By Tim Lambert
The Right to Vote in Britain
In the 18th century, only a small minority of men in Britain could vote (only those who owned a certain amount of property). But in 1832 the government introduced a reform but the franchise was only extended to about 14% of men. The working class was still excluded.
From 1838 a working-class protest movement called the Chartists was formed. (They were named after their People’s Charter). The Chartists had several demands. They wanted all men to have the vote. Furthermore, at that time you had to own a certain amount of property to become an MP. Chartists wanted the property qualification abolished. They also wanted MPs to be paid. Chartists also wanted all constituencies to be equal in size and they wanted to vote by secret ballot.
The first Chartist rally was held in Manchester in 1838. In 1839 the Chartists delivered a petition to parliament, which was rejected out of hand. Another petition, delivered in 1842 was also rejected. Finally, in 1848 another great petition was sent to parliament but it turned into a farce. Some of the signatures were obvious fakes.
Chartism then fizzled out. However, reform eventually followed. In 1867 more men were given the vote. The number of voters approximately doubled. In 1872 the Ballot Act introduced voting by secret ballot. (When voting was public voters could be intimidated). In 1884 yet more men were given the vote. For the first time, a majority of men in Britain (about 60%) could vote. However, not all men had the right to vote until 1918.
Once most men in Britain could vote movements began to give women the right to vote as well. In 1897 local groups of women who demanded the vote joined to form the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). The organization was moderate and its members were called suffragists.
However, in 1903 a more radical organization was formed called the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). It was led by Emmeline Pankhurst and its members were called suffragettes. Suffragettes committed crimes like vandalism and arson. They also planted bombs. However, the WSPU did not want votes for all women – only those who met a property qualification. The suffragettes halted their campaign when the First World War began in 1914.
Many men supported the suffragists and wanted women to be allowed to vote. In 1907 they formed the Men’s League for Women’s Suffrage. However, not all women wanted to be able to vote. In Britain, the Women’s National Anti-Suffrage League was formed in 1908. Its president was a famous writer named Mary Humphry Ward. In 1918 women over 30 were allowed to vote if they met a property qualification. In 1928 all women in Britain were allowed to vote at the age of 21 (the same as men).
The Right to Vote in the USA
When the USA became independent only a small minority of men could vote. You had to own a certain amount of property to be able to. The first state to allow all men to vote was Kentucky in 1792 (in 1799 it was restricted to white men). In the early 19th century the right to vote was given to all white men in other states too. The last state to give all white men the right to vote was North Carolina in 1856.
In 1870 the 15th Amendment theoretically gave African American men the right to vote. (In practice in many states they were prevented from doing so till the 1960s).
In the USA after all white men gained the vote, a movement began for women to have the right to vote too. The campaign was led by Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. In 1869 Stanton and Anthony founded the National Woman Suffrage Association. Also in 1869 Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell founded the American Woman Suffrage Association. The two joined forces in 1890 as the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). In the USA the Men’s League for Women’s Suffrage was formed in 1910.
However, in the USA as in Britain, some women were anti-suffragists and they opposed women being allowed to vote. In the USA the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage was formed in 1911. A woman writer named Grace Duffield Goodwin published a book called Anti-Suffrage: Ten Good Reasons, in 1913. In it, she explained why in her view women should not be allowed to vote.
Meanwhile, the territory of Wyoming allowed women to vote in 1869. When Wyoming joined the union in 1890 it became the first state in the USA to allow women to vote. Some other states followed. In 1893 men In Colorado voted in a referendum to allow women to vote. Women in Idaho and Utah were given the vote in 1896. Washington State followed in 1910. So did California in 1911.
In 1912 men in three states, Oregon, Arizona, and Kansas voted in referendums to give women the right to vote. Alaska gave women the vote in 1913. Women in Montana and Nevada were allowed to vote in 1914. In 1917 men in New York State voted to allow women to vote. Finally, in 1920 the 19th Amendment gave women in all states the right to vote.
The Right to Vote in Other Nations
During the 19th century, the right to vote was extended to all men in certain places. In Switzerland and France, all men were given the right to vote in 1848. In Greece, all men were given the right to vote in 1864. In Spain, all men were given that right in 1868.
In 1871 in Germany, all men were given the right to vote in elections for the Reichstag (parliament).
In 1856 South Australia gave all male British subjects the right to vote. It was followed by Victoria in 1857 and New South Wales in 1858 and Queensland in 1872. Western Australia followed in 1893. In New Zealand, all men were given the vote in 1879.
All men in Norway were given the right to vote in 1898 and Finland in 1906. In 1907 all men in Austria were given the vote. Italy gave all men the vote in 1912. So did Argentina. In the Netherlands, all men were given the vote in 1917.
In Egypt, all men were given the right to vote in 1923. All men in Turkey were given the right to vote in 1924. All men in Japan were allowed to vote in 1925.
In other countries too once all men were given the vote women were also granted that right. New Zealand was the first country in the world to allow women to vote in national elections in 1893. In Australia, women were granted the right to vote in federal elections in 1902. In Canada, women were allowed to vote in federal elections in 1918.
From 1906 Finnish women were allowed to vote. Norway followed in 1913. Denmark allowed all men and women to vote in 1915. Germany and Austria granted women the right to vote in 1918. The Netherlands followed in 1919. Spain did in 1931. In Sweden, all men and women were given the right to vote in 1919. Also in 1919 women in Belgium were allowed to vote. In Malta, women were given the right to vote in 1947.
Meanwhile, literate women in Ecuador were given the right to vote in 1929. In Brazil, literate women were given the right to vote in 1932. In Turkey, women were allowed to vote in national elections in 1934. In France, women were given the right to vote in 1944, and in Italy in 1945. Japan gave women the right to vote in 1946. Women in Argentina were given the vote in 1947.
Women in Greece were allowed to vote in 1952. In Egypt, women were allowed to vote in 1956. But in Switzerland, they were not allowed to until 1971.
In the USA in 1965 the Voting Rights Act was passed to prevent African Americans from being denied the right to vote. In Britain, in 1969 the minimum age for voting was reduced from 21 to 18. In the USA it was reduced to 18 in 1971.
Last revised 2024