# Ballot Act introduces secret voting (1872)

URL: https://english-history.com/timeline/1872-ballot-act-introduces-secret-voting
Categories: main-event

Parliament required secret ballots in parliamentary and local elections. Within the broader Victorian Britain period, industrial society, mass politics, public-health reform, global empire and the Irish question dominated public life. This event is placed at 1872 in the chronology so it can be read alongside the political, military, social and cultural changes around it. The change reduced intimidation and bribery associated with public voting.

## Why it matters
The change reduced intimidation and bribery associated with public voting.

Ruler at the time: [Victoria](https://english-history.com/rulers/victoria)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Ballot Act introduces secret voting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Ballot+Act+introduces+secret+voting&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Ballot Act introduces secret voting](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Ballot+Act+introduces+secret+voting)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of British history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_British_history_%281800%E2%80%931899%29)
- [The National Archives — Victorian resources](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/)