Parliamentary Elections Act, 1868

Officially titled "An Act for amending the Laws relating to Election Petitions, and providing more effectually for the Prevention of corrupt Practices at Parliamentary Elections", the Parliamentary Elections Act (1868) changed the way in which election petitions were tried.

Responsibility for trying election petitions transferred from the House of Commons to the High Court of Justice. Courts were seen as being less biased in the decisions they made. Assessors of a petition visited a constituency, took evidence and determined the outcome, reporting back to the House of Commons. Evidence was transferred to the House of Commons with Judge's reports, which was discussed by the House of Commons.