ing to the provinces in which their estates are
situated; (4) the representatives of towns, elected by citizens who
possess municipal rights or pay a stipulated amount of direct taxes;
(5) the representatives of boards of commerce and industry, chosen by
the members of these bodies; and (6) representatives of the rural
communes, elected in eight provinces directly, in the others
indirectly, by deputies (Wahlmaenner) returned by all inhabitants who
pay direct taxes to the amount of 8 crowns yearly. In a few of the
provinces there is, besides these, a general electoral class composed
of all qualified male subjects of the state over twenty-four years of
age;[685] and there are some other variations, as for example, in
Moravia, where, by a law of November 27, 1905, the proportional system
of representation was introduced. The diets vary in membership from 26
in Vorarlberg and 30 in Goerz and Gradisca to 151 in Moravia, 161 in
Galicia, and 242 in Bohemia. The deputies are elected in all cases for
a period of six years, and the diets assemble annually. But a session
may be closed, and the diet may be dissolved, at any time by the
presiding officer, under the direction of the Emperor.

[Footnote 685: When the class system of voting for
members of the Reichsrath was on the point of being
abolished by the law of January 26, 1907, there was
raised the question as to whether a similar step
should not be taken in respect to provincial
elections. It was generally agreed, however, that
the absence of an aristocratic upper chamber in the
provincial diet renders the class system within the
province not wholly undesirable. The provinces were
encouraged to liberalize their franchise
regulations, but not to abandon the prevailing
electoral system. The province of Lower Austria led
the way by increasing the membership of its diet
from 79 to 127, to be elected as follows: 58 by
manhood suffrage throughout the province, 31 by the
rural communes, 16 by the large landholders, 15 by
the towns, and 4 by the chambers of commerce. Two
bishops and the rector of the University of Vienna
were con