rotten borough

noun

1. (before the Reform Bill of 1832) any English borough that had very few voters yet was represented in Parliament.
2. an election district that has more representatives in a legislative body than the number of its constituents would normally call for.

rotten borough

noun

1. (before the Reform Act of 1832) any of certain English parliamentary constituencies with only a very few electors Compare pocket borough

Word History and Origins

Origin of rotten borough¹

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

Only about 44 individuals, residents of two mobile home parks in the district, have votes, an arrangement that resembles the “rotten boroughs” of British history — parliamentary districts controlled by individual squires.

From Los Angeles Times

Last time, 68% of votes were utterly wasted, lost in those rotten boroughs called safe seats.

From The Guardian

Strict suffrage laws and rotten boroughs insulated real power from the political circus, not to mention the angry crowds that rose up against everything from low wages to high bread prices to anti-poaching laws.

From Salon

The framers were keenly aware of the corruption of the English system of parliamentary elections, in which “rotten boroughs” and similar devices interfered with genuine democratic expression.

From Washington Post

Going back to the rotten boroughs and Lords of early 19th century Britain, the right has always relied upon the least democratic sectors of the state.

From The Guardian