Dishonest methods employed with the intent to influence the results of public elections. The practices to which the expression refers are the use of bribery, treating, undue influence, personating of voters, making false election returns, and knowingly making a false declaration as to election expenses. Of these, bribery, personating, and making false returns are common-law offenses, and render the offender liable to indictment, and so, it has been held in England, is the giving of entertainment to voters with the corrupt intention of influencing an election.

Any of the acts enumerated above, excepting that of making a false declaration as to election expenses (which is purely a statutory offense), whether criminally punishable or not, will at common law vitiate the result produced by them, and, if the corruption be general, will have the effect of nullifying the election itself.

The prevalence of bribery and other corrupt practices at Parliamentary elections in England, and at all partisan contests in the United States, has in recent years led to the enactment of statutes in both countries to check the evil. The English Parliament led the way in these reforms by enacting the Corrupt Practices Prevention Act in 1854, which was aimed particularly at the practice of electoral bribery. This was followed in 1868 by the Parliamentary Elections Act, and in 1883 by the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act.

Altogether these statutes constitute a most comprehensive and well-devised body of legislation, and they have proved themselves to be admirably adapted to the end in view. They define with great particularity the acts which shall constitute the prohibited offenses, and prescribe the severe penalties of disfranchisement and the avoiding of the elections for their commission. The personating of voters is made a felony and bribery and the other practices enumerated are declared to be misdemeanors. Many of the best provisions of these statutes have been incorporated in the election laws of American States.