1.2 A wider franchise and debates over suffrage Flashcards
franchise/ suffrage
franchise and suffrage are both terms that refer to the right to vote in public elections, such as general elections
how did the elections in the uk become democratic?
through progressive extension of the franchise throughout the 19/20th century - first on the basis of social class, then basis of gender, and finally basis of age.
how was voting equality achieved?
achieved largely through parliament responding to popular pressure from below to widen the franchise.
overview of milestones of widening the suffrage in the uk
1832 - Great Reform Act
1867 Second Reform Act
1884 - Thirf Reform Act
1918 - Representation of the People Act
1928 - Equal Franchise Act
1969 - Representation of the People Act
2014 - Scotland
Great Reform Act
1832
- abolished the ‘rotten boroughs’ which had either no or few elections and were controlled by a single patron.
- The Act enfranchised almost all male middle-class property owners. Although it increased the electorate by about two-thirds, it still meant that fewer than 6% of the total population could vote.
Second Reform Act
1867
- gave the vote to all settled tenants (men only) in the boroughs, creating a substantial working-class franchise for the first time.
Third Reform Act
1884
- extended the franchise to rural and mining areas, and enfranchised virtually all male householders and tenants.
Representation of the People Act
1918
- widened suffrage by abolishing almost all property qualifications for men effectively establishing universal manhood suffrage) and by enfranchising women over 30 who met a minimum property qualification.
- these changes saw the electorate triple in size, reaching over 21 million, about 43% of whom were women (a figure inflated by the loss of men in WWl).
Equal Franchise Act
1928
- By lowering the voting age for women from 31 to 21 and abolishing property qualifications
- this created equal voting rights for women and men, and established universal adult suffrage in the UK.
Representation of the People Act
1969
- lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, enfranchising 18-20-year-olds.
Scotland
2014
- Following the precedent set by the Scottish independence referendum, the Scottish Parliament unanimously approved the proposal to reduce the voting age from 18 to 16 for Scottish Parliament elections (in 2016) and Scottish local elections (in 2017).
- The Welsh Senedd (Parliament) lowered the voting age in Wales to 16 in 2020 in Welsh Senedd elections
in the 20th century you can vote in the general elections if you are…
over 18, are bitish, Irish or a qualifying commonwealth citizen, resident at an adress in the uk and not been legally disquialified from voting
which type of individuals cannot vote in uk parliamentary elections?
- mems of hol
- eu citizens resident in the uk and anyone other than british, Irish, and quilifiying commonwelath citizens
- convicted people detained in prison
- anyone found gulity within the last five years of corrupt or illegal practices in relation to an election
what is an area whereby the franchise is considred controversial?
need for voter identification (ID) when voting
- 2017 con gov set out aim of defeatinf voter frauf by the intro of Voter ID system to increase trust in dem sys = trialled in five areas in 2018 + ten areas in 2019 dur local elections in prep for being rolled out for use across all elections in uk
- critics point to the fact that there is no real evidnce of voter fraud undermining trust in uk elections and dem, w only 28 allegations of voter fraud w over 45 mil votes in 2017 GE.
–> opps argued that ID laws will suppress the vote particularly among already marginalised groups (low paid and unemployed, disabled people, ethnic minorities and young people) = less likely yo have access to any form of photographic ID.
—> the Electoral Reform Society estimated 3.5 mil people (7.5% of pop) dont have access to ID & more than 750 people denised vote in may 2019 local election trials
should the franchise be extended to 16 and 17 year olds?
