University constituency Facts for Kids

A university constituency was a special voting area used in elections where people voted because they were part of a university, not because of where they lived. Sometimes, voters could even vote in their university constituency and also in the regular area where they lived. This was called plural voting.

This system started in England in 1603 when King James VI of Scotland also became King of England. It continued in the Parliament of Great Britain (from 1707 to 1800) and the United Kingdom Parliament until 1950. It was also used in Ireland from 1613 to 1800 and in the Irish Free State from 1922 to 1936. Other countries like Japan and parts of the British Empire (like India) also had them.

Today, there are only four university constituencies left in two countries: two in Seanad Éireann (the upper house of the Irish parliament) and two in the Senate of Rwanda.

What is a University Constituency?
History of University Voting
University Voting in Ireland
Other Countries with University Voting
See also

What is a University Constituency?

A university constituency is different from a regular voting area. Instead of representing people who live in a certain town or region, it represents people who are connected to a university, usually its graduates. The idea behind it was that universities had special interests and knowledge that should be represented in the country's law-making body, called a legislature or parliament.

History of University Voting

Early Days in the UK

When King James VI of Scotland became King of England in 1603, he brought an idea from Scotland: letting universities elect their own representatives to Parliament. He thought that since Parliament's decisions often affected universities, they should have a say. So, the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford each got to elect two members to the English Parliament.

The people who could vote in these university elections were the graduates of the university. It didn't matter if they lived in the university town or far away; they could still vote. Plus, they could vote for their university's representatives in addition to voting in their local area.

After England and Scotland joined to form Great Britain in 1707, Scottish universities lost their special representatives. But when Ireland joined Great Britain in 1801, Dublin University (also known as Trinity College Dublin), which had elected members to the Irish Parliament since 1613, was given one member, and later two, in the new United Kingdom Parliament.

More Universities Join In

Over time, more universities gained the right to elect members.

In 1868, three new seats were created for: University of London; a combined seat for Glasgow and Aberdeen universities; and another combined seat for St Andrews and Edinburgh universities.
In 1918, Queen's University of Belfast and the National University of Ireland each got seats.
Also in 1918, all the other English universities (like Birmingham, Bristol, Durham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, and Sheffield) were grouped together as the Combined English Universities and elected two members. The University of Wales also received one seat.
The Scottish universities also changed their system in 1918, electing three members jointly as the Combined Scottish Universities.

In 1918, a new voting method called the single transferable vote was introduced for university constituencies. This system is designed to make elections fairer by allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference.

Why University Seats Were Abolished

The Labour Party government in the UK tried to get rid of university constituencies in 1930 but didn't succeed. Even though many university members were usually Conservatives, some independent candidates (who didn't belong to a specific party) started winning these seats later on.

Finally, the Labour government abolished all university constituencies in the UK in 1950. This was part of a larger change that also ended all other forms of plural voting, meaning people could no longer vote in more than one place.

The last university constituency in the UK was for Queen's University of Belfast in the Parliament of Northern Ireland. It was abolished in 1969. This change was part of efforts to reform election rules and address civil rights concerns in Northern Ireland.

Famous Members

Many important politicians served as members for university constituencies. For example, William Pitt the Younger and Lord Palmerston represented Cambridge University, while Robert Peel and William Ewart Gladstone represented Oxford University. Even former Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald became an MP for Combined Scottish Universities after losing his regular seat in 1935.

The writer and law reform activist A. P. Herbert was an independent member for Oxford University from 1935 to 1950.

University Voting in Ireland

Today, there are still two university constituencies in Seanad Éireann, which is the upper house of the Irish parliament. Graduates of Dublin University and the National University of Ireland can elect three Senators each. Only graduates who are Irish citizens can vote in these elections, and they don't have to live in Ireland to do so. These elections also use the single transferable vote system and are done by postal ballot.

When the Irish Free State became independent from the UK in 1922, its new parliament, the Free State Dáil, also had three seats for each of the two university constituencies. However, voters registered in a university constituency were not allowed to vote in a regular geographical constituency as well. These university constituencies were eventually abolished in 1937.

But they were brought back for Seanad Éireann under the Constitution of Ireland in 1937, and the first election for these new Seanad seats happened in 1938.

Some politicians today believe that university representation should be abolished because they think having a university degree shouldn't give someone more voting rights than other citizens.

Other Countries with University Voting

Australia: The electoral district of University of Sydney had one member in the New South Wales parliament between 1876 and 1880. Graduates of the University of Sydney even wore their special academic robes when they voted!
India: India also had university constituencies before it became independent, but these were abolished. However, today the President of India can appoint up to twelve people with special knowledge (like scientists or artists) to the Rajya Sabha, which is the upper house of the Indian Parliament. Also, in some states, the upper houses of the state legislatures have "graduates' constituencies." These are defined by geography, not by a specific university, and graduates of any approved Indian university can choose to register and vote in the graduates' constituency where they live.
Rwanda: Two members of the Senate of Rwanda are elected by university staff.
Thirteen Colonies: In the past, The College of William & Mary had a seat in the House of Burgesses of the Virginia Colony starting in 1693. This seat was supported by taxes on tobacco and furs. It was removed after the American Revolution.
Bavaria: From 1946 to 1999, the Bavarian upper house in Germany, the Bavarian Senate, had three seats reserved for universities and colleges.

University constituency facts for kids

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