Concept and Development of Adult Franchise System:

Concept and Development of Adult Franchise System:

Concept of Adult Franchise System:

·         The right of the people to vote and elect their representatives is called franchise.

·         The word franchise is derived from the French word ‘franc’ which means ‘free’. It means free exercise of the right to choose one’s representatives.

·         Adult franchise means that the right to vote should be given to all adult citizens without the discrimination of caste, class, colour, religion or sex.

·         Adulti franchise should be based on equality which is a basic principle of democracy. Because, the spirit of democracy can be maintained only if the people are given the right to vote without any discrimination. Thus, the system of adult franchise is accepted as the bedrock of a democratic system.

·         People are called political sovereign because they possess the right to vote a government into power, or to vote a government out of power. The exercise of right to vote adds to the individual’s self-respect, dignity, sense of responsibility, and political and civic education.

·         Thus, to deny any class of persons from exercising this right is to violate their right to equality.

·         That is why, as definition of democracy, it has sometimes been described as a mode of appointing, controlling and dismissing governments by the people.

·         As provided for, in the Constitution of the land, the citizens cast their votes at regular basis to elect their representatives to the Parliament  and such other institutions as are essential organs of political power in a democracy.

·         These institutions are called representative institutions precisely because they represent the will of the peoples.

Development of Adult Franchise System:

·         Historically, adult franchise has been slow in making itself a universal law.

·         In fact one of the major demands in the long-drawn struggle for democracy in the world has been the acceptance of the principle of universal adult franchise to fulfill the wishes of people.

·         Till the second decade of the twentieth century, not all the countries were practising universal adult franchise.

·         Many democratic systems had restricted to male franchise only, based on property, education and other qualifications.

·         In 1918, Britain had granted franchise to limited number of women. It was decided that while all adult men, 21 years of age and above would have the right to vote, women only above the age of 30 years could possess the right to vote. This discrimination was removed only in 1928.

·         As a result long women movement, New Zealand became the first country in the world to confer women the right to vote. New Zealand provided this right in 1893. Likewise, Finland accepted both the right to vote and file candidacy as women's fundamental rights in 1906.[1] In the same manner, Norway in 1913, Denmark in 1915, the USA in 1920, Sweden in 1921, the United Kingdom in 1928, France in 1958 and Switzerland in 1971 conferred women the right to vote on par with the men.

·         France gave the popular slogans of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity (brotherhood), could introduce the right of universal adult franchise to its people only after the end of the Second World War 1945.

·         Equally strange is the fact that Switzerland, the home of direct democracy denied the right to vote to women till 1973.

·         India adopted the principle of universal adult franchise when the present Constitution was enacted in 1949 which was implemented on January 26, 1950.

·         In Nepal, women with men however obtained voting rights from BS 2008.

Voting rights/ Electoral Rights cover:[2]

·         Political right to participate in the conduct of public affairs, directly or by means of freely elected representatives

·         Rights to freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, petition, and access to information related to political-electoral matters

·         Right to vote

·         Right to run for elective office

·         Right to political association for electoral purposes

·         Right of access to an EJS, including the right to an effective remedy, due process of law, and the defense of an electoral right

In Recent, voting rights have been ensured by following international and national laws:

Universal Instruments:

·         Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 (Articles 20 and 21)

·         Convention on the Political Rights of Women, 1952 (Articles 1, 2, 3 and 5

·         International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966 (Articles 2, 19, 21, 22 and 25)

·         Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 1979 (Article 7)

·         Universal Declaration on Democracy, 1997 (Article 12)

National Instruments

·         Constitutional provisions

·         Legal provisions