Representation of the People Act 1969

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The Representation of the People Act 1969 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.[1] This statute is sometimes known as the Sixth Reform Act.[2][3][4] The 1970 United Kingdom general election (18 June) is the first in which this Act had effect.

Minimum age for electors and candidates[]

The Act extended suffrage to 18- to 21-year-olds. Previously, only those aged over 21 were permitted to vote. Votes were extended to undergraduate students in their university town following an appeal to the High Court led for the National Union of Students by the Junior Common Room, the official student body of Churchill College, Cambridge.[5] Significantly, it did not extend the right to stand as a candidate for election to Parliament to under-21s. The age of candidacy for elections in the United Kingdom was lowered from 21 to 18 in 2006, with the passing of the Electoral Administration Act 2006.[6]

Local government[]

It abolished plural voting in local government, except in the City of London.[7][8]

References[]

  1. ^ "Representation of the People Act 1969". Hansard.
  2. ^ "1969 Representation of the People Act". www.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-02. 1969-sixth-reform-act{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Members of Parliament Chadderton". www.chadderton-historical-society.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-02. Act of 1969 (also known as the Sixth Reform Act){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Kitching, Paula. "Political Reform: Lesson Plan 6: Overview" (PDF). The History of Parliament. p. 3. Create one of the following charts for each of the six Reform Acts{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Richard Henry Tizard.
  6. ^ "Electoral Administration Act 2006". www.legislation.gov.uk. gov.uk. 2006. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  7. ^ Halsey, Albert Henry (1988). British Social Trends since 1900. Springer. p. 298. ISBN 9781349194667.
  8. ^ Peter Brooke (24 February 1999). "City of London (Ward Elections) Bill". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. col. 452.

See also[]


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