Franchise/Suffrage – SS2 Government Lesson Note (First Term)

Franchise is the right of qualified adult citizens to vote and to be voted for in an election.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. define franchise and distinguish the electorate from candidates;
2. state the two types of franchise;
3. state the merits and demerits of limited and unlimited franchise;
4. list the types of suffrage;
5. state the conditions a person must meet to be eligible as a candidate in an election.

What is franchise?

Franchise is the right of qualified adult citizens of a society to vote and be voted for in an election.

• Suffrage: another word for the right to vote. The two words are often used for the same idea.
• Electorate: the people who are qualified to vote. The constitution calls voters the electorate.
• Candidates: the people who seek to be elected into an office.

What are the types of franchise?

There are two types of franchise: limited (restricted) franchise and unlimited (universal) franchise.

• Limited or restricted franchise: only some qualified adults may vote or be voted for.
• Unlimited or universal franchise: all qualified men and women adults may vote and be voted for. It is also called universal adult suffrage.

What is limited or restricted franchise?

Limited franchise is the type of franchise in which not all qualified adults are allowed to vote or be voted for.

• Condition: the right to vote goes only to adults who meet certain conditions.
• Possible criteria: race, sex, property owned and evidence of payment of taxes.
• Example: South Africa practised limited franchise during Apartheid.

What are the merits of limited franchise?

• Informed voters: a few well-informed citizens vote after careful study of the candidates.
• Maturity: the election seems more mature than one under unlimited franchise.
• Better candidates: it tends to bring forward more qualified candidates.
• No foreign voters: foreigners who know little about the candidates cannot vote.
• Screening of voters: people of unsound mind, criminals and bankrupts cannot vote.
• Less violence: fewer voters means less election violence.
• Watchful taxpayers: taxpayers watch how their representatives spend tax money.

What are the demerits of limited franchise?

• Unequal chance: qualified adults do not all get an equal chance to vote.
• Corruption: the few voters can easily be bribed.
• Weak mandate: those elected do not reflect the popular choice.
• Less democratic: it does not give power to the majority.
• Low interest: most citizens show little interest in government because they cannot vote.
• Unknown representatives: many people do not know their representatives.
• Imposed leaders: representatives seem to be imposed on the majority.

What is unlimited franchise or universal adult suffrage?

Unlimited franchise is the type of franchise that allows all qualified men and women adults to vote and be voted for.

• Popularity: it is the most common form of franchise, and it is constitutional and democratic.
• Conditions: some qualifications still apply, but they are less restrictive than under limited franchise.

What are the qualifications for voting?

• Age: the voter must reach the minimum voting age (18 years in Nigeria).
• Citizenship: the voter must be a citizen of the country.
• Registration: the voter’s name must be on the voters’ register.
• Sanity: the voter must be of sound mind.
• Bankruptcy: a declared bankrupt person is disqualified.
• Residence: the voter must live in the area where he or she votes.

What are the merits of unlimited franchise?

• Equality: qualified adults have equal votes.
• Participation: many citizens take part fully in the electoral system.
• Democracy: the election is more democratic.
• No discrimination: it avoids discrimination by sex, race or religion.
• Stable government: wide participation reduces ill feeling and revolts.
• Public interest: most citizens take an interest in government affairs.
• Popular choice: elected representatives reflect the choice of the people.
• Wider voter base: more people are able to vote.

What are the demerits of unlimited franchise?

• Quantity over quality: it counts the number of votes, not how well informed the voters are.
• Illiterate voters: some voters cannot read and may vote blindly.
• Violent polling: large crowds of voters can lead to violence.
• Unqualified leaders: many unqualified representatives may be elected, so government may be mediocre.
• Victimisation: political opponents may be intimidated or victimised.
• Malpractice: so many voters make electoral malpractice more likely.

What is the difference between limited and unlimited franchise?

What are the types of suffrage?

There are four types of suffrage: adult, male, taxpayers’ and property suffrage.

• Adult suffrage: all qualified adults, men and women, are allowed to vote.
• Male suffrage: only adult males are allowed to vote.
• Taxpayers’ suffrage: only those who pay their taxes regularly can vote.
• Property suffrage: only those with large assets and wealth can vote.

What conditions must a candidate meet to contest an election?

A candidate must meet the conditions set by the constitution and the electoral law of the country.

• Age: the person must reach the minimum age in the constitution. In Nigeria, a presidential candidate must be at least 35 years old.
• Residence: the person must have lived in the country for the period stated in the constitution.
• Payment of tax: the person must show evidence of tax payment for the required years.
• Election deposit: a stated sum of money must be paid by those who wish to contest.
• No criminal record: the person must not be an ex-convict, must not have been found guilty of a criminal offence and must not be serving a prison sentence.
• Sanity: the candidate must be of sound mind.
• Citizenship: in many modern democracies, only citizens may contest.
• Education: in most countries, a stated level of education is required.
• Nomination paper: the person must fill in the nomination paper on time, supported by a stated number of persons.
• Not banned: persons banned by law from politics, as some former politicians were in Nigeria, cannot contest.

Evaluation

1. Define franchise and state the difference between the electorate and candidates.
2. State the two types of franchise.
3. Give three demerits of limited franchise.
4. Name the four types of suffrage.
5. List five conditions a person must meet to be eligible as a candidate in an election.

Assignment

1. Define unlimited franchise, then state five merits and five demerits of it.