Franchise and Elections, 1869-1954

Reference code: IE LA LFR FE 

Extent: 34 Items

Scope & Content

Burgess Lists under the Municipal Reform Act 1840 (1869-1897),

Electoral Registers post 1898 Local Government Act (1912),

Parliamentary Electoral Registers (1885-1895),

Electoral Register for East Limerick (1964-1976),

Local Government Elections post -Irish Independence, ballot papers and results for 1929, 1931,1934, and 1942 elections,

Subjects

Local and Parliamentary Elections

Creator(s)

Limerick City Council

Biographical / Historical Note

This collection relates to the Local Elections and Parliamentary elections from 1840 onwards, and the role of the local authority in the compilation of electoral registers.

Under the 1840 Municipal Reform Act, the old Limerick Corporation was abolished (see L/OC ) and the city was divided into five electoral wards.

Franchise was given to elect councillors to the city council to all adult males who were in possession of property worth £10 or more per year.

The act also stated that each borough should keep a list of those entitled to vote-which was known as the ‘Burgess List’.  The burgess lists which have survived for Limerick City consist of the Burgess roll for the Market Ward (1869-1894) and the roll for entire Limerick city (1896-1897). The Local Government Act 1898 radically extended the local government franchise as it entitled all householders and occupants of a portion of a house to vote in local elections. The franchise was also extended to all women over the age of thirty, provided they satisfied the same criteria as men. 

As a result of this dramatic reform, the borough electorate of Limerick City increased by 768%, from 709 to 5,521 voters. Local elections were held in 1899, 1902, 1905, 1908, 1911 and 1914 and were postponed until 1920 due to World War One. The Local Government (Ireland) Act of 1919, introduced proportional representation into the local electoral system.  The only electoral register for Limerick city held by Limerick Archives for the period 1898-1922, is dated 1912.

The collection also includes also a number of parliamentary electoral registers for the Limerick City Borough. Limerick City Borough was a constituency of the United Kingdom parliament, which was created by the Act of Union 1800, and abolished by the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed on 6 December 1921. It returned one Member of Parliament between 1801-1832, two members of parliament from 1832 to 1885, and one member from 1885-1922.

Throughout the nineteenth century, the parliamentary franchise was gradually extended to increasing number of adult males by various Representation of the People Acts (known as Reform Acts). The 1884 Reform Act gave the right to vote to all adult males who paid an annual rent of £10 or whose land holdings were valued at £10. However parliamentary suffrage was not granted to women until 1918. Limerick Archives holds the electoral registers for the Limerick City Borough for the years 1885-1886, and 1895.

When the Irish Free State was established, the Electoral Act of 1923 re-iterated the franchise qualification terms for local elections outlined in Local Government Act of 1898. This act granted the right to vote in local elections to those who were owners or occupiers of premises in the electoral area for not less than six months, to female householders and occupants who were at least 30 years of age, and to the wives of electors.  This meant that a large number of adults were still excluded from voting in Local Government elections. In 1933 a Bill was introduced in the Dail providing for the introduction of universal suffrage at local elections. Though the bill was initially obstructed by the Senate, by March 1935, it had passed all stages and became law.

Between 1898-1953 the normal term for a borough and county council was three years. This was increased to five years in 1953. Throughout the twentieth century in Irelandthere was a common tendency to postpone local elections. The Local Elections Postponement Acts of 1922, 1923 and 1924 allowed the Minister for Local Government to postpone the first post-Independence local elections which were due to be held in January 1923. The Local Government Act of 1925 provided for local elections being held not later than 26^thJune 1925. Permanent provisions for holding local elections between June and July every three years were introduced with the Local Elections Act of 1927. However the practice of postponing elections continued until 1999 when Article 28A (3) was inserted in the Constitution forbidding the practice.

On 1^st of February each year, an electoral register was published by Limerick City Council listing all men and women who are entitled to vote in referendum, Dáil elections, local elections and European elections. A draft register was also published, on the 1^st of November of the previous year and was made available for public consultation at the city council, at post offices, libraries, garda stations, and other public sites.

The collection includes volumes of electoral registers (1964-1976) and number of files relating to the preparation of the electoral register (1960-1971).

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions: N.A. 

Use Restrictions: N.A. 

Related Materials: 

The National Archives of Ireland holds a significant number of electoral registers relating toLimerickCityand County dating from 1886 to 1947. 

The collection L/OC Corporation Records Pre-Reform holds list of Freemen of Limerick City dating 1719-1890.

Collection Content