Faggot voter
Encyclopedia
A faggot voter or faggot was a person who qualified to vote in an election with a restricted suffrage
only by the exploitation of loophole
s in the regulations. Typically, faggot voters satisfied a property qualification by holding the title
to subdivisions of a large property with a single beneficial owner
. Faggot-voting was a common electoral abuse
in the United Kingdom
until the electoral reform
s of the late nineteenth century.
. It was later applied to civilians added to a military muster roll purely to make up the numbers rather than to serve as soldiers. The extension from muster rolls to electoral rolls is attested from 1817.
, and for decades after the Reform Act 1832
, voting in a geographical constituency
was restricted to those with an "interest" (i.e. property
) in the constituency, generally in the form of real estate
. If a landowner subdivided a single property into multiple units, and transferred the title of each unit into the name of a separate person, each titleholder could then register to vote
. These "faggot voters" would vote according to the wishes of the original landowner. The lack of secret ballot
ensured the faggot complied with the landowner's wishes. Prohibition of vote buying was difficult to enforce if the faggot was an employee of the landowner. There was no requirement for a voter to be resident; the landowner and faggot voter might both reside outside the constituency.
Although the original forty shilling freehold suffrage
of 1432 applied to freehold rather than leasehold, it had been widened gradually over the centuries, increasing the number of loopholes by which faggot voters might register. Edward Porritt found the earliest instances of faggot voting in the 1620s under Charles I
. The Parliamentary Elections Act 1695 (7 & 8 Will. III c.25) prohibited subdivision of tenement
s for this purpose. In the eighteenth century, a freehold would be conveyed
to the faggot just before the election, and back again straight after the vote.
The City of London constituency
gave a number of votes to each Livery Company
. Richard Causton
, himself an MP and liveryman
, said in 1883, "anyone who wanted a vote could go down to the City with £12 in his pocket, and get the right to vote...There were liverymen who had no connection with the City beyond the fact that they were faggot voters".
titleholders was prohibited for the franchise in borough constituencies by the Representation of the People Act 1867 and in county constituencies by the Representation of the People Act 1884
. However, previously enrolled faggot voters retained their vote until death. This was rendered moot by the Representation of the People Act 1918
, which introduced manhood suffrage.
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
only by the exploitation of loophole
Loophole
A loophole is a weakness that allows a system to be circumvented.Loophole may also refer to:*Arrowslit, a slit in a castle wall*Loophole , a short science fiction story by Arthur C...
s in the regulations. Typically, faggot voters satisfied a property qualification by holding the title
Title (property)
Title is a legal term for a bundle of rights in a piece of property in which a party may own either a legal interest or an equitable interest. The rights in the bundle may be separated and held by different parties. It may also refer to a formal document that serves as evidence of ownership...
to subdivisions of a large property with a single beneficial owner
Beneficial owner
Beneficial owner is a legal term where specific property rights in equity belong to a person even though legal title of the property belongs to another person. Black's Law Dictionary...
. Faggot-voting was a common electoral abuse
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
until the electoral reform
Electoral reform
Electoral reform is change in electoral systems to improve how public desires are expressed in election results. That can include reforms of:...
s of the late nineteenth century.
Etymology
The word faggot originally meant a piece or bundle of gathered firewoodFirewood
Firewood is any wood-like material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form....
. It was later applied to civilians added to a military muster roll purely to make up the numbers rather than to serve as soldiers. The extension from muster rolls to electoral rolls is attested from 1817.
Practices
In the Unreformed House of CommonsUnreformed House of Commons
The unreformed House of Commons is the name generally given to the British House of Commons as it existed before the Reform Act 1832.Until the Act of Union of 1707 joining the Kingdoms of Scotland and England , Scotland had its own Parliament, and the term refers to the House of Commons of England...
, and for decades after the Reform Act 1832
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...
, voting in a geographical constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
was restricted to those with an "interest" (i.e. property
Property
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
) in the constituency, generally in the form of real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
. If a landowner subdivided a single property into multiple units, and transferred the title of each unit into the name of a separate person, each titleholder could then register to vote
Electoral registration in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, suffrage is determined by registration on the electoral roll. Registration was introduced for all constituencies as a result of the Reform Act 1832, which took effect for the election of the same year...
. These "faggot voters" would vote according to the wishes of the original landowner. The lack of secret ballot
Secret ballot
The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
ensured the faggot complied with the landowner's wishes. Prohibition of vote buying was difficult to enforce if the faggot was an employee of the landowner. There was no requirement for a voter to be resident; the landowner and faggot voter might both reside outside the constituency.
Although the original forty shilling freehold suffrage
Forty Shilling Freeholders
Forty shilling freeholders were a group of landowners who had the Parliamentary franchise to vote in county constituencies in various parts of the British Isles. In England it was the only such qualification from 1430 until 1832...
of 1432 applied to freehold rather than leasehold, it had been widened gradually over the centuries, increasing the number of loopholes by which faggot voters might register. Edward Porritt found the earliest instances of faggot voting in the 1620s under Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
. The Parliamentary Elections Act 1695 (7 & 8 Will. III c.25) prohibited subdivision of tenement
Tenement (law)
A tenement , in law, is anything that is held, rather than owned. This usage is a holdover from feudalism, which still forms the basis of all real-estate law in the English-speaking world, in which the monarch alone owned the allodial title to all the land within his kingdom.Under feudalism, land...
s for this purpose. In the eighteenth century, a freehold would be conveyed
Conveyancing
In law, conveyancing is the transfer of legal title of property from one person to another, or the granting of an encumbrance such as a mortgage or a lien....
to the faggot just before the election, and back again straight after the vote.
The City of London constituency
City of London (UK Parliament constituency)
The City of London was a United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950.-Boundaries and boundary...
gave a number of votes to each Livery Company
Livery Company
The Livery Companies are 108 trade associations in the City of London, almost all of which are known as the "Worshipful Company of" the relevant trade, craft or profession. The medieval Companies originally developed as guilds and were responsible for the regulation of their trades, controlling,...
. Richard Causton
Richard Causton, 1st Baron Southwark
Richard Knight Causton, 1st Baron Southwark PC, DL was an English stationer and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1880 and 1910...
, himself an MP and liveryman
Liveryman
For Livery Companies in the City of London, a Liveryman is a full member of their respective Company.Livery Company members fall into two basic categories: Freemen and Liverymen. One may join as a Freeman, and thereby acquire the "Freedom of the Company", upon fulfilling the Company's criteria...
, said in 1883, "anyone who wanted a vote could go down to the City with £12 in his pocket, and get the right to vote...There were liverymen who had no connection with the City beyond the fact that they were faggot voters".
Abolition
Subdivision of property other than to bona fideBona Fide
Bona Fide is a studio album from rock band Wishbone Ash. It is the first studio album in six years and is the only studio album to feature guitarist Ben Granfelt...
titleholders was prohibited for the franchise in borough constituencies by the Representation of the People Act 1867 and in county constituencies by the Representation of the People Act 1884
Representation of the People Act 1884
In the United Kingdom, the Representation of the People Act 1884 and the Redistribution Act of the following year were laws which further extended the suffrage in Britain after the Disraeli Government's Reform Act 1867...
. However, previously enrolled faggot voters retained their vote until death. This was rendered moot by the Representation of the People Act 1918
Representation of the People Act 1918
The Representation of the People Act 1918 was an Act of Parliament passed to reform the electoral system in the United Kingdom. It is sometimes known as the Fourth Reform Act...
, which introduced manhood suffrage.
See also
- pocket borough
- ghost voterGhost voterGhost voting is a political term which can have several meanings. It can refer to the practice of voters in a legislative body taking part in a vote while not physically there in person to cast their vote, because they were dead, or because they never existed....
- ballot stuffingBallot stuffingBallot stuffing is the illegal act of one person submitting multiple ballots during a vote in which only one ballot per person is permitted. The name originates from the earliest days of this practice in which people literally did stuff more than one ballot in a ballot box at the same time...
- Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918 was the result of centuries of development in different kinds of constituencies. The three Reform Acts of the nineteenth century brought about some order by amending franchises in a uniform manner .After 1885 the occupation franchise The...