130-804: The Cape Qualified Franchise was the system of non-racial franchise that was adhered to in the Cape Colony , and in the Cape Province in the early years of the Union of South Africa . Qualifications for the right to vote at parliamentary elections were applied equally to all men, regardless of race. This local system of multi-racial suffrage was later gradually restricted, and eventually abolished, under various National Party and United Party governments. In 1930 white women were enfranchised , and in 1931 property qualifications for white voters were removed . In 1936 black voters were then removed from
260-587: A bitter dispute with the Liberals, who sought to institute a system of responsible government modeled on that of Britain. Bismarck, who strongly opposed that demand, managed to deflect the pressure by embarking energetically and successfully on the unification of Germany . The Liberals, who were also strong German nationalists, backed Bismarck's unification efforts and tacitly accepted that the Constitution of Imperial Germany, crafted by Bismarck, did not include
390-412: A corporation or organization selling limited autonomy to run a part of its operation (such as a sports team or restaurant). This modern connotation with exclusivity, however, clashes with ideas like universal suffrage where voting is a right for all, not a privilege for a select few. Universal suffrage would be achieved when all have the right to vote without restriction. It could, for example, look like
520-462: A former viceregal consort of Canada , penned a piece for The Globe and Mail on 11 March 2023 lamenting that the country does not celebrate that date in 1848, which Saul regards as "the day on which we became a democracy—a continuous democracy" and such lack of observance perpetuates the misconceived identity of Canada as a new country. Prior to European colonisation, the Australian continent
650-511: A growing belief in gender equality) became central features of this political tradition. In their fight against Apartheid, the remaining proponents were progressively sidelined as organisations that more fully represented the Black African majority took the lead in the struggle for multiracial democracy . However, as effective allies against the growing Nationalist movement, there was a degree of collaboration and exchange of ideas between
780-553: A large proportion of the Cape's Black citizens who implemented traditional forms of land ownership. This was intended to counter the growing number and influence of Black voters, especially in the Eastern Cape where Sprigg's home constituency was. The act was justifiably controversial and faced fierce opposition in parliament. The Cape's constitution forbade discrimination on the basis of race, and many liberal MPs argued that this act
910-548: A leaked document from 2012, an official report concerning the City's Cash revealed that the aim of major occasions such as set-piece sumptuous banquets featuring national politicians was "to increase the emphasis on complementing hospitality with business meetings consistent with the City corporation's role in supporting the City as a financial centre". The first issue taken up by the Northern Ireland civil rights movement
1040-546: A loafer. We will treat the Natives as long as they remain in a state of barbarism". "The native is to be treated as a child and denied the franchise. We must adopt a system of despotism, such as works in India, in our relations with the barbarism of South Africa" (Magubane 1996, citing Verschoyle [Vindex] 1900:450). However the Cape's 1872 " responsible government " constitution still explicitly prohibited any discrimination on
1170-734: A member of either house, or appointed to any office or place of trust, before taking his seat, or entering upon the execution of his office, shall (...) also make and subscribe the following declaration, to wit: I, A B. do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed for evermore; and I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration. This
1300-600: A military coup d'état known as the Rum Rebellion deposed Governor Bligh and briefly established military rule over the Colony of New South Wales until a new Governor ( Lachlan Macquarie ) was appointed and sent from Britain. This did not aid in establishing responsible or representative government. The early colonists, coming mostly from the United Kingdom (which by 1801 included Ireland), were familiar with
1430-761: A more balanced representation of members of the Legislative Assembly to the Executive Council and ceded more powers to that body. In the Province of Canada , responsible government was introduced when Elgin swore-in the ministry of Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin on 11 March 1848. It was put to the test in the following year, when Reformers in the legislature passed the Rebellion Losses Bill , which provided compensation to French-Canadians who suffered losses during
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#17327727243001560-406: A new electoral register came into effect, based on registration as of the previous 10 October, with the effect of limiting voting to those resident five to seventeen months earlier depending on the timing of the election. Responsible government Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability , the foundation of
1690-495: A non-racial voters roll became part of the Cape's 1853 Constitution. There were a range of motivations for the creation of this early non-racial political system. Many powerful members of the Cape's political elite in the 1850s, leaders such as John Fairbairn , Saul Solomon , John Molteno and William Porter , genuinely seemed to believe that it was the only fair way to run a society, and that racial distinctions counted as unjust discrimination. In 1838, it had already been ruled in
1820-592: A responsible government – the Chancellor being accountable solely to the emperor and needing no parliamentary confidence. Germany gained a responsible government only with the Weimar Republic and more securely with the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany . Historians account the lack of responsible government in the formative decades of united Germany as one of the factors contributing to
1950-700: A specified acreage or monetary value could vote or participate in elections. Similarly, in Brazil, the Constitution of 1824 established that, in order to vote, citizens would need to have an annual income of 200,000 milréis and, to be voted, their minimum annual income would need to be 400,000 milréis. Where compulsory suffrage exists, those who are eligible to vote are required by law to do so. Thirty-two countries currently practise this form of suffrage. In local government in England and some of its ex-colonies, businesses formerly had, and in some places still have,
2080-420: A standard feature of early democracies, and women's suffrage was virtually unknown in the world at the time. However while the Cape shared these restrictive features, its explicitly colour-blind political system was unusually inclusive. In spite of its elected legislature, the Cape was still under the direct control of the colonial governor , until 1872, when the colony attained " responsible government " under
2210-412: A system where everyone was presumed to have the right to vote unless a government can prove beyond a reasonable doubt the need to revoke voting rights. The trend towards universal suffrage has progressed in some democracies by eliminating some or all of the voting restrictions due to gender, race, religion, social status, education level, wealth, citizenship , ability and age . However, throughout history
2340-527: A vote in the urban area in which they paid rates . This is an extension of the historical property-based franchise from natural persons to other legal persons . In the United Kingdom, the Corporation of the City of London has retained and even expanded business vote, following the passing of the City of London (Ward Elections) Act 2002 . This has given business interests within the City of London , which
2470-478: A voting qualification. (Davenport 1987: 108). The successive restrictions of the preceding decades meant that by 1908, when the National Convention on Union was held, only "22,784 Native and Coloured persons out of a total of 152,221 electors" were entitled to vote in Cape elections, even though the franchise system was, at least in principle, still non-racial. During the negotiations which drafted
2600-499: A woman's place was in the home, not polls. Political cartoons and public outrage over women's rights increased as the opposition to suffrage worked to organize legitimate groups campaigning against women's voting rights. The Massachusetts Association Opposed to the Further Extension of Suffrage to Women was one organization that came out of the 1880s to put down the voting efforts. Much anti-suffrage propaganda poked fun at
2730-573: Is a major financial centre with few residents, the opportunity to apply the accumulated wealth of the corporation to the development of an effective lobby for UK policies. This includes having the City Remembrancer , financed by the City's Cash , as a parliamentary agent , provided with a special seat in the House of Commons located in the under-gallery facing the Speaker 's chair. In
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#17327727243002860-626: Is associated in Canada more with self-government than with parliamentary accountability; hence, there is the notion that the Dominion of Newfoundland "gave up responsible government" when it suspended its self-governing status in 1933, as a result of financial problems. It did not regain responsible government until it became a province of Canada in 1949. Following the formation of elected legislative assemblies, starting with Nova Scotia in 1758, governors and their executive councils did not require
2990-526: Is lower than a given amount are barred from voting; or people with higher education have more votes than those with lower education; stockholders who have more shares in a given company have more votes than those with fewer shares). In many countries, census suffrage restricted who could vote and be elected: in the United States, until the Jacksonian reforms of the 1830s, only men who owned land of
3120-505: Is optional for businesses but compulsory for individuals. Some municipalities in Delaware allow corporations to vote on local matters. In ancient Athens , often cited as the birthplace of democracy, only adult, male citizens who owned land were permitted to vote. Through subsequent centuries, Europe was generally ruled by monarchs, though various forms of parliament arose at different times. The high rank ascribed to abbesses within
3250-537: Is permitted at all levels of government. In the United States, some states such as California, Washington, and Wisconsin have exercised their shared sovereignty to offer citizens the opportunity to write, propose, and vote on referendums; other states and the federal government have not. Referendums in the United Kingdom are rare. Suffrage continues to be especially restricted on the basis of age , residency and citizenship status in many places. In some countries additional restrictions exist. In Great Britain and
3380-684: Is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote ). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vote is called active suffrage , as distinct from passive suffrage , which is the right to stand for election. The combination of active and passive suffrage is sometimes called full suffrage . In most democracies, eligible voters can vote in elections for representatives. Voting on issues by referendum may also be available. For example, in Switzerland, this
3510-486: The 1967 Australian referendum , the federal government was allowed to count Indigenous Australians in the census, and to ensure that their voting rights were respected across the country. The Cape Colony , in Southern Africa, was under responsible self-government from 1872 until 1910 when it became the Cape Province of the new Union of South Africa . Under its previous system of representative government ,
3640-486: The 2004 Canadian federal election . Under certain electoral systems elections are held within subnational jurisdictions, thus preventing persons from voting who would otherwise be eligible on the basis that they do not reside within such a jurisdiction, or because they live in an area that cannot participate. In the United States, license plates in Washington, D.C. read "TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION," in reference to
3770-593: The 2015 local elections (and from then on) and be appointed to the Consultative Assembly . In the aftermath of the Reformation it was common in European countries for people of disfavored religious denominations to be denied civil and political rights, often including the right to vote, to stand for election or to sit in parliament. In Great Britain and Ireland , Roman Catholics were denied
3900-656: The American Revolutionary War and was threatened in the Rebellions of 1837–1838 in Canada. The government first established appointed or partially elected Legislative Councils. William Wentworth among other prominent colonists in this time advocated for the introduction of responsible government in the Australian colonies. Violence erupted in the Colony of Victoria during the 1850s, where there
4030-470: The Cape Colony continued at a steady pace until a renewed attempt to extend British control over the hinterland caused the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer Wars in 1899. An important feature of the Cape Colony under responsible government was that it was the only state in southern Africa (and one of very few in the world at the time) to have a non-racial system of voting . Later however – following
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4160-547: The Cape Province to keep a restricted version of its traditional franchise, whereby qualifications limited the suffrage of all citizens according to education and wealth. This led to the Cape being the only province in South Africa where coloureds (mixed-race people) and Black Africans could vote. The act also permitted the Parliament of South Africa to prescribe all other voting qualifications. However, according to
4290-627: The Catholic Church permitted some women the right to sit and vote at national assemblies – as with various high-ranking abbesses in Medieval Germany, who were ranked among the independent princes of the empire. Their Protestant successors enjoyed the same privilege almost into modern times. Marie Guyart, a French nun who worked with the First Nations peoples of Canada during the seventeenth century, wrote in 1654 regarding
4420-521: The Constitutional Act 1791 . Many reformers thought that these assemblies should have some control over the executive power, leading to political unrest between the governors and assemblies in both Upper and Lower Canada. The Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, Sir Francis Bond Head , wrote in one dispatch to London that, if responsible government were implemented, "democracy, in the worst possible form, will prevail in our colonies." After
4550-534: The Convention on the Political Rights of Women , which went into force in 1954, enshrining the equal rights of women to vote, hold office, and access public services as set out by national laws. One of the most recent jurisdictions to acknowledge women's full right to vote was Bhutan in 2008 (its first national elections). Most recently, in 2011 King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia let women vote in
4680-492: The Eastern Cape frontier region, to register the rural Xhosa peasant farmers as voters, with early, mission-educated Xhosa activists at the forefront. Educational associations and Xhosa language political newspapers such as Isigidimi samaXhosa were founded, which assisted with political mobilisation. Overall the Cape's Black electorate grew rapidly during the 1870s, especially in urban areas. In addition, traditional Xhosa forms of communal land tenure were fully recognised by
4810-690: The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly reads: First Responsible Government in the British Empire. The first executive council chosen exclusively from the party having a majority in the representative branch of a colonial legislature was formed in Nova Scotia on 2 February 1848. Following a vote of want of confidence in the preceding council, James Boyle Uniacke , who had moved
4940-684: The Paris Commune of 1871 and the island republic of Franceville (1889). From 1840 to 1852, the Kingdom of Hawai'i granted universal suffrage without mention of sex. In 1893, when the Kingdom of Hawai'i was overthrown in a coup , New Zealand was the only independent country to practice universal (active) suffrage, and the Freedom in the World index lists New Zealand as the only free country in
5070-524: The Rebellions of 1837–1838 in the Canadas , the Earl of Durham was appointed governor general of British North America, with the task of examining the issues and determining how to defuse tensions. In his report , one of his recommendations was colonies that were developed enough should be granted "responsible government". This term specifically meant the policy that British-appointed governors should bow to
5200-841: The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 , which extended the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1791 ), and Jews in 1858 (with the Emancipation of the Jews in England ). Benjamin Disraeli could only begin his political career in 1837 because he had been converted to Anglicanism at the age of 12. In several states in the U.S. after the Declaration of Independence , Jews, Quakers or Catholics were denied voting rights and/or forbidden to run for office. The Delaware Constitution of 1776 stated that: Every person who shall be chosen
5330-533: The South Africa Act on Union, the last Cape Prime Minister, the liberal John X. Merriman , fought unsuccessfully to have this multi-racial franchise system extended to the rest of South Africa. The attempt failed in the face of opposition from the white governments of the other constituent states, which were determined to entrench white rule. The final version of the South Africa Act permitted
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5460-537: The South Africa Act 1909 to form the Union of South Africa – this multi-racial universal suffrage was steadily eroded, and eventually abolished by the Apartheid government in 1948. The following is a list of British colonies, and the year when responsible government was established in the territory: In the early 1860s, the Prussian Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck was involved in
5590-467: The Westminster system and made efforts to reform local government in order to increase the opportunity for ordinary men to participate. The Governors and London therefore set in motion a gradual process of establishing a Westminster system in the colonies. They did not want to get ahead of population or economic growth, nor be so slow as to provoke clamouring for revolutionary change as had happened in
5720-474: The Westminster system of parliamentary democracy . Governments (the equivalent of the executive branch ) in Westminster democracies are responsible to parliament rather than to the monarch, or, in a colonial context, to the imperial government, and in a republican context, to the president, either in full or in part . If the parliament is bicameral , then the government is usually responsible first to
5850-669: The Zingari and the Lantern began the habit of disparagingly labelling MLAs who were elected by the Cape Coloured electorate as "Malays", regardless of their own ethnicity. However the Western Cape's predominantly English-speaking political elite was still strongly in favour of the "£25 vote", with many liberals such as Saul Solomon even supporting its expansion into total universal franchise . This liberal Cape Town elite
5980-464: The homeless may not be able to register because they lack regular addresses. In the United Kingdom , until the House of Lords Act 1999 , peers who were members of the House of Lords were excluded from voting for the House of Commons as they were not commoners. Although there is nothing to prevent the monarch from voting, it is considered improper for the monarch to do so. Throughout
6110-666: The 1727 Disenfranchising Act took away Catholics' voting rights in Ireland, which were restored only in 1788. Jews could not even be naturalized. An attempt was made to change this situation, but the Jewish Naturalization Act 1753 provoked such reactions that it was repealed the following year. Nonconformists ( Methodists and Presbyterians ) were only allowed to run for election to the British House of Commons starting in 1828, Catholics in 1829 (following
6240-485: The 175th anniversary of the implementation of responsible government in the province. In his remarks, the King said: I am delighted to have the opportunity to recognize the 175th anniversary of Nova Scotia's establishment of the system of responsible government, which has become a cornerstone of Canadian democracy. It was in the drawing room at Government House , Halifax, where Lieutenant Governor Sir John Harvey swore in
6370-415: The 1960s, while Western Australia barred Aboriginal people unless they successfully applied to become citizens. As a result, most Aboriginal people across the country were prevented from voting, including those who in theory had the right. Later, the 1962 Commonwealth Electoral Act gave all Aboriginal people the option to enroll to vote, but still most were not able to exercise their rights. After passage of
6500-566: The 19th and 20th centuries, many nations made voters pay to elect officials, keeping impoverished people from being fully enfranchised. These laws were in effect in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Sometimes the right to vote has been limited to people who had achieved a certain level of education or passed a certain test. In some US states, " literacy tests " were previously implemented to exclude those who were illiterate. Black voters in
6630-632: The 20th century, many countries other than the US placed voting restrictions on illiterate people, including: Bolivia , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Ecuador , and Peru . Various countries, usually countries with a dominant race within a wider population, have historically denied the vote to people of particular races, or to all but the dominant race. This has been achieved in a number of ways: All modern democracies require voters to meet age qualifications to vote. Worldwide voting ages are not consistent, differing between countries and even within countries, though
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#17327727243006760-526: The Act, Parliament was given the power to change the Cape's voting requirements by a two-thirds vote. Overall the Act did little to protect black Africans, and ultimately enabled the later apartheid government to gradually whittle away and eventually abolish the Cape franchise. Over the following years, legislation was passed by Parliament to slowly erode the remaining colour-blind voters roll. The 1929 and 1930 extensions of white voting rights were not granted to
6890-688: The Australian Commonwealth Government in 1911. It then lost responsible self-government (although residents could still vote in federal elections) and did not gain it back until 1974. Likewise, the Australian Capital Territory was originally part of New South Wales. It was transferred to the Commonwealth Government in 1911 and lost responsible self-government until 1989. White female suffrage (then considered universal suffrage)
7020-441: The Australian colonies, which had their own regional agitators for change. South Australia was quick to pass universal male suffrage, and Victoria and New South Wales followed soon after. By the end of the 1850s, all the Australian colonies and New Zealand had achieved responsible self-government. Only Western Australia took until 1890 to achieve this. The Northern Territory was originally part of South Australia, but transferred to
7150-561: The Cape Colony that the law was not to discriminate on the basis of race or colour. On the other hand, there was an additional pragmatic motivation, in that enfranchising the non-white population was seen as a way to bring peace to the Cape's frontier and social harmony to its cities. As such, political inclusiveness was also seen as a way of pre-empting and forestalling black resistance in the future. When queried by worried white voters on
7280-509: The Cape Parliament, and becoming the Cape's first Prime Minister . The ensuing period saw an economic recovery, a massive growth in exports and an expansion of the colony's frontiers. Despite political complications that arose from time to time (such as an ill-fated scheme by the British Colonial Office to enforce a confederation in Southern Africa in 1878, and tensions with the Afrikaner -dominated Government of Transvaal over trade and railroad construction), economic and social progress in
7410-504: The Cape government. This made the parties in such traditional property arrangements fully eligible as voters. Consequently, the first Black African political groupings such as Imbumba yama Nyama ("Unity is Strength") also had their origins in this era. This renewed commitment to non-racial government was not unopposed. Some English settlers in the Eastern Cape felt threatened by it, and their parliamentary representatives, such as John Paterson and Gordon Sprigg , consequently pushed for
7540-522: The Eastern Cape led by Rhodes and Jameson moved to roll back the political rights granted to the Black inhabitants in the colony. After coming to power, the nascent Progressive Party , led by Rhodes and fellow politician Sprigg , began enacting legislation to curb Black voting rights. This bill excluded "tribal forms of tenure from the property qualifications for the vote" (Davenport 1987: 108). Prime Minister Gordon Sprigg passed it to prevent communal/tribal land-owners from voting and thus to disenfranchise
7670-402: The First World War, but was renewed for Doukhobors from 1934 (via the Dominion Elections Act ) to 1955. The first Constitution of modern Romania in 1866 provided in article 7 that only Christians could become Romanian citizens. Jews native to Romania were declared stateless persons. In 1879, under pressure from the Berlin Peace Conference , this article was amended, granting non-Christians
7800-417: The Houses of Parliament. Historian Robert Poole has called the Peterloo Massacre one of the defining moments of its age. (The eponymous Peterloo film featured a scene of women suffragists planning their contribution to the protest.) At that time Manchester had a population of around 140,000 and the population totals of Greater Manchester were around 490,000. This was followed by other experiments in
7930-465: The Majority Party Gillon Bosman MMP Leader of the Opposition Khalid Sayed MMP Chief Whip of the Official Opposition Ayanda Bans MMP Municipal: Similarly the coloured voters in Cape Province were removed from the common/general roll, under the Separate Representation of Voters Act, 1951 . Although as the Act was challenged in what is known as the Coloured vote constitutional crisis , and not completely enforced until
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#17327727243008060-528: The Ministers of the Cape Government reported directly to the British Imperial Governor , and not to the locally elected representatives in the Cape Parliament . Among Cape citizens of all races, growing anger at their powerlessness in influencing unpopular imperial decisions had repeatedly led to protests and rowdy political meetings – especially during the early " Convict Crisis " of the 1840s. A popular political movement for responsible government soon emerged, under local leader John Molteno . A protracted struggle
8190-436: The Rebellions of 1837–1838. Elgin had serious misgivings about the bill, but, nonetheless assented to it, despite demands from the Tories that he refuse to do so. Elgin was physically assaulted by an English-speaking mob for this and the parliament building in Montreal was burned to the ground in the ensuing riots . Nonetheless, the Rebellion Losses Bill helped entrench responsible government into Canadian politics. In time,
8320-421: The South were often deemed by election officials to have failed the test even when they did not. Under the 1961 constitution of Rhodesia , voting on the "A" roll, which elected up to 50 of the 65 members of parliament, was restricted based on education requirements, which in practice led to an overwhelming white vote. Voting on the "B" roll had universal suffrage, but only appointed 15 members of parliament. In
8450-420: The United Kingdom, with a bicameral legislature and an executive responsible to the Lower House. Responsible government was implemented in several colonies of British North America (present day Canada ), between 1848 and 1850, with the executive council formulating policy with the assistance of the legislative branch, which voted approval or disapproval, and the appointed governor enacting those policies that
8580-632: The United Nations' Human Rights Commission, whose elected chair was Eleanor Roosevelt . In 1948 the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ; Article 21 states: "(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. (3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures." The United Nations General Assembly adopted
8710-605: The United States a felon might lose the right to vote. As of 2022 , Florida felons with court debts may not vote. In some countries being under guardianship may restrict the right to vote. Non-resident citizen voting allows emigrants and expats of some countries to vote in their home country. Resident non-citizens can vote in some countries, which may be restricted to citizens of closely linked countries (e.g., Commonwealth citizens and European Union citizens ) or to certain offices or questions. Multiple citizenship typically allows to vote in multiple countries. Historically
8840-410: The adoption of the succeeding constitution , which reverted to "all white male" suffrage restrictions. Although the Kingdom of Hawai'i granted female suffrage in 1840, the right was rescinded in 1852. Limited voting rights were gained by some women in Sweden, Britain, and some western U.S. states in the 1860s. In 1893, the British colony of New Zealand became the first self-governing nation to extend
8970-416: The area's roads. The British colonial forces overran the stockade, capturing or killing dozens of miners and bringing many to Melbourne for trial. However, mass public support led to the miners' release. Within a year, most of their demands had been met, including responsible self-government and universal male suffrage for the Colony of Victoria. The Eureka Rebellion and events in Victoria resonated around
9100-562: The basis of race or colour. Rhodes's Franchise and Ballot Act of 1892 got around this by raising the franchise qualifications, from the very low £25, to the significantly higher £75, disenfranchising the poorest classes of all race groups, but affecting a disproportionately large percentage of Black voters. Thus while some poor whites lost the vote, the even poorer Black and Coloured voting blocks suffered disproportionately. (Simons & Simons 1969: 50). The act also added an educational qualification, namely that voters needed to be literate. This
9230-435: The bulk of the Black population did not exercise their suffrage, partially because most lived in the rural frontier mountains where lack of infrastructure and information made it rare for Blacks to register or to travel to the widely dispersed voting stations. During the late 19th century, as an increasing number of Black South Africans living in the Cape exercised their voting rights, the pro-imperialist white political bloc in
9360-462: The causes of the later New Zealand Wars (1845–1872) over land and governance. Maori men were granted legal suffrage in 1867 through specially reserved Maori seats . In Australia during the colonial period, some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people may have theoretically had the right to vote in colonial elections. But, in practice they were usually unable to exercise this right: they lived traditional lifestyles in remote areas uncontacted by
9490-619: The colony, or affected by the disruption of the Frontier Wars . In addition, they often were excluded from voting by racial discrimination in practices or by property requirements. After federation, the Commonwealth Franchise Act of 1902 barred Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from voting in federal elections unless they were already eligible to vote in their state. Queensland explicitly barred Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from voting until
9620-511: The color of their executive power without that action being as a result of the counsel and advisement of their responsible ministers. Common exceptions to this rule include emergency or wartime acts of necessity and the granting of certain state honours. Their ministers are required to counsel them (i.e., explain to them and be sure they understand any issue that they will be called upon to decide) and to form and have recommendations for them (i.e., their advice or advisement) to choose from, which are
9750-423: The common voters' rolls and allowed only to elect separate members in 1936, and subsequently denied all representation in the House of Assembly in 1960. Coloured voters similarly followed in 1958 and 1970 , respectively. The Cape Qualified Franchise first appeared in 1853, when the Cape Colony received representative government and elected its first parliament . This was done without regard to race, and
9880-740: The consent of elected legislators in order to carry out all their roles. It was only in the decades leading up to Canadian Confederation in 1867 that the governing councils of those British North American colonies became responsible to the elected representatives of the people. In the aftermath of the American Revolution , sparked by the perceived shortcomings of virtual representation , the British government became more sensitive to unrest in its remaining colonies with large populations of European-descended colonists. Elected assemblies were introduced to both Upper Canada and Lower Canada with
10010-540: The constitution, it transpired only after nearly twenty years in 1872 when the so-called 'responsibles' under Molteno were able to command sufficient support in both houses to secure the passage of the necessary bill." Finally, with a parliamentary majority and with the Colonial Office and new Governor Henry Barkly won over, Molteno instituted responsible government, making the Ministers directly responsible to
10140-433: The devil". Supporters believed that the most effective means of instituting responsible government was simply to change the section of the constitution which prevented government officials from being elected to parliament or members of parliament from serving in executive positions. The conflict therefore centred on the changing of this specific section. "Although responsible government merely required an amendment to s.79 of
10270-472: The disenfranchising of their Xhosa neighbours. The Eastern Cape Separatist League gradually became the pro- imperialist Progressive Party , which later came to power under Cecil Rhodes and Leander Jameson . In addition, the predominantly Afrikaans -speaking Western Cape began to see the birth of rural Cape Dutch groups such as "Onze Jan" Hofmeyr 's Afrikaner Bond which also had mixed opinions about African franchise. Right wing media outlets such as
10400-675: The district not holding a seat in either the House of Representatives or Senate , however residents can vote in presidential elections based on the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution adopted in 1961. Residents of Puerto Rico enjoy neither. Sometimes citizens become ineligible to vote because they are no longer resident in their country of citizenship . For example, Australian citizens who have been outside Australia for more than one and fewer than six years may excuse themselves from
10530-660: The early Cape constitution, of which the Cape Qualified Franchise was merely a result, became known in later years as the Cape Liberal tradition. After the fall of the Cape's political system, the severely weakened movement survived as an increasingly liberal, local opposition against the Apartheid government of the dominant National Party . Principles such as a colour-blind political system, enforceable civil rights and an independent judiciary (as well as
10660-683: The electoral system or corruption of public officials. In the Republic of Ireland , prisoners are allowed the right to vote, following the Hirst v UK (No2) ruling , which was granted in 2006. Canada allowed only prisoners serving a term of less than 2 years the right to vote, but this was found to be unconstitutional in 2002 by the Supreme Court of Canada in Sauvé v. Canada (Chief Electoral Officer) , and all prisoners have been allowed to vote as of
10790-512: The female line. Women elders voted on hereditary male chiefs and could depose them. The emergence of many modern democracies began with male citizens obtaining the right to vote in advance of female citizens, except in the Kingdom of Hawai'i , where universal suffrage without mention of age or sex was introduced in 1840; however, a constitutional amendment in 1852 rescinded female voting and put property qualifications on male voting. Voting rights for women were introduced into international law by
10920-588: The first democratically elected [ sic ] cabinet in Canada's history. In 2014, as Prince of Wales, I had the great privilege of being sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada in the very same room. At the time, I was struck by the historic setting and profound significance in the history of Canada and the Commonwealth and, as you reflect on and celebrate this important milestone, I wanted to send you my warmest best wishes. John Ralston Saul ,
11050-522: The first permanent European settlement in Australia at Port Jackson . The settlers gradually expanded across the continent, displacing the indigenous population, until they had established six colonies; the legal system of these colonies were based on the common law system. At first, the Australian colonies were run by autocratic governors. They were appointed by the British monarch , but in practice
11180-407: The governors exercised vast executive and legislative powers with very little oversight. Several factors influenced this: most of these early colonies were penal colonies, they were at a great distance from the United Kingdom and communication was slow. In addition the continent was of enormous size and the Australian colonies were largely unexplored by Europeans and sparsely settled by them. In 1808
11310-619: The granting of responsible government became the first step on the road to complete independence. Canada gradually gained greater autonomy through inter imperial and Commonwealth diplomacy, including the British North America Act, 1867 ; the Statute of Westminster, 1931 ; and the patriation of the Constitution Act, 1982 . Charles III , King of Canada , sent a message to Nova Scotians on 2 February 2023 to mark
11440-407: The idea of women in politics. Political cartoons displayed the most sentiment by portraying the issue of women's suffrage to be swapped with men's lives. Some mocked the popular suffrage hairstyle of full-upward combed hair. Others depicted young girls turning into suffragettes after a failure in life, such as not being married. Equal suffrage is sometimes confused with Universal suffrage , although
11570-477: The issue of black citizens voting, William Porter , the Cape attorney-general famously responded: Why should you fear the exercise of franchise? This is a delicate question but it must be touched upon. I do not hesitate to say that I would rather meet the Hottentot at the hustings, voting for his representative, than in the wilds with his gun upon his shoulder. Is it not better to disarm them by granting them
11700-592: The later 1950s, the last year to see non-whites participate in a general election was in 1953 . Coloured electors complying with qualifications were subsequently given four white MPs between 1958 and 1970. These seats were abolished in 1968 through the Separate Representation of Voters Amendment Act, 1968 , enacted on behalf of Prime Minister B. J. Vorster . This erased the last remnant of the Cape Qualified Franchise, and thus of any political representation for non-whites in South Africa. The values of
11830-474: The leadership of its first Prime Minister, John Molteno . This act brought all three branches of the state's government under local control, made the Executive democratically accountable (or "responsible" as it was known), and thus gave the Cape Colony a degree of legislative independence from the British government . It also stimulated a new political awareness among Cape residents of all backgrounds, with
11960-429: The legislature had approved. This replaced the previous system, whereby the governor took advice from an executive council and used the legislature chiefly to raise money. Under responsible government, the executive is also a part of the legislature. The Executive branch must consist of MPs Responsible government was a major element of Canada's gradual development toward independence. The concept of responsible government
12090-545: The lower house has passed a motion of no confidence in the government, the government must ordinarily immediately resign or submit itself to the electorate in a new general election. Lastly, the head of state is in turn required to effectuate their executive power only through these responsible ministers. They must never attempt to set up a shadow government of executives or advisors and attempt to use them as instruments of government, or to rely upon their unofficial advice. They generally are not permitted to take any action under
12220-435: The meaning of the former is the removal of graded votes, wherein a voter could possess a number of votes in accordance with income, wealth or social status. Also known as "censitary suffrage", it is the opposite of equal suffrage, meaning that the votes cast by those eligible to vote are not equal, but weighed differently according to the person's income or rank in society (e.g., people who do not own property or whose income
12350-418: The ministers' formal, reasoned recommendations as to what course of action should be taken. From the middle of the 19th century, the United Kingdom began to introduce systems of responsible government to the colonial governments of its settler colonies including in Canada, Newfoundland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. These systems were strongly based upon the system that had historically developed in
12480-531: The most notable immediate growth being in Black political consciousness. The new ministry held the non-racial nature of its institutions to be one of its core ideals, and enshrined it into its new constitution. The commitment to treat Black African and Coloured people as "fellow subjects with white men" was explicitly reaffirmed by the new government, which struck down opposition motions to restrict voting qualifications in 1874, and again in 1878. Campaigns also began in
12610-429: The non-white majority of the population. In 1931, the restricting franchise qualifications were removed for white voters, but kept in place for Black and " Coloured " voters. The white share of the vote was further augmented by the enfranchising of white women, as this was not extended to Black African or Coloured women. The result was a system in the Cape whereby the white population enjoyed universal adult franchise while
12740-784: The non-white population was still restricted by sex-, education-, and wealth-based qualifications. By 1937, only a small number of black Africans in the Cape Province still remained on the common voters' roll. Under the Representation of Natives Act, 1936 , three white members were elected to represent black voters in the province, with the voters' roll being limited to only 11 000. These seats were later abolished. The Hon Alan Winde MMP The Seventh Provincial Parliament Speaker Daylin Mitchell MMP Deputy Speaker Reagan Allen MMP Chief Whip of
12870-458: The only tax for such countries was the property tax), or the voting rights were weighted according to the amount of taxes paid (as in the Prussian three-class franchise ). Most countries abolished the property qualification for national elections in the late nineteenth century, but retained it for local government elections for several decades. Today these laws have largely been abolished, although
13000-454: The parliament's lower house , which is more representative than the upper house , as it usually has more members and they are always directly elected . Responsible government of parliamentary accountability manifests itself in several ways. Ministers account to Parliament for their decisions and for the performance of their departments. This requirement to make announcements and to answer questions in Parliament means that ministers must have
13130-531: The privileges of the constitution? If you now blast all their hopes and tell them they shall not fight their battles constitutionally, do not you yourselves apply to them the stimulus to fight their battles unconstitutionally? (quoted in Simons and Simons, 1983: 23) A minimum property ownership of £25 qualified the male Cape citizen to vote or to stand in parliament. As this included all forms of property ownership, including traditional African communal land tenure, it
13260-411: The privileges of the floor, which are only granted to those who are members of either house of Parliament. Secondly, and most importantly, although ministers are officially appointed by the authority of the head of state and can theoretically be dismissed at the pleasure of the sovereign, they concurrently retain their office subject to their holding the confidence of the lower house of Parliament. When
13390-456: The range usually varies between 16 and 21 years. The United Kingdom was the first major democratic nation to extend suffrage to those 18 and older in 1969 . The movement to lower the voting age is one aspect of the Youth rights movement. Demeny voting has been proposed as a form of proxy voting by parents on behalf of their children who are below the age of suffrage. Some countries restrict
13520-530: The remaining Cape liberals and the growing Black African liberation movements, especially in the early years of the struggle. Thus while the Cape liberals' own role became less relevant in the direction of the liberation movement, their non-racial values were successfully propagated by the political ancestors of the ANC, and came to reside at the centre of South Africa's post-Apartheid Constitution. Suffrage Suffrage , political franchise , or simply franchise
13650-406: The requirement to vote in Australian elections while they remain outside Australia (voting in Australia is compulsory for resident citizens). Danish citizens that reside permanently outside Denmark lose their right to vote. In some cases, a certain period of residence in a locality may required for the right to vote in that location. For example, in the United Kingdom up to 2001, each 15 February
13780-464: The residents in each county (...) and they shall be of the Protestent (sic) religion". In Maryland , voting rights and eligibility were extended to Jews in 1828. In Canada , several religious groups ( Mennonites , Hutterites , Doukhobors ) were disenfranchised by the wartime Elections Act of 1917, mainly because they opposed military service. This disenfranchisement ended with the closure of
13910-488: The resolution, became attorney general and leader of the government. Joseph Howe, the long-time campaigner for this "peaceable revolution", became provincial secretary . Other members of the council were Hugh Bell, Wm.F. Desbarres, Lawrence O.C. Doyle, Herbert Huntingdon, James McNab, Michael Tobin, and George R. Young. The colony of New Brunswick soon followed in May 1848, when Lieutenant Governor Edmund Walker Head brought in
14040-509: The right to become Romanian citizens, but naturalization was granted on a case-by-case basis and was subject to Parliamentary approval. An application took over ten years to process. Only in 1923 was a new constitution adopted, whose article 133 extended Romanian citizenship to all Jewish residents and equality of rights to all Romanian citizens. Until the nineteenth century, many Western proto-democracies had property qualifications in their electoral laws; e.g. only landowners could vote (because
14170-531: The right to vote from 1728 to 1793, and the right to sit in parliament until 1829. The anti-Catholic policy was justified on the grounds that the loyalty of Catholics supposedly lay with the Pope rather than the national monarch. In England and Ireland, several Acts practically disenfranchised non-Anglicans or non-Protestants by imposing an oath before admission to vote or to stand for office. The 1672 and 1678 Test Acts forbade non-Anglicans to hold public offices, and
14300-484: The right to vote to all adult women. In 1894, the women of South Australia achieved the right to both vote and stand for Parliament . The autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland in the Russian Empire was the first nation to allow all women to both vote and run for parliament. Those against the women's suffrage movement made public organizations to put down the political movement, with the main argument being that
14430-410: The right to vote was more restricted, for example by gender, race, or wealth. The word suffrage comes from Latin suffragium , which initially meant "a voting-tablet", "a ballot", "a vote", or "the right to vote". Suffragium in the second century and later came to mean "political patronage, influence, interest, or support", and sometimes "popular acclaim" or "applause". By the fourth century
14560-489: The same, and have resided within the county in which they claim a vote for twelve months immediately preceding the election, shall be entitled to vote for Representatives in Council and Assembly; and also for all other public officers, that shall be elected by the people of the county at large. New Jersey 1776 However, the document did not specify an Amendment procedure, and the provision was subsequently replaced in 1844 by
14690-480: The suffrage practices of Iroquois women, "These female chieftains are women of standing amongst the savages, and they have a deciding vote in the councils. They make decisions there like the men, and it is they who even delegated the first ambassadors to discuss peace." The Iroquois, like many First Nations peoples in North America, had a matrilineal kinship system . Property and descent were passed through
14820-454: The term 'universal suffrage' has meant different things with the different assumptions about the groups that were or were not deemed desirable voters. The short-lived Corsican Republic (1755–1769) was the first country to grant limited universal suffrage to all citizens over the age of 25. In 1819, 60–80,000 women and men from 30 miles around Manchester assembled in the city's St. Peter's Square to protest their lack of any representation in
14950-467: The voting rights of convicted criminals. Some countries, and some U.S. states , also deny the right to vote to those convicted of serious crimes even after they are released from prison. In some cases (e.g. in many U.S. states ) the denial of the right to vote is automatic upon a felony conviction; in other cases (e.g. France and Germany) deprivation of the vote is meted out separately, and often limited to perpetrators of specific crimes such as those against
15080-541: The will of elected colonial assemblies. The first instance of responsible government in the British Empire outside of the United Kingdom itself was achieved by the colony of Nova Scotia in January and February 1848, through the efforts of Joseph Howe . Howe's push for responsible government was inspired by the work of Thomas McCulloch and Jotham Blanchard almost two decades earlier. The plaque erected by
15210-527: The word may be related to suffrago , signifying an ankle bone or knuckle bone. In the 17th century the English suffrage regained the earlier meaning of the Latin suffragium , "a vote" or "the right to vote". The word franchise comes from the French word franchir , which means "to free." Other common uses of the term today have less resemblance to the original meaning as they are associated with
15340-526: The word was used for "an intercession", asking a patron for their influence with the Almighty. Suffragium was used in the fifth and sixth centuries with connection to buying influence or profiteering from appointing to office, and eventually the word referred to the bribe itself. William Smith rejects the connection of suffragium to sub "under" + fragor "crash, din, shouts (as of approval)", related to frangere "to break"; Eduard Wunder writes that
15470-624: The world in 1893. Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote. This was the goal of the suffragists, who believed in using legal means, as well as the suffragettes , who used extremist measures. Short-lived suffrage equity was drafted into provisions of the State of New Jersey's first, 1776 Constitution, which extended the Right to Vote to unwed female landholders and black land owners. IV. That all inhabitants of this Colony, of full age, who are worth fifty pounds proclamation money, clear estate in
15600-659: Was concerned that, as more and more Black men exercised their constitutional right to vote, many Cape constituencies were becoming controlled by the Black vote. He had earlier voiced his views on Black political empowerment in a speech in the Cape Parliament in June 1887 in which he stated: "My motto is equal rights for every civilized man south of the Zambezi. What is a civilized man? It is a man who has sufficient education to write his name, and has some property or works, not
15730-401: Was gained from the 1890s to the 1910s in Australia and New Zealand (1893), allowing the other half of the ethnic European population to participate in responsible representative government. In New Zealand, the English and te reo maori versions of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi had different wording, which fuelled disagreement over how the land should be governed, owned and sold. This was one of
15860-515: Was growing political discontent and civil disobedience among the common men, especially in the inland gold fields areas. This culminated in the 1854 Eureka Rebellion near Ballarat . 190 miners armed themselves, erected a stockade , and raised the Southern Cross Flag. They demanded an end to taxation (via an expensive miner's license) without representation, the right to vote in colonial elections, and colonial maintenance and upkeep of
15990-500: Was inhabited by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples, who had their own traditional forms of self-government. They were divided into various nations and clans and, in some cases, large alliances between several nations. In 1770, Royal Navy officer James Cook sailed along the east coast of Australia and claimed it for King George III . Nearly two decades later, in 1788 the First Fleet led by Arthur Phillip established
16120-553: Was intended to disenfranchise the Cape's Xhosa electorate as, coming from a culture with an oral tradition, the majority of Xhosa voters were as yet illiterate. As in 1887, the act faced strong opposition from parliamentary defenders of the original Cape constitution. The Glen Grey Act was passed by the government of Cecil Rhodes in 1894 and stipulated a system of individual land holding for Black areas. It also complemented Sprigg's earlier discriminatory legislation by completely excluding property held under this new "Glen Grey title" as
16250-521: Was repealed by article I, section 2 of the 1792 Constitution : "No religious test shall be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, under this State". The 1778 Constitution of the State of South Carolina stated that "No person shall be eligible to sit in the house of representatives unless he be of the Protestant religion", the 1777 Constitution of the State of Georgia (art. VI) that "The representatives shall be chosen out of
16380-463: Was simply disguised discrimination. The Cape's Xhosa politicians labelled the act "Tung' umlomo" ("Sew up the mouth"), and responded by greatly intensifying their efforts to register the many thousands of rural Blacks who nonetheless still qualified as potential voters, but who had yet to register. Through their efforts, the number of active Black voters reached its former level again by 1891, and continued to climb. Cape Prime Minister Cecil Rhodes
16510-568: Was the business vote, abolished in 1968 (a year before it was abolished in Great Britain outside the City of London). In the Republic of Ireland , commercial ratepayers can vote in local plebiscites , for changing the name of the locality or street , or delimiting a business improvement district . From 1930 to 1935, 5 of 35 members of Dublin City Council were "commercial members". In cities in most Australian states, voting
16640-439: Was the origin of what became known as the "Cape Liberal Tradition" and also formed the core of the later South African Party . The low wealth qualification of the "£25 vote" meant that nearly all owners of any form of property could vote. In addition, the Cape's liberal laws recognised traditional Black land tenure and communal property rights, making such forms of ownership equally valid as voter qualifications. However originally
16770-494: Was then conducted over the ensuing years as the movement (known informally as "the responsibles") grew increasingly powerful, and used their parliamentary majority to put pressure on the British Governor, withholding public finances from him, and conducting public agitations. Not everyone favoured responsible government though, and pro-imperial press outlets even accused the movement of constituting "crafts and assaults of
16900-400: Was very low, relative to the suffrage qualifications that applied elsewhere in the world at the time. In fact, it was widely considered to be excessively low, and there were several political movements that tried to have it raised. The system was known as the "£25 vote". Decades later, literacy was added as an additional criterion to qualify for suffrage. The existence of voter qualifications was
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