The Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act 1928 ( 18 & 19 Geo. 5. c. 12) was an act of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...

. This act expanded on the Representation of the People Act 1918 ( 7 & 8 Geo. 5. c. 64) which had given some women the vote in Parliamentary elections for the first time after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. It is sometimes referred to as the Fifth Reform Act. The act widened suffrage by giving women electoral equality with men. It gave the vote to all women over 21 years old, regardless of property ownership. Prior to this act only women over 30 who met minimum property qualifications could vote.

Passing of the act

The act was passed by the Conservative Party without much opposition from other parties. The bill became law on 2 July 1928, having been introduced in March. The leader of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies who had campaigned for the vote, Millicent Fawcett, was still alive and attended the parliament session to see the vote take place. She wrote in her diary the same night "It is almost exactly 61 years ago since I heard

John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, politician and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of liberalism and social liberalism, he contributed widely to s ...

introduce his suffrage amendment to the Reform Bill on 20 May 1867. So I have had extraordinary good luck in having seen the struggle from the beginning.” On 5 August 1928, Millicent Fawcett obtained a letter from the prime minister Stanley Baldwin. He points out that even though there were obstacles in passing the bill, he always believed it would be ratified in "the simple and complete form it ultimately assumed".Baldwin, Stanley
Letter to Fawcett, Millicent. 5 Aug. 1928. MS
/ref> He finishes the letter by expressing a hope that equal vote would be beneficial for the country and it would serve for the greater good in the United Kingdom.

Provisions

Short title, commencement and extent

Section 8(1) of the act provided that the act may be cited as the "Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act, 1928" and may be cited as a Representation of the People Act. Section 8(4) of the act provided that the act would extend to

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so far as it relates to matters with respect to which the Parliament of Northern Ireland have no power to make laws.

Results

The act added five million more women to the electoral roll and had the effect of making women a majority, 52.7%, of the electorate in the 1929 general election, which was termed the " Flapper Election".

Legacy

The whole act was repealed by section 80 of, and the thirteenth schedule to, the Representation of the People Act 1948 ( 11 & 12 Geo. 6. c. 65).

Notes

References

External links

Equal Franchise Act notes on Spartacus EducationParliament UK - Stanley Baldwin to Millicent Fawcett, 1928The text of the ActImage of The Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act 1928
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Representation of the People Act 1928 United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1928 Repealed United Kingdom Acts of Parliament Representation of the People Acts Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom Women's rights legislation 1928 in women's history July 1928 in the United Kingdom