66-644: East Norfolk was a constituency in the county of Norfolk that returned two members of parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 until 1868. It was re-established in 1885 with representation of one member. That seat was abolished in 1950. The constituency was first created by the Great Reform Act for the 1832 general election , and abolished for
132-490: A few White voters to a separate set of constituencies, under the principle of weighted voting ; this was replaced in 1969 by an explicitly racial franchise, with delegated all Blacks to the 'B' voters roll). In Sweden (including Swedish-ruled Finland ), women's suffrage was granted during the Age of Liberty from 1718 until 1772. In Corsica , women's suffrage was granted in 1755 and lasted until 1769. Women's suffrage (with
198-407: A local council's chief executive or Head of Legal Services. The role, however, is separate from these posts, and can be held by any person appointed by the council. The spending limits for election campaigns are different in the two, the reasoning being that candidates in county constituencies tend to need to travel farther. For by-elections to any of these bodies, the limit in all constituencies
264-529: A major country was granted in New Zealand in 1893. The women's suffrage bill was adopted mere weeks before the general election of 1893. Māori men had been granted suffrage in 1867, white men in 1879. The Freedom in the World index lists New Zealand as the only free country in the world in 1893. South Australia first granted women suffrage and allowed them to stand for parliament in 1894 . In 1906,
330-708: A minimum voting age of 20. The UK gave women the right to vote at the same age as men (21) in 1928. In 1931, the Second Spanish Republic allowed women the right of passive suffrage with three women being elected. During a discussion on extending women's right to active suffrage, the Radical Socialist Victoria Kent confronted the Radical Clara Campoamor . Kent argued that Spanish women were not yet prepared to vote and, since they were too influenced by
396-461: A minority of the male population. In some jurisdictions, other restrictions existed, such as requiring voters to practice a given religion. In all modern democracies, the number of people who could vote has increased progressively with time. The 19th century saw many movements advocating "universal [male] suffrage", most notably in Europe and North America. Female suffrage was largely ignored until
462-575: A precedent for broader suffrage rights worldwide. However, voting rights were often limited to those of the dominant ethnicity. In the United States, after the principle of " One person, one vote " was established in the early 1960s by the U.S. Supreme Court under Earl Warren , the U.S. Congress , together with the Warren Court , continued to protect and expand the voting rights of all Americans , especially African Americans, through
528-494: A prefix in cases where the rest of the constituency name refers to the county area or a local council, but a suffix where the rest of the name refers to a population centre." This is the reason for the difference in naming between, for example, North Shropshire (a county constituency ) and Reading West (a borough constituency ). In the 2005 United Kingdom general election , the House of Commons had 646 constituencies covering
594-645: A prerequisite for allowing men to register and vote. Greece recognized full male suffrage in 1844. Spain recognized it in the Constitution of 1869 and France and Switzerland have continuously done so since the 1848 Revolution (for resident male citizens). Upon independence in the 19th century, several Latin-American countries and Liberia in Africa initially extended suffrage to all adult males, but subsequently restricted it based on property requirements. The German Empire implemented full male suffrage in 1871. In
660-601: Is part of the Greater London Authority and general elections of the assembly are held at the same time as election of the mayor of London . There are 18 Northern Ireland Assembly Constituencies : four borough (for Belfast ) and 14 county constituencies elsewhere (see below). Each elects five MLAs to the 90 member NI Assembly by means of the single transferable vote system. Assembly Constituency boundaries are identical to their House of Commons equivalents. The constituencies below are not used for
726-637: Is the second to be created. The first was created for the first general election of the National Assembly for Wales, in 1999. Before its withdrawal from the European Union in 2020, the United Kingdom elected its Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) through twelve multimember European Parliament constituencies . One, Northern Ireland , used single transferable vote , while the eleven covering Great Britain used
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#1732780647761792-490: Is £100,000. In the House of Commons of England , each English county elected two " knights of the shire " while each enfranchised borough elected "burgesses" (usually two, sometimes four, and in a few cases one). From 1535 each Welsh county and borough was represented, by one knight or burgess. The franchise was restricted differently in different types of constituency; in county constituencies forty shilling freeholders (i.e. landowners) could vote, while in boroughs
858-581: The 1868 general election . In that period the Parliamentary County of Norfolk was split into two divisions – Eastern Norfolk and Western Norfolk , each returning two members. Further to the Reform Act of 1867 , Norfolk was reorganised into the North , South and West divisions, with each of the three divisions again returning two members. The Eastern division was replaced by the bulk of
924-480: The 2005 United Kingdom general election . There are 40 Senedd constituencies covering Wales , and each elects one Member of the Senedd (MS) by the first-past-the-post system . Also, the constituencies are grouped into five electoral regions, and each of these regions elects four additional members , to produce a form or degree of mixed-member proportional representation . The current set of Senedd constituencies
990-502: The Catholic Church , they would vote for right-wing candidates. Campoamor however pleaded for women's rights regardless of political orientation. Her point finally prevailed and, in the election of 1933, the political right won with the vote of citizens of any sex over 23. Both Campoamor and Kent lost their seats. In Switzerland, women's suffrage was introduced at the federal level, by a nationwide (male) referendum in 1971, but
1056-632: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 , Voting Rights Act of 1965 and several Supreme Court rulings. In addition, the term " suffrage " is also associated specifically with women's suffrage in the United States ; a movement to extend the franchise to women began in the mid-19th century and culminated in 1920, when the United States ratified the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution , guaranteeing
1122-585: The European Parliamentary Elections Act 1999 , creating eleven constituencies on Great Britain, which were first used in 1999 . The South West England constituency was expanded from the 2004 elections onward to include Gibraltar , the only British overseas territory that was part of the European Union , following a court case. Universal suffrage Universal suffrage or universal franchise ensures
1188-462: The Greater London area, and each constituency elects one member of the assembly by the first-past-the-post system . Eleven additional members are elected from Greater London as a whole to produce a form or degree of mixed-member proportional representation . Constituency names and boundaries remain now as they were for the first general election of the assembly, in 2000. The assembly
1254-823: The Landsgemeinde , which managed political and judicial affairs. Before the national referendum in 1971, women had gained the right to vote in Cantonal elections and referendums in Vaud, & Neuchâtel in 1959; Genêve in 1960; Basel-Stadt in 1966; Basel-Land in 1968; Ticino in 1969; and Valais, Luzern, & Zürich in 1970. They were granted the right to vote in 1971 in Aargau, Fribourg, Schaffhausen, Zug, Glarus, Solothurn, Bern, & Thurgau. St. Gallen, Uri, Schwyz, Grischun, Nidwalden, & Obwalden soon followed in 1972. Appenzell Ausserrhoden only allowed women to vote in 1989, and
1320-556: The Scotland Act 1998 , the expectation was that there would be a permanent link between the boundaries of Holyrood constituencies and those of Westminster constituencies. This link was broken, however, by the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004 , which enabled the creation of a new set of Westminster constituencies without change to Holyrood constituencies. The new Westminster boundaries became effective for
1386-627: The South prior to the end (1865) of the American Civil War and the 1864–1865 abolition of slavery . Despite the amendment, however, blacks were disfranchised in the former Confederate states after 1877 ; Southern officials ignored the amendment and blocked black citizens from voting through a variety of devices, including poll taxes , literacy tests , and grandfather clauses ; violence and terrorism were used to intimidate some would-be voters. Southern blacks did not effectively receive
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#17327806477611452-483: The Tricameral Parliament established separate chambers for Whites, Coloureds and Indians. Rhodesia enacted a similar statute to the former in its proclaimed independence of 1965, which however allowed a smaller number of representatives for the considerably larger Black majority (under its 1961 constitution, the voting classes had been based on socio-economic standards, which marginalized most Black and
1518-619: The United Kingdom there are five bodies with members elected by electoral districts called " constituencies " as opposed to " wards ": Between 1921 and 1973 the following body also included members elected by constituencies: Electoral areas called constituencies were previously used in elections to the European Parliament , prior to the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union (see European Parliament constituency ). In local government elections (other than for
1584-503: The d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation . For its first European Parliamentary elections in 1979 Great Britain was divided into a number of single-member first-past-the Post constituencies, matching the way Westminster MPs are elected. Following the decision that all MEPs should be elected by some form of proportional representation , the Labour government passed
1650-471: The right to vote for as many people bound by a government's laws as possible, as supported by the " one person, one vote " principle. For many, the term universal suffrage assumes the exclusion of the young and non-citizens (among others). At the same time, some insist that more inclusion is needed before suffrage can be truly universal. Democratic theorists, especially those hoping to achieve more universal suffrage, support presumptive inclusion , where
1716-593: The Borough were entitled to vote in this constituency. The division was expanded to the south, with the addition of eastern parts of the Southern Division ( Loddon and Clavering Rural District ). Also gained small area to the west from the Northern Division . On its abolition, the contents of the seat were distributed as follows: Wodehouse resigned via accepting the office of Steward of
1782-471: The Commonwealth of Australia became the first country to grant full suffrage for women, i.e. the rights both to vote and to run for office. However, Australia did not implement universal suffrage at this time – nationwide voting rights for Aboriginal Australians were not established until 1962, before that varying by state. Many societies in the past have denied or abridged political representation on
1848-683: The Danish crown in 1918. Recovered and extended to all men from 1869 to 1878 (comprising the Provisional Government , the Reign of Amadeo of Savoy , the First Spanish Republic and the three first years of Bourbon Restoration ) and from 1890 to the end of the Second Spanish Republic (1931–36). On 19 November 1933 women were granted the right to vote. Revoked during Franco era (1939–75) and recovered since 1977 in
1914-697: The Jacobin government in 1794 discredited most ideas associated with them, including that constitution). Elsewhere in the Francophone world, the Republic of Haiti legislated for universal male suffrage in 1816. The Second French Republic instituted adult male suffrage after the revolution of 1848 . Following the French revolutions, movements in the Western world toward more universal suffrage occurred in
1980-566: The London Assembly) electoral areas are called wards or electoral divisions . House of Commons, Scottish Parliament, Senedd and Northern Ireland Assembly constituencies are designated as either county or borough constituencies, except that in Scotland the term burgh is used instead of borough . Since the advent of universal suffrage , the differences between county and borough constituencies are slight. Formerly (see below )
2046-458: The Manor of Hempholme , causing a by-election. Buxton's death caused a by-election. General election 1914–15 : Another general election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected; General election 1939–40 Until the parliament elected in 1935
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2112-696: The North and South Divisions. Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 , the three two-member county divisions were replaced with six single-member divisions. The second version of this constituency was one of the single-member seats. It was abolished under the Representation of the People Act 1948 , which came into effect for the 1950 general election . As Great Yarmouth formed a separate Parliamentary Borough, only non-resident freeholders of
2178-499: The Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first-past-the-post system . Also, the constituencies are grouped into eight electoral regions, and each of these regions elects seven additional members , to produce a form or degree of mixed-member proportional representation . The existing constituencies were created, effectively, for the first general election of the Scottish Parliament, in 1999. When created, all but two had
2244-703: The United Kingdom Parliament. The Reform Act 1832 reduced the number of parliamentary boroughs in England and Wales by eliminating the rotten boroughs. It also divided larger counties into two two-seat divisions , the boundaries of which were defined in the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 , and gave seven counties a third member. Similar reforms were also made for Scotland and for Ireland . The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 ( 48 & 49 Vict. c. 23) equalised
2310-571: The United States, the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution , ratified in 1870 during the Reconstruction era , provided that "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." This amendment aimed to guarantee the right to vote to African Americans, many of whom had been enslaved in
2376-653: The autonomous Grand Principality of Finland became the first territory to give women full political rights, i.e. both the right to vote and to run for office, and was the second in the world and the first in Europe to give women the right to vote. The world's first female members of parliament were elected in Finland the following year, 1907. After the German Revolution of 1918–19, the Weimar Constitution established universal suffrage in 1919 with
2442-491: The basis of race or ethnicity, related to discriminatory ideas about citizenship . For example, in apartheid -era South Africa, non-White people could generally not vote in national elections until the first multi-party elections in 1994 . However, a nonracial franchise existed under the Cape Qualified Franchise , which was replaced by a number of separate MPs in 1936 (Blacks) and 1958 (Coloureds). Later,
2508-433: The cities of Glasgow , Edinburgh , Aberdeen , Dundee and three urban areas of Lanarkshire . In England and Wales, the position of returning officer in borough constituencies is held ex officio by the mayor or chairman of the borough or district council, and the high sheriff of the county in county constituencies. The administration of elections is carried out by the acting returning officer, who will typically be
2574-507: The early 19th century, and focused on removing property requirements for voting. In 1867 Germany (the North German Confederation ) enacted suffrage for all adult males. In the United States following the American Civil War , slaves were freed and granted rights of citizens , including suffrage for adult males (although several states established restrictions largely, though not completely, diminishing these rights). In
2640-733: The election of members to the 11 district councils . Scottish Parliament constituencies are sometimes called Holyrood constituencies, to distinguish them from Westminster (House of Commons) constituencies. The Scottish Parliament Building is in the Holyrood area of Edinburgh , while the main meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is the Palace of Westminster , in the City of Westminster . There are 73 Holyrood constituencies covering Scotland , and each elects one Member of
2706-477: The first British-controlled colony in which women had the right to vote in parliamentary elections. This was followed shortly after by the colony of South Australia in 1894, which was the second to allow women to vote, but the first colony to permit women to stand for election as well. In 1906, the autonomous Russian territory known as Grand Duchy of Finland (which became the Republic of Finland in 1917) became
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2772-550: The first territory in the world to implement unrestricted universal suffrage, as women could stand as candidates, unlike in New Zealand, and without indigenous ethnic exclusion, like in Australia. It also lead to the election of the world's first female members of parliament the following year . Federal states and colonial or autonomous territories prior to World War I have multiple examples of early introduction of universal suffrage. However, these legal changes were effected with
2838-690: The franchise differed, and there were also county borough and university constituencies. Borough constituencies are predominantly urban while county constituencies are predominantly rural . There is no definitive statutory criterion for the distinction; the Boundary Commission for England has stated that, "as a general principle, where constituencies contain more than a small rural element they should normally be designated as county constituencies. Otherwise they should be designated as borough constituencies." In Scotland, all House of Commons constituencies are county constituencies except those in
2904-470: The franchise varied from potwallopers , giving many residents votes, to rotten boroughs with hardly any voters. A county borough was the constituency of a county corporate , combining the franchises of both county and borough. Until 1950 there were also university constituencies , which gave graduates an additional representation. Similar distinctions applied in the Irish House of Commons , while
2970-492: The last uninterrupted time from the present a group was granted the right to vote if that group's suffrage has been fully restored. In 1894, the parliament of the Colony of South Australia enacted legislation providing female adults franchise; giving all adults of the age of majority the right to vote in elections, and for any elector to stand for high office. In 1901, the self-governing colonies of Australia federated . In 1902,
3036-486: The late-19th and early-20th centuries, the focus of the universal suffrage movement came to include the extension of the right to vote to women , as happened from the post-Civil War era in several Western states and during the 1890s in a number of British colonies. On 19 September 1893 the British Governor of New Zealand, Lord Glasgow , gave assent to a new electoral act, which meant that New Zealand became
3102-422: The latter half of the century, when movements began to thrive; the first of these was in New Zealand, in which all adult women of all ethnicities gained the right to vote in 1893. A year later, South Australia granted all citizens the right to vote and stand for election, making it the first place in the world where women could stand as candidates for election to parliament. From there, this groundbreaking reform set
3168-421: The legal system would protect the voting rights of all subjects unless the government can clearly prove that disenfranchisement is necessary. Universal full suffrage includes both the right to vote, also called active suffrage, and the right to be elected, also called passive suffrage . In the first modern democracies, governments restricted the vote to those with property and wealth, which almost always meant
3234-669: The movement to extend voting rights to children and youth. While some jurisdictions extend the right to vote in at least some elections to resident non-citizens and non-resident citizens, many people remain unable to vote based on their citizenship and residency status. Non-citizen suffrage with non-resident citizen voting can result in dual transnational voting. States have granted and revoked universal suffrage at various times. Note: this chart does not indicate periods of autocratic rule (when voting has little or no power). Since historically one group or another might have lost suffrage rights only to regain them later on, this table lists
3300-717: The names and boundaries of Westminster constituencies. The two exceptions were the Orkney Holyrood constituency , covering the Orkney Islands council area , and the Shetland Holyrood constituency , covering the Shetland Islands council area . For Westminster elections, these council areas were covered (and still are covered) by the Orkney and Shetland Westminster constituency . In 1999, under
3366-800: The new Spanish Constitution. Women's suffrage was introduced at the national level after a nationwide (male) referendum in 1971, but the referendum did not give women the right to vote at the Cantonal level. On the level of the constituent states of the Old Swiss Confederacy , universal male suffrage is first attested in Uri in 1231, in Schwyz in 1294, in Unterwalden in 1309, and in Appenzell in 1403. In these rural communities all men fit for military service were allowed to participate in
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#17327806477613432-511: The new federal parliament legislated for an adult franchise and the right of electors to stand for and occupy any office for which they could directly vote. This franchise, including voting rights for non-Indigenous women, was established by the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 . Voting rights for Indigenous Australians varied depending on state legislation. The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1962 granted Indigenous Australians
3498-480: The non-university elected members of the Parliament of Scotland were called Shire Commissioners and Burgh Commissioners. After the Acts of Union 1707 , Scottish burghs were grouped into districts of burghs in the Parliament of Great Britain , except that Edinburgh was a constituency in its own right . After the Acts of Union 1800 , smaller Irish boroughs were disenfranchised, while most others returned only one MP to
3564-476: The permission of the British, Russian or other government bodies, which were considered the sovereign nation at the time. For this reason, Australia (1901), New Zealand (1908) and Finland (1917) all have different dates of achieving independent nationhood. The First French Republic adopted universal male suffrage briefly in 1792; it was one of the first national systems that abolished all property requirements as
3630-408: The population of constituencies; it split larger boroughs into multiple single-member constituencies, reduced smaller boroughs from two seats each to one, split each two-seat county and division into two single-member constituencies, and each three-seat county into single-member constituencies. The House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1958 , eliminated the previous common electoral quota for
3696-509: The power to create names for constituencies, and does not provide a set of statutory guidelines for the Commissions to follow in doing so. Constituency names are geographic, and "should normally reflect the main population centre(s) contained in the constituency". Compass points are used to distinguish constituencies from each other when a more suitable label cannot be found. Where used, "The compass point reference used will generally form
3762-457: The referendum did not give women the right to vote at the local Cantonal level. The Cantons independently voted to grant women the right to vote. The first Canton to give women the right to vote was Vaud in 1959. The last Canton, Appenzell Innerrhoden , had a centuries-old law forbidding women to vote. This was only changed in 1990 when Switzerland's Federal Court ordered the Canton to grant women
3828-407: The right of women to vote. It would be 1928 before voting rights were guaranteed to all women in the UK . France, under the 1793 Jacobin constitution , was the first major country to enact suffrage for all adult males, though it was never formally used in practice (the constitution was immediately suspended before being implemented, and the subsequent election occurred in 1795 after the fall of
3894-469: The right to vote in federal elections. In 1965, the Queensland parliament extended voting rights to all Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders. Compulsory enrolment was extended to Indigenous Australians nationwide in 1984. Somewhat reverted in 1925: women's voting age raised to 30, education and wealth requirements were raised. In rural constituencies open voting was reinstated. The rate of eligible citizens fell to 29%. A small share of women were granted
3960-412: The right to vote in local elections in 1882. Women's suffrage was proposed in the Althing in 1911, ratified by the Althing in 1913, and enacted on 19 June 1915 by the Danish king but only granted the vote to women over 40, and did not grant the right to vote to servants. These restrictions (along with some restrictions on male suffrage) were lifted in 1920 after Iceland became an independent state under
4026-421: The right to vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 . In 1893 the self-governing colony New Zealand became the first country in the world (except for the short-lived 18th-century Corsican Republic ) to grant active universal suffrage by giving women the right to vote. It did not grant universal full suffrage (the right to both vote and be a candidate, or both active and passive suffrage) until 1919. In 1902,
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#17327806477614092-476: The right to vote. The movement to lower the voting age many consider an aspect of universal suffrage that the youth rights movement has helped to lead. Organizations such as the National Youth Rights Association are active in the United States to advocate for a lower voting age, with some success, among other issues related to youth rights. A related movement, suffrage for Americans with disabilities provides important precedents and intersectionality with
4158-451: The same property qualifications as for men) was granted in New Jersey in 1776 (the word "inhabitants" was used instead of "men" in the 1776 Constitution) and rescinded in 1807. The Pitcairn Islands granted restricted women's suffrage in 1838. Various other countries and states granted restricted women's suffrage in the later half of the nineteenth century, starting with South Australia in 1861. The first unrestricted women's suffrage in
4224-455: The whole United Kingdom and replaced it with four separate national minimal seat quotas for the respective Boundaries commissions to work to, as a result the separate national electoral quotas came into effect: England 69,534; Northern Ireland 67,145, Wales 58,383 and in Scotland only 54,741 electors. The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 gives the Boundary Commissions for England , Wales , Scotland and Northern Ireland
4290-457: The whole of the United Kingdom. This rose to 650 in the 2010 election following the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies . Each constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the " first-past-the-post " system of election. The House of Commons is one of the two chambers of the bicameral Parliament of the United Kingdom , the other being the House of Lords . There are fourteen London Assembly constituencies covering
4356-421: Was extended, another general election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties made preparations for an election to take place, and by the autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected; United Kingdom constituencies In the United Kingdom (UK), each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one member to the House of Commons . Within
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