The above description indicates that right of franchise was extended in England and one-twelfth of the population got the right of voting but it also showed that eleven-twelfths were still deprived of this right.
Labourers, agricultural labour and poor people were among them. Besides, there was no similarity between voting qualification of rural constituencies and the urban constituencies.
Thus even after 1867 the problem of the extension of franchise, similarity in the voting qualification and redistribution of seats still remained before the people.
In order to solve these problems two Acts were passed separately in the regime of Lord Gladstone: (i) Franchise Act of 1884, and (ii) Act of Redistribution of seats of 1885. Both jointly came to be known as the Third Reform Act (1884-85). The following were its main provisions:
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1. Like urban areas the house-owners of the rural areas and the tenants who used to pay 10 pounds as annual rent were given the right to vote. Thus, the disparity regarding the right to vote was removed.
2. Besides the above, all government, semi-government and nongovernment officials were given the right to vote.
3. The constituencies were redisturbed. The urban areas of less than 15 thousand population were deprived of sending representatives.
The constituencies which had a population of more than 15 thousand and less than 50 thousand were allowed to send one representative and only those could send two representatives which had populations ranging from 50 thousand to 1 lack 65 thousand.
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4. The big towns were permitted to send more representatives than before.
5. The number of the members of the House of Commons was increased from 658 to 670.
As a result of this Act, significant reform took place in the parliamentary system of England. Most of the labourers, farmers and almost all the persons of the towns got the right to vote.
Now one-seventh part of the whole population in the country had got the right to vote and the total number of voters increased to thirty lacks.
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A revolutionary change took place in the representative system of England. Throwing light on the significance of this Act, Ensor has remarked:
“It placed the country and borough franchise on the same footing, added a new element to the electorate and represented the final triumph of democracy.”