The Voice of the People: Democracy Comes to South Australia explores the making and the significance of the Constitution and its companion Electoral Act, placing them in the social and political context of the 1850s. It examines how South Australia came to have the most radical Constitution and electoral system of the Australian colonies - a political system which included universal manhood suffrage and the secret ballot.  The exhibition tells the stories of some of those who shaped the Acts, and explains the enduring significance of their work.  It also looks at the conduct of the first election under the new system, held on 9 March 1857, and the resulting wholly elected Parliament.

Democracy was not won without a struggle.  In the 1850s there were many who thought that democracy was downright dangerous.  ‘Rule by the mob’ they called it.  The Governor of the day was particularly opposed. He had wanted a Parliament that was only partially elected and then by property owners, as was the case in Britain at the time.  Some also thought that an elected Lower House should be balanced by an hereditary House of Lords, as in Britain, but the idea of a colonial aristocracy was ridiculed in the press and was soon abandoned. This story and the story of the determined campaign for manhood suffrage and the secret ballot, are told in the exhibition.

The exhibition traces the evolution of democracy in South Australia in the 150 years since 1856, including women’s suffrage, the effect of Federation on Indigenous voters, and the eventual removal of property qualifications for the Legislative Council.  Visitors will learn many surprising and fascinating facts about South Australia, such as:

·           SA was the first of the Australian colonies to introduce universal manhood suffrage – to give all adult men the right to vote

·           SA was the first Australian colony, and one of the first places in the world, to give women the right to vote and to stand for Parliament

·           That it was not until 1973 that all adult South Australians gained the right to vote for the Legislative Council

The exhibition includes original documents and artefacts, as well as images and text, to present the story of democracy in South Australia in an engaging and accessible manner.  Visitors will see:

·         The official despatch giving royal assent to South Australia’s Constitution and Electoral Acts which includes Queen Victoria’s signature

·         The Oath of Allegiance from the first SA Parliament with signatures of all the members of the House of Assembly

·         An electoral roll from 1862

·         An invitation to the opening of the first Federal Parliament

·         The first page of the 1894 petition for Women’s Suffrage along with a copy of the Act which gave women the vote and the right to stand as candidates

·         Photographs of all the State’s Premiers between 1857 and 1899

Visitors can even take part in an 1857 style election by placing their vote in a ballot box, and can take home a copy of the 1856 South Australian Constitution.

History Trust’s Chief Executive, Margaret Anderson, said “We take democracy for granted in South Australia.  We’re lucky that we can.  Visitors to The Voice of the People will meet some of the people who fought passionately for – and against – democracy in South Australia.”