Mr. Wynnrose, pursuant to notice, to move, "That a committee be appointed to consider of the best means for shortening the Duration of Polls, and for the further regulation of Elections in Great Britain." Originally, no regulation whatever existed on this subject, and the sheriff might exercise his discretion in continuing the polls; and thence arose the practice of continu- 257 ing them open for an hour after every person had ceased to vote. To remedy this inconvenience, a bill had been brought into parliament by a relative of his, limiting the duration of polls, in all cases, to 14 days; but although it had never been intended by this to continue a poll for the entire fortnight where no necessity existed, yet still it became the practice, and any candidate might protract the poll to the farthest period admitted by the law. Some regulations, he thought, might be applied to correct this inconvenience. The poll in London was limited to eight days, while the poll in the smallest borough in England might be protracted for fourteen days. He conceived that much benefit might be derived in county elections, by the subdivision of the county into hundreds, and having a booth appropriated to each hundred. Some alterations were also necessary in great towns. In Bristol, and other cities, there was but one place for polling. This system, it was said, was necessary, in order to prevent the same person from voting twice. But he thought this difficulty might be obviated, by the adoption of an alphabetical list. Persons, for instance, whose names commenced with the first four letters of the alphabet, might give their votes, at one booth; those whose names began with one of the four next letters, at another and so on throughout the alphabet. Some regulation ought also to be made with reference to the mode in which the land tax assessment was proved; which was necessary to enable persons to vote. He had heard, that, in Middlesex more good votes were lost, in consequence of trifling errors on this point, than bad ones were detected by adhering to the present system.
§ Mr. W. Smithseconded the motion, and instanced the practical good effects of such a measure by a reference to the custom of Norwich, where, though the number of voters amounted to five thousand, the election was terminated in a day and a half.
§ The motion was agreed to.