Election fraud was a well-known phenomenon in the Republic of Venice, with the first known law on combating it dating back to 1303.
[1] The censori were established as a separate magistracy in 1517, and comprised two patricians, elected by the Great Council of Venice for one-year terms.
[1][2] Their remit was initially restricted to investigating complaints—including secret denunciations—of election fraud, provided there were at least two witnesses.
[1] The first occupants of the office showed much zeal, and the impact of the new institution was quickly felt, especially by the highest-ranking patricians.
[1] In following centuries, the censori gradually accrued a number of other judicial duties: adjudicating domestic servants' wages, crimes related to bets or committed by the gondoliers, and in 1762 the supervision of glass manufacture, along with mirrors and pearls, passed under their purview.