Editing Canvassing (section)

===Persuasion and corruption===
A candidate would also make sure to knock on as many doors as possible to win over the voters. Speaking to as many voters as possible was seen as an essential tool to win the "wavering multitudes."<ref name="Derek Hirst 2005. pg. 115"/>
[[File:William Hogarth - Soliciting Votes - WGA11457.jpg|left|thumb|[[William Hogarth]]'s 1754 depiction of the disreputable job of canvassing for votes]]
By the 18th century canvassing was standard practice, but this was also an era of gross electoral corruption, and canvassing was used to bribe and threaten voters,<ref name="Kavanagh1970">{{cite book |last=Kavanagh |first=Dennis |title=Constituency electioneering in Britain|year=1970|publisher=Longmans}}</ref> as famously depicted in [[William Hogarth]]'s ''[[Humours of an Election]]'' series of paintings. Most directly this would take the form of direct bribes to voters. This was the practice in only a minority of districts, but in some areas large bribes had become habitual. In areas without direct bribery, candidates were expected to provide food, drink and banquets. For the priciest campaigns, these various costs added up to sums equivalent to several million pounds in today's money, causing financial hardship even for wealthy candidates.<ref>J.H. Plumb. ''The growth of political stability in England: 1675-1725.'' London: Macmillan, 1967.</ref>
 
In the first elections held in the United States, canvassing was rare. Most elections were uncontested, and even in races with multiple candidates it was considered improper for a candidate to campaign on his own behalf.<ref name="Schudson2011">{{cite book |last=Schudson |first=Michael |title=The Good Citizen: A History of American CIVIC Life|date=January 1, 2011|publisher=Free Press|isbn=978-1-4516-3162-3}}</ref> As the party system developed in the early 19th century, elections became more contested and voluntary associations developed to work on candidates' behalf. As in the United Kingdom, canvassing became an important part of their operations, and they would attempt to visit each voter in a district.<ref name="Schudson2011">{{cite book |last=Schudson |first=Michael |title=The Good Citizen: A History of American CIVIC Life|date=January 1, 2011|publisher=Free Press|isbn=978-1-4516-3162-3}}</ref>
[[File:George Caleb Bingham - Canvassing for a Vote - Google Art Project.jpg|right|thumb|[[George Caleb Bingham]]'s positive portrayal of a candidate canvassing in the United States in 1852]]
This system soon became a venue for gross corruption. [[Machine politics]] developed in the large cities of the eastern US. Winning candidates would reward their supporters with [[patronage appointment]]s, and direct bribery was also common; one study estimated that 20% of New York voters were compensated for their votes during [[Gilded Age]] elections.<ref name="Schudson2011">{{cite book |last=Schudson |first=Michael |title=The Good Citizen: A History of American CIVIC Life|date=January 1, 2011|publisher=Free Press|isbn=978-1-4516-3162-3}}</ref>

In the United Kingdom, the [[Reform Act 1832]] attacked corruption and expanded the franchise. This, combined with the growing strength of the national parties, transformed canvassing. There were no lists of who was eligible to vote under the new law, and it was up to individual voters to register themselves. The parties launched mass canvasses with the goal of adding all of the party's supporters to the electoral roll. As an example, in [[Norwich]] the [[1874 United Kingdom general election|1874]] saw 3000 Liberal and 2000 Conservative paid workers engaged in [[voter registration]].<ref name="DenverHands2013">{{cite book|author1=David Denver|author2=Gordon Hands|title=Modern Constituency Electioneering: Local Campaigning in the 1992 General Election|date=October 23, 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-22162-1}}</ref> The massive paid canvassing came to an end with the [[Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act 1883]], which limited campaign spending. Thus the armies of paid canvassers were replaced with smaller volunteer efforts. Laws were also changed in the United Kingdom to make voter registration almost automatic, removing the need for the parties to expend efforts on it.<ref name="ReferenceA">David Denver. "Canvassing". ''International Encyclopedia of Elections.'' CQ Press, February 2, 2000</ref>