the Reform Acts
/ðə rɪˈfɔːm ækts/
/ðə rɪˈfɔːrm ækts/
- three British Acts of Parliament passed during the 19th century to change the way Members of Parliament were elected and to allow more people to vote. The first Reform Act (1832) got rid of the rotten boroughs (= constituencies where very few people were allowed to vote), created more seats in Parliament and increased the number of men able to vote. The second and third Acts (1867 and 1884) created new seats for city and county areas and increased the number able to vote to about 5 million.
《改革法案》：19世纪通过的三项英国《议会法案》，改变了议会议员的选举方式，并允许更多人投票。第一个《改革法案》（1832年）摆脱了烂区（即很少有人可以投票的选区），在议会中建立了更多席位，并增加了能够投票的人数。第二幕和第三幕（1867年和1884年）为市和县地区建立了新的席位，并将能够投票的人数增加到约500万。