Suffrage

Suffrage is the civil right to vote, or the exercise of that right. In that context it is also called political franchise or simply the franchise, a term dating from the time when the Franks of ancient France were free.

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Historically, many groups have been excluded from the right to vote, on various grounds or simply because their members were 'subjects' of feudal kings & princes and not 'free' men. Sometimes this exclusion was an explicit policy, clearly stated in the electoral laws; at other times it was implemented in practice by provisions that may seem to have little to do with the exclusion actually being implemented (e.g. poll taxes and literacy requirements used to keep African-Americans in the pre-Civil Rights Era American South from voting). In other cases a group has been permitted to vote, but the electoral system or institutions of government were purposely designed to give them less influence than other more favored groups (see District of Columbia voting rights.)

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The legitimacy of democratic government is usually considered to derive primarily from suffrage.

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Civil right: redirect Civil and political rights...

Vote: :For the Finno-Ugric people, see Votes....

Poll tax: A poll tax, head tax, or capitation is a tax of a uniform, fixed amount per individual (as opposed to a percentage of income). Such taxes were important sources of revenue for many countries into the 19th century, but this is no longer the case. There are several famous cases of poll taxes in hist...

Suffrage related Images and Photos (experimental)

Woman Suffrage

Manhood Suffrage Riots in Hyde Park 1866

Women's Suffrage Leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton