Suffrage is the right to vote in political elections. “Universal suffrage” means the right belongs to all adult citizens, and “secret suffrage” means votes are cast in private.
Historical proponents:John Stuart Mill, Olympe de GougesUniversal and a secret ballot are the only legitimate basis for choosing a country’s leaders.
Nothing is sent anywhere.
Historically, voting was limited by property, sex, race, religion or education. Movements for universal suffrage gradually extended the vote. New Zealand became the first self-governing country to give women the vote in national elections, in 1893, and many countries followed in the 20th century.
Constitutions often describe elections as held by “universal, equal, direct and secret suffrage”. Universal means all adult citizens, with limited exceptions; equal means each vote counts the same; direct means voters choose their representatives themselves; and secret means no one can see, or be forced to reveal, how someone voted. Some countries still restrict the vote, for example for certain prisoners or for non-citizen residents.
Influential figures in the 12 axes thinker pool who advocated, analyzed or shaped ideas around this concept.
Philosopher & reformer · 1806–1873
An advocate of individual liberty, open debate and women’s equality, who also questioned the limits of inherited wealth and economic power.
“Representative government, qualified by his proposal for weighted voting.”
Playwright & women’s-rights advocate · 1748–1793
A French playwright who wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen in 1791, argued against slavery, and was guillotined during the Terror.
“Wanted women to have the same political rights as men, but backed a constitutional monarchy and pleaded for the king’s life.”
Real cases that people point to when they use the word.
The 19th Amendment (1920) extended the vote to women in the United States.
Switzerland granted women the national vote in 1971, and the last canton followed in 1990.
South Africa’s 1994 election was the first held with universal suffrage regardless of race.
Reasonable people disagree about this. These are the strongest points made on each side.
The test asks about it in a statement. Your answer moves one axis score.
Agreeing that universal suffrage and a secret ballot are the only legitimate basis for choosing leaders moves your score toward the Democratic side of the Democratic vs Autocratic axis.
Which way agreeing pushes the score
Agreeing with a statement about suffrage moves your score toward Democratic.
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Three statements gave you a first reading. The full test scores all twelve axes and finds your closest countries and ideologies.