Virtual representation

Virtual Representation was a concept in Hanoverian Britain, based on the belief that men without the vote (For example: persons in some cities in England such as Manchester, in the colonies, or simply those in Great Britain who did not have the franchise) were "virtually represented" by Members of Parliament who had been elected by "similar" voters. There were some shopkeepers who voted for MPs, the theory went; therefore all shopkeepers were virtually represented. Men who owned property in North America voted for MPs--some, indeed, sat in Parliament. This, the advocates of virtual representation held, meant that American interests were virtually represented. The colonial response to this was the famous declaration of "No taxation without representation."

Famous defenders of "virtual representation" included William Paley.