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Universal suffrage (also '''general suffrage''' or '''common suffrage''') consists of the extension of the ) In the first modern Democracies only a limited number of people had a say in the running of the government - for example in the United Kingdom only male Landowner s with relatively large holdings had the right to vote. Suffrage depended on local custom before 1832, so there were exceptions. In all modern democracies the number of people who could vote increased gradually with time. The 19th century featured movements advocating universal male suffrage - the extension to all Male s regardless of social standing or race. The democratic movement of the late 19th century, unifying Liberal s and Social Democrat s, particularly in northern Europe, used the slogan ''Equal and Common Suffrage''. The ''Movement for Universal Suffrage'' consisted of a social, economic and political movement aimed at extending suffrage to people of all races. Expanding suffrage The first movements toward universal suffrage (or manhood suffrage) occurred in the early 19th century, and focused on removing property requirements for voting. In the late 19th and early 20th century, the focus of Universal Suffrage Movement became the removal of restrictions against women having the Right To Vote . Several countries which had enacted universal suffrage had their normal legal process, or their existence, interrupted during the Second World War . Many societies in the past have denied people the right to vote on the basis of race or ethnicity. For example, non- Whites could not vote in national elections during Apartheid -era South Africa , until the system came to an end with the first free multi-party elections in 1994. In the pre-Civil Rights Era American South , Blacks often technically had the right to vote, but various means prevented many of them from exercising that right. The Ku Klux Klan formed after the American Civil War , largely to intimidate blacks and to prevent them from voting. Other Disenfranchisement Some so-called "universal" suffrage systems still exclude some potential voters. For example, some jurisdictions deny the vote to various categories of Convicted Criminals or the mentally ill, and almost all jurisdictions deny the vote to non-citizen residents and citizens under the age of 18. Many states within the USA used to disenfranchise Pauper s, persons who either paid no direct taxes or those receiving public assistance. There are also differing degrees of legal recognition of non-resident citizens: non-resident Italians have a representative At-large in the Italian Parliament ; U.S. citizens voting abroad vote as residents of the last state where they (or their parents) lived; Britons, however, can not vote for their National Parliament unless they have lived in the U.K. in the last five years. A few nations also restrict those who are involved in the military or police forces, as it is in the case of Kuwait .https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ku.html#Govt The development/integration of the European Union has changed a few matters. Citizens of an EU Member-State are allowed to vote in E.U. Parliamentary Elections , as well as some local elections. For example, a Briton living in Graz , Austria , would be able to vote in for the European Parliament as a resident of the "electoral district" of Austria, and to vote in Graz municipal elections. He would, however, not be able to vote in Austrian (federal) elections, or Styria n (state) elections. UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE IN THE WORLD States have granted and revoked universal suffrage at various times, including Brunei since 1962. WOMEN SUFFRAGE See Also: Women's suffrage The first Women's Suffrage (with the same property qualifications as for men) was granted in New Jersey in 1776 (the word "inhabitants" was used instead of "men") and rescinded in 1807. The Pitcairn Islands granted restricted women's suffrage in 1838. Various other countries and states granted restricted women's suffrage in the latter half of the nineteenth century, starting with South Australia in 1861. The first unrestricted women's suffrage in terms of voting rights (women were not initially permitted to stand for election) in a major country was granted in New Zealand. The women's suffrage bill was adopted mere weeks before the general election of 1893. South Australia first granted women suffrage and allowed them to stand for parliament in 1894. In 1931, the Second Spanish Republic allowed women the right of Passive Suffrage with three women being elected. During the discussion to extend their right to active suffrage, the Radical Socialist Victoria Kent confronted the Radical Clara Campoamor . Kent argued that Spanish women were not yet prepared to vote and, since they were too influenced by the Catholic Church they would vote for right-wing candidates. Campoamor however pleaded for women's rights regardless of orientation. Her point finally prevailed and, in the election of 1933, the political right won with the vote of citizens of any sex over 23. Both Campoamor and Kent lost their seats. REFERENCES SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
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