ABSTRACT
This article discusses the profile and performance of the Minas Gerais bench in the Chamber of Deputies in the debate on the electoral reform of 1855. The measure promised to change the logic of political competition with the advent of district voting and ineligibility. How did the largest bench in the Empire behave in the face of a bill that could profoundly alter its formation? Despite the threat of weakening the provincial power, it was concluded that the support of the miners was decisive for the reform and helped to deepen fissures in the conservative domain.
Keywords:
Brazil Empire; Elections; Minas Gerais