 There was considerable public agitation for further expansion of the electorate , however . In particular , the Chartist movement , which demanded universal suffrage for men , equally sized electoral districts , and voting by secret ballot , gained a widespread following . But the Tories were united against further reform , and the Liberal Party ( successor to the Whigs ) did not seek a general revision of the electoral system until 1852 . The 1850s saw Lord John Russell introduce a number of reform bills to correct defects the first act had left unaddressed . However , no proposal was successful until 1867 , when Parliament adopted the Second Reform Act . 
