Clip from archive compilation programme 'Understanding Northern Ireland'.

Features Terence O'Neill and his wife, meeting local residents on a snowy day in Belfast, in the lead up to the 1965 election. Also seen is a crowd booing along with shouts of "go home" to civil rights demonstrators who are campaigning for 'one man, one vote'.

When Northern Ireland was established in 1921, it adopted the same political system then in place for the Westminster Parliament and British local government. However, the Parliament of Northern Ireland did not follow Westminster in changes to the franchise from 1945.

As a result, into the 1960s, plural voting was still allowed not only for local government (as it was for local government in Great Britain) but also for the Parliament of Northern Ireland. This meant that in local council elections (as in Great Britain) ratepayers and their spouses, whether renting or owning the property, could vote while company directors had an extra vote by virtue of their company's status. However, unlike the situation in Great Britain, non-ratepayers did not have a vote in local government elections. 

A UTV Production

• NI Direct - PRONI