Wider franchise and debates over suffrage

define suffrage/franchise

the right to vote

Before 1832

Only rich male landowners could vote. Fewer than 4% of the population

Great Reform Act 1832

Broadened the property qualifications, to include small land owners

Only ⅕ adults could vote = 5.6% of the total population

Second Great Reform Act 1867

Allowed working men in cities to vote if they met a property qualification - in reality this was skilled men (⅓ men)

Doubled the size of the electorate

Third Great Reform Act 1887

All working men who met the property qualification could vote, 40% of adult men still excluded

Representation of the People Act 1918

All men aged over 32 (or 19 for veterans) could vote

* Women over 30 who met the property qualification could vote

Representation of the People Act 1928

Women could vote on equal terms as men. All men and women over 21 could vote

Representation of the People Act 1969

Voting age lowered to 18

Issues with gender and electoral participation

* 2010: 9m women did not vote vs 8m men who didn't vote (4% gap) = Policies will not be representative of women's needs
* women are underrepresented in parliament
* Took nearly 100 years to have equal rights as men as they were seen as unintelligent and inferior

Issues with class and electoral participation

* 1964 - 2010: difference of voting turnout between the working and middle class has been 21 points in turnout (used to only be 5)
* WC have less time (busy worrying about survival) so less education, less representation in politics

Issues with ethnicity and electoral participation

* Ethnic minorities were not excluded directly, but did not own property so were affected by classist laws
* 1991: 24% of black people were not registered to vote (only 9% white people were not registered) = Views are underrepresented
* 2019 GE: 63% white voters turned out vs 52% BAME voters turned out

Issues with age and electoral participation

* 2008: Voting Age (Reduction) Bill was voted down
* 2019 GE: 47% of 18-34's turned out compared to 74% of voters aged over 65
* Conservatives most likely to win as they are most popular with older voters, who vote more

Issues with prisoners and electoral participation

* Disenfranchised based on the 1983 Representation of the People Act
* 2005: prisoner, John Hirst, took his case to the ECtHR BUT due to parliamentary sovereignty, UK has refused to comply with the ruling and it was eventually dropped in 2018

Advantages of extending the franchise to 16 year olds

* Votes at 16 would be consistent with other areas of responsibility (join the armed forces, marriage etc)


* A need to reduce political alienation of young people who are likely to be as aware of issues at 16 as they would be at 18
* Wide range of political decisions affect them such as uni fees, public transport etc, politicians would be more likely to act on these if young people could vote

Disadvantages of extending the franchise to 16 year olds

* Many things that 16 year olds can do still need permission of a parent
* At 16, people may not have the maturity and life experience to make political judgements
* May also be easily influenced by popular trends (Cleggmania which developed after the leaders' debates in 2010 GE)