 In 1832 the Great Reform Act enfranchised those who owned or leased land worth £ 10 or more and the Second Reform Act extended this to all householders paying £ 10 or more in rent per annum , effectively enfranchising the skilled working class , so by 1868 the percentage of voters in Peterborough had risen to about 20 % of the population . The Third Reform Act extended the provisions of the previous act to the counties and the Fourth Reform Act widened suffrage further by abolishing practically all property qualifications for men and by enfranchising women over 30 who met minimum property qualifications . This system , known as universal manhood suffrage , was first used in the 1918 general election . However , full electoral equality wouldn 't occur until the Fifth Reform Act ten years later . 
