kids encyclopedia robot

Universal suffrage facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Universal suffrage means that almost every grown-up citizen (usually over 18 years old) is allowed to vote. This means people can vote no matter their gender, race, how much money they have, or how much schooling they've had.

Most countries today have universal suffrage. But in the past, many people had to fight hard to get this right. They wanted to choose their leaders and have a say in how their country was run.

When Countries Got Universal Suffrage

Countries have given and sometimes taken away voting rights at different times. This list shows when different groups of people gained the right to vote without interruption.

  • Universal: Everyone over a certain age can vote. There are no differences based on gender, race, money, or social status.
  • Male: All men over a certain age can vote.
  • Female: All women over a certain age can vote, just like men.
  • Ethnicity: All eligible voters can vote, no matter their race or background.
Universal suffrage by country or territory
Universal Male Female Ethnicity Country or territory Notes
1977 1977 1977 1977 Afghanistan Afghanistan became a modern democracy in 1964.
1952 1853 1952 1853 Argentina All men could vote from 1853. Secret and required voting for men started in 1912. Women got the right to vote in 1947, and it became active in 1952.
1921 1919 1921 1920 Armenia Armenia joined the Soviet Union in 1920.
1967 1901 1902 1967 Australia Some parts of Australia allowed all men to vote from 1855. Women in South Australia could vote from 1894. When Australia became one country in 1901, white adults could vote from 1902. All Australians, including Indigenous people, could vote from 1967.
1918 1896 1918 1907 Austria Most men could vote from 1896, and all men from 1907. After World War I, women also got the right to vote in 1918.
1919 1919 1919 1919 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan joined the Soviet Union in 1920.
1961 1958 1961 1807 Bahamas Free people of color could vote from 1807. All men could vote equally from 1958. All adults could vote from 1961.
1975 1975 1975 – Bahrain Universal suffrage was granted in 1973, but the parliament was closed for about 30 years from 1975.
1948 1893 1948 1893 Belgium Most men could vote from 1893, but some had more votes than others. All men got one vote from 1918. Women could finally vote from 1948.
2008 2008 2008 2008 Bhutan
1952 1938 1952 1952 Bolivia All adults could vote from 1952. This included women and people who couldn't read.
1985 1891 1932 1891 Brazil Men could vote from 1891, but not beggars, women, or those who couldn't read. Women got the vote in 1932. From 1946, most people could vote, but those who couldn't read still couldn't vote until 1985.
– – – – Brunei Brunei does not hold elections.
1945 1945 1945 1945 Bulgaria All adults, including women and soldiers, could vote from 1945.
1990 1990 1990 1990 Burma/Myanmar The last free elections were in 1990. New elections were held in 2015, but the military still chooses some lawmakers.
1960 1920 1920 1960 Canada Most men and women could vote in federal elections from 1920. However, Chinese Canadians and Indigenous people could not vote until 1947 and 1960, respectively.
1970 1970 1970 1970 Chile Men who could read could vote from 1888. Women got to vote in local elections from 1934 and national elections from 1949. All adults over 18 could vote from 1970, even if they couldn't read.
1954 1936 1954 1936 Colombia All men could vote from 1853, but this was later restricted. All adults could vote from 1936.
1918 1896 1918 1896 First Czechoslovak Republic Most men could vote from 1896, and all men from 1907. After World War I, all adults, including women, could vote.
1915 1849 1915 1849 Denmark Limited voting rights began in 1834. Proper voting rights for men started in 1849. From 1915, all men and women living in Denmark could vote.
2015 Dominican Republic The military was allowed to vote from 2016.
1918 1917 1918 1917 Estonia Elections were held in 1917 and 1918.
1979 1979 1979 1979 European Union People have voted in elections for the European Parliament since 1979.
1906 1906 1906 1906 Finland Finland was one of the first countries to have universal suffrage in 1906. Women were elected to parliament for the first time in 1907. Finland kept universal suffrage after becoming independent in 1917.
1945 1848 1944 1792 France All French men over 21 could vote in 1792. Over time, voting rights changed a lot. All men could vote from 1848, except soldiers who got the right in 1945. Women also got full voting rights in 1944.
1919 1919 1919 1919 Georgia The first democratic elections were in 1919, and five women were elected. Georgia became part of the Soviet Union in 1921.
1919 1871 1919 1919 Germany The German Empire had universal male suffrage from 1871. After the German Revolution, all adults over 20 could vote from 1919.
1951 1951 1951 1951 Ghana All adults could vote in the 1951 election. This was the first election in Africa with universal suffrage.
1952 1844 1952 1844 Greece All men could vote from 1844. Women got the right to vote in local elections in 1930 and national elections in 1952.
1991 1991 1991 1991 Hong Kong Hong Kong held its first legislative elections in 1991, but only some lawmakers are elected. All registered voters can vote.
1918 1918 1918 1867 Hungary After World War I, all adults could vote from 1918. However, some voting rules were made stricter in 1925, reducing the number of eligible voters.
1950 1950 1950 1950 India All adult citizens could vote when India became a Republic, no matter their race, gender, or religion.
1955 1955 1955 1955 Indonesia
1963 1906 1963 1906 Iran Men could vote from 1906. Women got the right to vote in 1963.
1923 1918 1923 1791 Ireland Catholic men could vote from 1791. All adult men in the UK (which included Ireland) could vote from 1918. Women over 30 could also vote then. In 1923, all women in the Irish Free State got the same voting rights as men.
1948 1948 1948 1948 Israel All adults could vote since Israel was founded.
1945 1912 1945 1912 Italy All men over 30 could vote from 1912. This was expanded to all men over 21 in 1918. All adults, including women, could vote from 1945. The voting age became 18 in 1975.
1944 1944 1944 1944 Jamaica All adults could vote from 1944.
1947 1925 1947 1925 Japan All adult men over 25 could vote from 1925. All adults over 20, including women, could vote from 1946. The voting age was lowered to 18 in 2016.
2005 1962 2005 1962 Kuwait All adult men could vote from 1962. Women who met the requirements could vote from 2005.
1919 1919 1919 1919 Latvia All adults could vote from 1919.
1943 1943 1943 1943 Lebanon All adult men and women could vote from Lebanon's independence.
1951 1946 1946 – Liberia Liberia does not allow non-Black people to have political rights.
1984 1984 1984 1984 Liechtenstein
1922 1922 1922 1922 Lithuania
1919 1919 1919 1919 Luxembourg All adults could vote from May 1919.
1957 1956 1957 1956 Malaysia
1947 1947 1947 1947 Malta The 1947 election was the first where all adults could vote, and women could vote for the first time.
1959 1948 1959 1948 Mauritius In 1948, any adult who could write their name could vote. Women were allowed to vote for the first time in the 1959 election.
1953 1917 1953 1917 Mexico All men could vote from 1917. Women got the right to vote in local elections in 1947 and national elections in 1953. Mexicans living in the US could vote in Mexican elections from 1996.
1919 1917 1919 1917 Netherlands All men over 23 could vote from 1917. All adults over 23, including women, could vote from 1919. The voting age became 18 in 1971.
1893 1879 1893 1879 New Zealand Māori men over 21 could vote from 1867, and white men from 1879. New Zealand was one of the first places to give all adult women the right to vote in 1893.
1913 1898 1913 1851 Norway All men could vote from 1898, and women from 1913. Jews were allowed to vote from 1851.
1956 1951 1956 1951 Pakistan Pakistan adopted universal adult suffrage for provincial elections soon after it became independent in 1947. Women were granted the right to vote in national elections in 1956.
1979 1979 1979 1979 Peru Women got the right to vote in 1955. People who couldn't read got the right to vote in 1979.
1946 1935 1937 1946 Philippines Men who could speak English or Spanish could vote from 1907. All men could vote from 1935. Women's suffrage was approved in 1937.
1918 1918 1918 1918 Poland Before 1795, only noblemen could vote. After Poland became independent, all men and women over 21 could vote from 1918.
1974 1974 1974 1974 Portugal Most men could vote by 1878. Women were first allowed to vote in a limited way in 1931, and more fully later. All adults could vote after the 1974 revolution.
2013 Qatar Men and women can vote in municipal elections since 1999.
1948 1918 1948 1918 Romania All men could vote from 1918. Literate women could vote in local elections from 1929. All adults could vote from 1948.
1917 1917 1917 1917 Russia All adults could vote from 1917.
1991 1990 1991 1990 Samoa
2015 2005 2015 2005 Saudi Arabia Only municipal elections are held.
1945 1888 1945 1888 Serbia Men who paid taxes could vote from 1869. All men over 21 could vote from 1888. Women were allowed to vote under the Communist constitution of Yugoslavia.
1994 1910 1931 1994 South Africa White women could vote from 1930, and all white adults from 1931. Black and Coloured people were not allowed to vote until 1994, after the end of apartheid.
1948 1948 1948 1948 South Korea All adults could vote since South Korea was founded.
1977 1812 1977 1869 Spain The 1812 Constitution allowed all Spanish men of certain backgrounds to vote, but not those of African descent. All men could vote from 1869 to 1878, and again from 1890. Women got the right to vote in 1933. Voting rights were taken away during the Franco era (1939–1975) and restored in 1977.
1931 1931 1931 1931 Sri Lanka All adults could vote from 1931, no matter their race, background, or gender. Sri Lanka is the oldest democracy in Asia.
1945 1909 1919 1873 Sweden Women could vote in some ways from 1718 to 1772. Jews could vote from 1838, and Catholics from 1873. All men could vote from 1909. All adults, including women, could vote from 1919. The first election with universal suffrage was in 1921. Voting age changed over time, becoming 18 in 1975.
1971 1848 1971 1866 Switzerland Switzerland introduced universal male suffrage in 1848. Jews did not have the same political rights as Christians until 1866. Women got the right to vote at the national level in 1971, after men voted for it. Some local areas had women's suffrage earlier, but the last one was forced to allow it in 1990.
1992 1992 1992 1992 Taiwan Taiwan has universal suffrage under its Constitution. The first multi-party legislative elections were in 1992, and the first presidential election was in 1996.
1933 1933 1933 1933 Thailand All adults could vote from the first general election in 1933.
1959 1957 Tunisia All adults could vote from the first post-independence constitution.
1934 1876 1934 1876 Turkey
– 2006 2006 2006 United Arab Emirates Only some men and women can vote.
1928 1918 1928 1791 United Kingdom Voting rights were not based on religion from 1791. All adult men could vote from 1918. Women over 30 could also vote then. In 1928, all women got the same voting rights as men. The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1969.
1948 1948 1948 1948 United Nations The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says everyone should have "universal and equal suffrage."
1965 1856 1920 1965 United States In early US history, only white male property owners could vote. By 1856, almost all white adult men could vote. In 1870, all men, including African Americans, were given the right to vote. However, many states later made rules to stop black and poor white voters from voting. Wyoming was the first territory to allow all women to vote in 1869. In 1920, the 19th Amendment gave all women the right to vote. Native Americans got suffrage in 1924, and Chinese immigrants in 1943. In 1965, new laws helped make sure everyone could vote, and poll taxes were ended. In 1971, the voting age became 18.
1918 Uruguay All adults could vote from the 1918 Constitution.
1979 1919 1979 Zimbabwe White women could vote from 1919. Universal suffrage was introduced in 1978, but with a special role for white people. All adults could vote without special rules for race from 1987.

Related pages

Images for kids

  • Annie Kenney and Christabel Pankhurst
  • 狙擊李飛 (1)

    These people in Hong Kong are protesting because they want universal suffrage. They want to vote for their Chief Executive. They did not get it.

  • Election MG 3455

    Voting is an important part of the formal democratic process.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Sufragio universal para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Universal suffrage Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.