The Electoral registration in the United Kingdom took effect in 1832 as a result of the Reform Act 1832, which abolished tiny districts to give representation to cities.
The passage of the Representation of the People Act 1918, which introduced suffrage for men aged 21 and enfranchised some women from the age of 30, gave the opportunity for revising the process of electoral registration. Responsibility for preparing electoral registers was taken away from the overseers of the poor and given to local authorities. 
