franchise

franchise Right or privilege of an individual to vote in public political elections, granted by government. Franchise is conferred according to a set of criteria which may include age, sex, race or class. In modern democracies, the intention is that anyone over a specific age has the right to vote. In Britain, the modern basis of the franchise dates from the 1832 Reform Act and later acts, which, by 1918, ensured all men over the age of 21 and women over 30 were entitled to vote (the first country to give women the vote was New Zealand, 1893). By 1928, women over 21 were enfranchised and in 1969 the voting age in Britain was lowered to 18. In the USA, the franchise is granted by each state, and this is overseen by the Constitution. The 14th and 15th Amendments (1868 and 1870) forbid any state to deny voting rights to resident adult men aged over 21 on the grounds of race, colour, or previous servitude. The 19th Amendment (1920) gave women the vote. In practice, voting rights were restricted in the USA until the 1960s. In particular, grandfather clauses were added to the constitutions of seven Southern States to deprive African-Americans of their voting rights. Other methods of restricting the franchise included literacy tests and poll taxes. The 24th Amendment (1964) banned poll taxes. The Voting Rights Act (1965) outlawed literacy tests and installed poll observers to prevent voter intimidation. The 26th Amendment (1971) lowered the voting age to 18.