Suffrage
Suffrage,
political franchise, or simply
franchise, distinct from other rights to vote, is the
right to vote gained through the democratic process. The right to run for office is sometimes called
candidate eligibility, and the combination of both rights is sometimes called
full suffrage. In many languages, the right to vote is called the
active right to vote and the right to run for office is called the
passive right to vote. In English, these are sometimes called
active suffrage and
passive suffrage. Suffrage is often conceived in terms of elections for representatives. However, suffrage applies equally to initiatives and referenda. Suffrage describes not only the legal right to vote, but also the practical question of whether a question will be put to a vote. The utility of suffrage is reduced when important questions are decided unilaterally by elected or non-elected representatives. In most democracies, eligible voters can vote in elections of representatives. Voting on issues by initiative may be available in some jurisdictions but not others. For example, while some U.S.