1819 Oct. 7 ┴ +

Parl. Reform Bill

§.5. Election Apparatus

§.8.

Art. Secresy

V. Vexation and expence

1

17

1

V. Avoidance of vexation and expence: namely by journeys to and fro and demurrage.

The quantity of the vexation and expence necessitated by the operation of voting depends partly on the length of the time occupied in the taking of the votes; partly in the distance of the ordinary abodes of the several voters from the place of polling: in a word partly (to use a sea phrase) on length of demurrage; partly on length of journeys.

Under the existing system, to the vexation and expence of the journies no limits at all can be assigned: not even the limits of the United Kingdom itself: inhabitances within the Election District whatever it may be, being but in few instances a necessary qualification. Even where the voter has no habitation but within the district, burthensome in a high degree is the vexation and expence produced by this cause in the Counties in general: more particularly in Yorkshire: equal in extent to some half dozen ordinary Counties. +

To p.2

Under the here proposed system various arrangements concurr in reducing this expence to a very small matter: 1. the confining the right to persons having habitation within the district: 2. by dividing the whole kingdom upon /into Election Districts on[?]/ a plan of division of which equality in extent is the object: 3. by dividing these Districts into Polling Districts. Under this system of arrangements, even suppose the open mode and with it the system of terrorism admitted, the quantity of evil in the shape here in question could not {be} great /comparatively speaking but be very small/: But by the substitution of the secret mode even this little is excluded. No man whatever being likely to be forced to the place of poll in a state of things in which if by /through/ fear of the terrorist he goes and gives his vote, the vote is more likely to be against the terrorist than for him, every man who finds the expence or the vexation too great for his circumstances will /may/ stay away at pleasure.

To p.3

+ ☞ State the proportion more exactly?