In the 18th century AD, elections to the House of Commons were often riotous and even violent affairs. There was no secret ballot and electors could be bribed or intimidated to vote the way their landlords or employers wanted. About 200 boroughs (towns) elected two members each, but the size of the electorate varied enormously. Bath had 32 electors who usually voted independently, but Bedford’s 1000 electors voted according to the wishes of the Duke of Bedford and were rewarded for doing so.
In the country, each county elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) and every freeholder with 40 shillings a year had a vote. But many of these voters were also tenants or employees and most obeyed the local landowners or masters. Often there was no contest in the counties - the local aristocracy and the gentry split the two votes between them. If they disagreed a lot of money might have to be spent. Electors had to be transported to the ballot and expected to be treated with ‘beef and beer’. The rowdy results are depicted in Hogarth’s scenes of drunken revelry at the hustings (parliamentary elections).
The only places that had really large numbers of voters were London and Westminster. Here corruption was not enough and candidates had to make speeches, write manifestos and do the sort of electioneering modern voters expect.
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