Representation of the People Act registration card belonging to Private Bryn Powell, 1918 [image 1 of 2]

Description

One of the main features of the Representation of the People Act in 1918 was that of allowing absent and proxy voting to soldiers and sailors in order to bring back into the electorate the millions of men whose war service had temporarilty disenfranchised them under the terms of the previous act. This card was issued to serving soldiers in order to register them as electors in their home constituencies. In addition, the voting age for soldiers and sailors was fixed at nineteen, rather than twenty one as it was for civilian men. This registration card belonged to Private Bryn Powell of Morriston, Swansea who was serving as a trooper with the Glamorgan Yeomanry within the Welsh Regiment.

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