Description

In Part One of his article, published in
Number 26, Professor Bumsted outlined
the evolution of parliamentary privilege
and the role played in it by electoral
disputes. In Part Two, he presents us with
five case-histories.
Most of the cases that were singled
out for detailed consideration by the
House raised issues that passed beyond
mere partisanship. Typically, the spotlighted
election disputes illustrated the
failure of the existing electoral structure
in one or more particulars, often after a
major shift in law, political practice, or
electoral procedure. Frequently, they
contributed to modifications of the existing
system. Of the many cases discussed
in the assembly journals after 1801, when
the assembly gained full control over the
election of its members, five seem particularly
revealing: the King's County
election of 1831; the Belfast elections of
1846-47; and three elections held in 1859,
including the Georgetown election of
that year.