for those qualified to vote under the lodger’s franchise
  • Detailed addresses are not often given in earlier registers for rural areas
  • Registers are identified by the year in which they came into force. Registers also provide a qualifying date by which an individual establishes the right to vote in that constituency. It is worth bearing in mind that between the qualifying date and the operative date of the register a voter may have died or moved. Individuals may also have moved into a constituency after the qualifying date and will therefore not appear in the register.

2003 onwards

There are full and edited versions. The edited version (which is made available for general sale) omits the names of those electors who have opted out in order to protect their privacy. Full registers that are not over 10 years old must be consulted in person as The Service is not allowed to disclose any information from these over the phone or in writing. Data in the full registers can only be used for research purposes and not for commercial activities. Not all full or edited registers have been deposited with us. Please check our online catalogue for details.

What electoral registers do we hold?

  • Pre 1974 Somerset (except the City of Bath).
  • Somerset and North Somerset, 1974 to 2010s (though gaps exist from the 2000s).
  • Parishes belonging to the City of Bath for 1832 to 1915 only (Bathwick, Lyncombe and Widcombe, St James, St Michael, St Peter and Paul, Twerton, Walcot and Weston).

What electoral registers don’t we hold?

  • City of Bath from 1918.
  • Wansdyke/Bath and North East Somerset, 1974 onwards (apart from 1975 and 1977).

These are held at Bath Record Office, with the exception of more recent registers which are held by the Electoral Services Office, Bath.

Constituency Maps

Maps showing which constituency/district council a parish belonged to are available in the searchroom.

Where else can electoral registers be viewed?

Copies of all electoral registers for Somerset are held at The British Library. You can see copies of the most recent electoral registers (full editions) at the relevant district council offices. A growing number of electoral registers are also available online (for example, Find My Past).

Copying

  • Electoral Registers for 1832 to 1900 are available on microfiche and printouts can be made from these
  • Pages from unbound registers for the period 1901 to 2002 can be photocopied. Entries from bound volumes (over 10 years old) can be photographed
  • It is not possible to photograph or scan entries from full editions of registers (2003 onwards) until they are over 10 years old. However, you can make handwritten notes