Sentence:  At Cambridge in the 1835 election it was reported that 'the worst features of the old system were maintained of <WSD>cooping</WSD> and taking away voters and keeping them drunk'. <WSD>Cooping</WSD> of the more unpleasant kind consisted in abducting the supporters of an opponent and keeping them out of the way until the election was over. Someone who had contested the borough of Lewes at more than one election remarked that 'one very expensive part of the Lewes election is putting the town in a state of siege, which we are forced to do to prevent carrying off of voters'. The first variety of <WSD>cooping</WSD> was of course often a safeguard against the second. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To unlawfully confine one or more voters to prevent them from casting their ballots in an election.