Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). … In most democracies, eligible voters can vote in elections of representatives. Voting on issues by referendum may also be available.
What does the Constitution say about right to vote?
Several constitutional amendments (the Fifteenth, Nineteenth, and Twenty-sixth specifically) require that voting rights of U.S. citizens cannot be abridged on account of race, color, previous condition of servitude, sex, or age (18 and older); the constitution as originally written did not establish any such rights …
What word means the right to vote?
1 : a short intercessory prayer usually in a series. 2 : a vote given in deciding a controverted question or electing a person for an office or trust. 3 : the right of voting : franchise also : the exercise of such right.
Who has right to vote?
To vote in a presidential election today, you must be 18 years old and a United States citizen. Each state has its own requirements. Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution provides that “Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations” governing elections.
Who can be denied the right to vote?
Today, citizens over the age of 18 cannot be denied the right to vote on the basis of race, religion, sex, disability, or sexual orientation.
When did African Americans get the right to vote?
In
1870
, the 15th Amendment was ratified to prohibit states from denying a male citizen the right to vote based on “race, color or previous condition of servitude.” “Black suffrage” in the United States in the aftermath of the American Civil War explicitly referred to the voting rights of only black men.
Is right to vote a legal right or constitutional right?
The right to vote, if not a fundamental right, is certainly
a constitutional right
. The right originates from the Constitution and in accordance with the constitutional mandate contained in Article 326…”
Is the right to vote an amendment?
The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government and each state from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” It was ratified on February 3, 1870, as the third and last of the Reconstruction …
What is the relationship between citizenship and the right to vote?
Another responsibility of citizens is voting. The law does not require citizens to vote, but voting is a very important part of any democracy. By voting, citizens are participating in the democratic process. Citizens vote for leaders to represent them and their ideas, and the leaders support the citizens' interests.
Why is it called women's suffrage?
The term has nothing to do with suffering but instead derives
from the Latin word “suffragium,” meaning the right or privilege to vote
. … During the woman suffrage movement in the United States, “suffragists” were anyone—male or female—who supported extending the right to vote (suffrage) to women.
Why is suffrage important?
The woman's suffrage movement is important because
it resulted in passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
, which finally allowed women the right to vote.
What does the 17th Amendment do?
The Seventeenth Amendment restates the first paragraph of Article I, section 3 of the Constitution and
provides for the election of senators by replacing the phrase “chosen by the Legislature thereof”
with “elected by the people thereof.” In addition, it allows the governor or executive authority of each state, if …
Why 25th January is National Voters Day?
In order to encourage more young voters to take part in the political process, Government of India has decided to celebrate January 25 every year as “National Voters' Day”. It has been started from 26 January 2011 to mark Commission's foundation day. … In this day rallies in government campus were going on.
What is the 26th Amendment?
The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older,
to vote shall not be
denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.
Who led the women's right to vote?
Led by
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
, a young mother from upstate New York, and the Quaker abolitionist Lucretia Mott, about 300 people—most of whom were women—attended the Seneca Falls Convention to outline a direction for the women's rights movement.
What is difference between legal right and constitutional right?
The legal rights are
protected by an ordinary law
, but they can be altered or taken away be the legislature by changing that law. … The Constitution (Forty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1978, taken away the Right to property (Article 31) as a Fundamental Right and was made a legal right under new Article 300 A.
