 The Representation of the People Act 1832 ( known informally as the 1832 Reform Act , Great Reform Act or First Reform Act to distinguish it from subsequent Reform Acts ) was an Act of Parliament ( indexed as 2 & 3 Will . IV c . 45 ) that introduced wide @-@ ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales . According to its preamble , the Act was designed to " take effectual Measures for correcting divers Abuses that have long prevailed in the Choice of Members to serve in the Commons House of Parliament " . Before the reform , most members nominally represented boroughs . The number of electors in a borough varied widely , from a dozen or so up to 12 @,@ 000 . Frequently the selection of MPs was effectively controlled by one powerful patron : for example Charles Howard , 11th Duke of Norfolk controlled eleven boroughs . Criteria for qualification for the franchise varied greatly among boroughs , from the requirement to own land , to merely living in a house with a hearth sufficient to boil a pot . 
