Mapping and 'stage-managing' elections in the long eighteenth century: electoral culture, popular politics and the rhetoric of political space.

This article examines the partisan control and manipulation of electoral spaces as a significant yet overlooked form of political corruption in eighteenth-century Britain's pre-Reform era. Using diverse media—including newspapers, ballads, election plays, and detailed electoral maps such as the 1754 Plan and Description of the Polling-Place at Nottingham—the study reveals how contemporaries visualized and contested the spatial dimensions of elections, exposing practices like restricted access, intimidation, and theatrical bribery. It highlights how these representations, including satirical works inspired by William Hogarth's election series, contributed to widespread political engagement and partisan disputes over the legitimacy of elections. The article situates these spatial critiques within broader legal and cultural debates about electoral fairness, demonstrating their local specificity and national resonance, and traces their influence on subsequent electoral reforms and continuing discussions about polling arrangements.