Local MP Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh was fascinated when she viewed an original ballot box used in the first secret elections to select a Member of Parliament.
As part of the Festival of Freedoms, the ballot box is on display at Westminster, loaned from Pontefract Museum, it was used during a historic by-election for Pontefract on 15 August 1872, which was won by Liberal candidate H. C. Childers.
This was the first time British people voted in secret under the Ballot Act of July 1872, which had fierce opposition within the house.
The election was marked as a remarkable event by the Times for the absence of violence and drunkenness, which up to that point, had been the norm at all events.
The SNP MP for Ochil and South Perthshire said: “It was fascinating to view the original ballot box that was centre stage in the first secret ballot in Britain.
“The box is an important symbol of electoral reform; it received the votes cast in the first election held in secret in August 1872, which is a freedom we still hold dear today.
“I was also delighted to have an opportunity to speak with curators Dave Evans from Pontefract Museum and John Whitaker from Wakefield.
“It’s important to remember that the democratic freedoms we have today have been hard-earned.”
The box still has the wax seals that ensured votes were not tampered with once it was closed. These seals were made with a liquorice stamp from Dunhill’s factory, engraved with a castle and an owl.
The ballot box is made of made of wood, a work of Waterlow & Sons.