1870- the Education Act was passed which brings in schooling for all for the first time. The Act required schools to have boards to administer them. Dignitaries in her local area asked Elizabeth Garrett to stand for election. She agreed to stand and won the Marylebone election by a landslide. She received 48,000 votes. None of her opponents gained more than 13,000. She got the most votes of anyone in London.

Of course this was not a Votes for Women issue, but it showed the high regard in which leading female figures were held. Women could be trusted to make important decisions. They could receive massive numbers of votes on a significant issue.

The public were ready for Votes for Women. Now it was just a question of getting it through a parliament, where party politics often held sway over personal beliefs of what was right.