Suffrage

Not to be confused with Universal suffrage.
"Right to vote", "Suffragist", and "The Franchise" redirect here. For the group, see Right to Vote. For the organisation, see National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies. For other uses, see The Franchise (disambiguation).

People queuing and showing their identity document for voting in the 2014 Indian general election

Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote).[1][2][3] In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vote is called active suffrage, as distinct from passive suffrage, which is the right to stand for election.[4] The combination of active and passive suffrage is sometimes called full suffrage.[5]

In most democracies, eligible voters can vote in elections for representatives. Voting on issues by referendum may also be available. For example, in Switzerland, this is permitted at all levels of government. In the United States, some states such as California, Washington, and Wisconsin[citation needed] have exercised their shared sovereignty to offer citizens the opportunity to write, propose, and vote on referendums; other states and the federal government have not. Referendums in the United Kingdom are rare.

Suffrage continues to be especially restricted on the basis of age, residency and citizenship status in many places. In some countries additional restrictions exist. In Great Britain and the United States a felon might lose the right to vote. As of 2022, Florida felons with court debts may not vote. In some countries being under guardianship may restrict the right to vote. Non-resident citizen voting allows emigrants and expats of some countries to vote in their home country.[6] Resident non-citizens can vote in some countries, which may be restricted to citizens of closely linked countries (e.g., Commonwealth citizens and European Union citizens) or to certain offices or questions.[7][8][9] Multiple citizenship typically allows to vote in multiple countries.[6] Historically the right to vote was more restricted, for example by gender, race, or wealth.

  1. ^ "suffrage". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins.
  2. ^ "Definition of "suffrage" – Collins English Dictionary". Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  3. ^ "suffrage – definition of suffrage in English from the Oxford dictionary". Archived from the original on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Deprivation of the Right to Vote". ACE Electoral Knowledge Network. Aceproject.org.
  5. ^ Gianoulis, Tina (2015). "Women's Suffrage Movement" (PDF). glbtq. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 March 2019.
  6. ^ a b Umpierrez de Reguero, Sebastián; Finn, Victoria (2 July 2024). "Migrants' intention to vote in two countries, one country, or neither". Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties. 34 (3): 466–489. doi:10.1080/17457289.2023.2189727. hdl:1814/75483. ISSN 1745-7289.
  7. ^ "Who is eligible to vote at a UK general election?". The Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2016
  8. ^ "Can I vote?". European Parliament Information Office in the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2016
  9. ^ "Why Can Commonwealth Citizens Vote in the U.K.? An Expat Asks". The Wall Street Journal. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2016.