Elections of the excepted hereditary peers were held in October and November 1999, before the House of Lords Act 1999 excluded most hereditary peers from the membership of the House of Lords allowing Earl Marshal, Lord Great Chamberlain and 90 others to remain in the House.[1] Before the passing of the 1999 Act, the Lords approved a Standing Order stating that those 90 would consist of:
The elections used a version of plurality block voting: voters were required to rank candidates in order of preference for the number of seats available, with the candidates receiving the greatest number of votes, without regard to the ranking on the ballots, declared elected. Preference order was only considered in the cases of ties.
Until November 2002, vacancies among the elected hereditary peers were filled by hereditary peers who received most votes in the corresponding 1999 election without being elected to remain. Since November 2002, by-elections have been held to fill vacancies.[2]
| Type: | Parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 1999 House of Lords elections |
| Election Date: | 27 and 28 October 1999 |
| Turnout: | 56.59% |
| 1Blank: | Members' vote |
| Party1: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Seats1: | 9 |
| Party2: | Crossbencher |
| Seats2: | 2 |
| Party4: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Seats4: | 2 |
| Party5: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
| Seats5: | 2 |
15 excepted hereditary peers were elected by the whole House in an election held from 27 to 28 October 1999. 1,115 members of the House were eligible to vote and 631 valid votes were cast. The result was as follows:
75 excepted hereditary peers were elected by hereditary peers of three parties and crossbenchers in elections held from 3 to 4 November 1999.
42 excepted hereditary peers were elected by the Conservative hereditary peers. 241 peers were eligible to vote and 204 valid votes were cast. The result was as follows:
28 excepted hereditary peers were elected by the crossbench hereditary peers. 131 peers were eligible to vote and 105 valid votes were cast. The result was as follows:
3 excepted hereditary peers were elected by the Liberal Democrat hereditary peers. All 20 peers who were eligible to vote cast their votes. The result was as follows:
| Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|
| The Earl Russell | 17 |
| The Lord Avebury | 13 |
| The Lord Addington | 10 |
| The Earl of Mar and Kellie | 7 |
| The Earl of Carlisle | 4 |
| The Earl Grey | 3 |
| The Lord Calverley | 3 |
| The Earl of Glasgow | 2 |
| The Lord McNair | 1 |
2 excepted hereditary peers were elected by the Labour hereditary peers. 18 peers were eligible to vote and 17 valid votes were cast. The result was as follows:
| Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|
| The Lord Milner of Leeds | 8 |
| The Lord Rea | 7 |
| The Lord Grantchester | 7 |
| The Lord Monkswell | 6 |
| The Lord Kilbracken | 3 |
| The Lord Kennet | 3 |