The colonists and early Americans
got the idea that only male land owners should vote from England. Voting in England during pre-1832 was
dependent on three criteria – sex, age and property. Only men over the age of
21 were allowed to vote – and only if they owned property over a certain value.
It was essentially a way of making voting a rich man’s privilege, reinforced by
small boroughs having more MPs than larger counties, which were predominantly
inhabited by poorer workers. The Great Reform Act in 1832 broadened the
spectrum of voters to include the likes of landowners and shopkeepers as part
of the property criteria. The constituency boundaries were rearranged to make
representation less unfair and householders paying more than £10 in annual rent
were also given the vote
