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Electoral Act 1856
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Electoral Act 1856 was an act of the government of Victoria which introduced voting by secret ballot. The act was passed by a one vote majority on March 13, 1856; it was enacted when it received assent from the Governor of Victoria on March 19 of the same year.
Victorian law was the third of it's kind enacted by a government anywhere in the world. France adopted the secret ballot in the late 18th century. Tasmania adopted the secret ballot second on February 7, 1856. South Australia enacted a similar law two weeks after the Victorian law, on April 2, 1856; led by secret Ballot pioneer and advocate William Boothby. When the practice was adopted in the United States, it was called 'the Australian ballot'.
- National Archives of Australia. Documneting Democracy - Electoral Act 1856 (Vic)
- Terry Newman, 'Tasmania and the Secret Ballot' (2003), 49(1) Aust J Pol & Hist 93 [1]