Franchise and Debates Over Suffrage

Question 1

What is the franchise/suffrage? - Suffrage

Answer 1

The Franchise/Suffrage is the right to vote in elections.

Question 2

How did the 1832 Great Reform Act develop suffrage in the UK? - Suffrage

Answer 2

Extended the franchise to around 800,000 extra people and redrew electoral boundaries to provide more proportional representation of urban areas.

Question 3

How did the 1867 Second Reform Act develop suffrage in the UK? - Suffrage

Answer 3

Saw greater enfranchising of working class males, deemed increasingly significant to society. Gave working classes the power to influence political processes.

Question 4

How did the 1872 Secret Ballot Act develop democracy in the UK? - Suffrage

Answer 4

The 1872 Secret Ballot Act made it so that voters couldn’t be intimidated or influenced into voting a particular way at the ballot, reducing corruption of elections.

Question 5

How did the 1884 Third Reform Act develop suffrage in the UK? - Suffrage

Answer 5

Extended franchise to the majority of working men who owned/rented property, with 5.5 million people enfranchised by this act.

Question 6

How did the 1918 Representation of the People Act develop suffrage in the UK? - Suffrage

Answer 6

Allowed women over 30 (who met property requirements) to vote in elections, as well as all men over 21. Paved the way to a more equal society in terms of suffrage and gender.

Question 7

How did the 1928 Equal Franchise Act develop suffrage in the UK? - Suffrage

Answer 7

Created parity between men and women in terms of the franchise, a major step to reaching gender equality. Led to all men and women over 21 being granted the right to vote.

Question 8

How did the 1948 Representation of the People Act develop democracy in the UK? - Suffrage

Answer 8

Removed University MPs and the ability for those attending university to vote in 2 constituencies, reducing the class divide between certain voters. Provided equal representation.

Question 9

How did the 1969 Representation of the People Act develop suffrage in the UK? - Suffrage

Answer 9

Lowered the voting age to 18 from 21 for Men and Women, due to higher standards of education leading to the government deciding that younger people were more informed about politics.

Question 10

How did the 2016 Scottish Elections act develop the franchise in Scotland? - Suffrage

Answer 10

This act enfranchised Scottish 16 and 17 year olds in Scottish elections, with the aim of improving turnout among the younger demographic within society. This followed 16/17 year olds being allowed to vote in the 2014 Independence Referendum.

Question 11

What arguments are there FOR 16 and 17 year olds being enfranchised? - Suffrage

Answer 11

Scottish 16/17 year olds can vote (why shouldn’t we?), 16/17 year olds are better educated as result of citizenship education, may result in boosted turnout at elections, 16/17 year olds can serve in the army and pay tax so should be able to vote. Could REDRESS POLITICAL IMBALANCE towards conservatism with younger liberalism.

Question 12

What arguments are there AGAINST 16/17 year olds being enfranchised? - Suffrage

Answer 12

16/17 year olds not collectively sufficiently educated to vote on complex issues, there are minimal numbers of 16/17 year olds who pay tax, radical youth liberalism may be as a result of not experiencing many issues within society.

Question 13

What arguments are there FOR compulsory voting? - Suffrage

Answer 13

Compulsory voting may force people to become engaged and informed with politics, an increased turnout strengthens a mandate to govern, policy makers would have to appeal to a wider spectrum of voters, voting would be seen as a civic duty.

Question 14

What arguments are there AGAINST compulsory voting? - Suffrage

Answer 14

Human rights groups argue it is a human right to decide whether to vote, would force misinformed voters to vote (meaning a misinformed election result would be reached), delivering a compulsory voting system requires great public expenditure, would favour large parties as misinformed voters would only have heard of them.

Question 15

What arguments are there FOR voter registration? - Suffrage

Answer 15

Means that each individual is able to be equally represented by the electorate, revolutionary ways of voting (at supermarkets/online/post offices) could be more securely introduced, may improve youth participation.

Question 16

What arguments are there AGAINST voter registration? - Suffrage

Answer 16

Voter registration has potential to encourage electoral fraud when revolutionary voting methods are contemplated, in 2015 nearly 1 million people were disenfranchised by their removal from the electoral register.

Question 17

What issue arose in 2015 with voter registration? - Suffrage

Answer 17

In 2015, the new voter registration system was introduced, leading to many people not understanding how to register and therefore not doing so, or many others being removed due to complications. As a result, 1 million people were disenfranchised.

Question 18

What arguments are there FOR a ban on prisoner voting? - Suffrage

Answer 18

If someone has committed a serious criminal offence, they do not warrant a say in the direction of politics. May lead to complications with what constituency prisoners would vote for (a certain party could gain masses of votes by appealing to prisoners), there are few calls for this ban to change, other countries have similar laws.

Question 19

What arguments are there AGAINST a ban on prisoner voting? - Suffrage

Answer 19

Voting is a basic human right and a state should have no mandate to remove this, government policy will affect prisoners whilst serving custodial sentences and when they are released (so should they not be able to influence this?), notable European countries allow prisoner voting.

Question 20

What changes have the government recently made to casting ballots at election time? - Suffrage

Answer 20

The Conservative government have passed legislation that has made it so that only people with valid photo ID can vote at elections. It has been argued that this will deter people from voting by placing obstructions to it and disadvantaging those without photo ID.