Editing Suffrage (section)

==History around the world==
{{See also|Universal suffrage#Dates by country|Timeline of women's suffrage|Timeline of women's suffrage in the United States|Voting age}}
[[File:Universal suffrage granted to women, OWID.svg|thumb|upright=1.6|Countries with universal suffrage granted to women, 2017<ref>{{cite web |title=Universal suffrage granted to women |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/universal-suffrage-granted-to-women |website=Our World in Data |access-date=6 March 2020}}</ref>]]

===Australia===
{{See also|Suffrage in Australia|Voting rights of Australian Aboriginals}}
* 1855 – South Australia is the first colony to allow all male suffrage to British subjects (later extended to [[Aboriginal Australians]] over the age of 21.
* 1894 – South Australian women eligible to vote.<ref name="AEC 2011">{{cite web |url=http://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/Australian_Electoral_History/wright.htm |title=Women and the Right to Vote in Australia |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |date=28 January 2011 |access-date=21 June 2013}}</ref>
* 1896 – Tasmania becomes last colony to allow all male suffrage.
* 1899 – Western Australian women eligible to vote.<ref name="AEC 2011" />
* 1902 – The [[Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902|Commonwealth Franchise Act]] enables women to vote federally and in the state of New South Wales. This legislation also allows women to run for government, making Australia the first democratic state in the world to allow this.
* 1921 – [[Edith Cowan]] is elected to the West Australian Legislative Assembly as member for West Perth, the first woman elected to any Australian Parliament.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aec.gov.au/elections/australian_electoral_history/milestone.htm |title=Electoral Milestones for Women |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |date=8 March 2013 |access-date=21 June 2013}}</ref>
* 1962 – [[Australian Aborigines]] guaranteed the right to vote in Commonwealth elections, however, in practice this right was dependent on Aboriginal voting rights having been granted by the individual's respective state.
* 1965 – Queensland is the last state to grant voting rights to Aboriginal Australians.
*1973 - After South Australian Premier [[Don Dunstan]] introduced the Age of Majority (Reduction) Bill in October 1970, the voting age in South Australia was lowered to 18 years old in 1973. Consequently, the voting age for all federal elections was lowered from 21 to 18. The states had lowered the voting age to 18 by 1973, the first being Western Australia in 1970.

===Canada===
{{See also|The Famous Five (Canada)}}
* 1871 – One of the first acts of the new Province of [[British Columbia]] strips the franchise from First Nations, and ensures Chinese and Japanese people are prevented from voting.
* 1916 – [[Manitoba]] becomes the first province in which women have the right to vote in provincial elections.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://manitobia.ca/content/en/themes/wwv |title=Women win the vote : Digital Resources on Manitoba History |website=manitobia.ca |access-date=16 March 2017 |archive-date=27 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827101830/http://manitobia.ca/content/en/themes/wwv |url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=his&document=chap2&lang=e |title=A History of the Vote in Canada |last=Canada |first=Elections |language=en |access-date=16 March 2017}}</ref>
* 1917 – The federal ''[[Wartime Elections Act]]'' gives voting rights to women with relatives fighting overseas. Voting rights are stripped from all "[[enemy aliens]]" (those born in enemy countries who arrived in Canada after 1902; see also [[Ukrainian Canadian internment]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abheritage.ca/famous5/timeline_text.html |title=The Famous Five – Timeline |publisher=Abheritage.ca |date=8 December 2010 |access-date=21 June 2013}}</ref> The federal ''[[Military Voters Act]]'' gives the vote to all soldiers, even non-citizens, (with the exception of Indian and Metis veterans)<ref>Indian Act of Canada S.C. 1938 chap 46 sec 14(2)(i)/Dominion Elections Act S.C.1948 chap 46</ref> and to women serving as nurses or clerks for the armed forces, but the votes are not for specific candidates but simply for or against the government.
* 1918 – Women gain full voting rights in federal elections.<ref name="Faculty.marianopolis.edu 1916"/>
* 1919 – Women gain the right to run for federal office.<ref name="Faculty.marianopolis.edu 1916">{{cite web |url=http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/QuebecHistory/encyclopedia/Canada-WomensVote-WomenSuffrage.htm |title=Canada – Women's Vote – Women Suffrage |publisher=Faculty.marianopolis.edu |date=27 January 1916 |access-date=21 June 2013}}</ref>
* 1940 – Quebec becomes the last province where women's right to vote is recognized. (see [[Canadian women during the world wars]] for more information on Canadian suffrage)
* 1947 – Racial exclusions against Chinese and Indo-Canadians lifted.
* 1948 – Racial exclusions against Japanese Canadians lifted.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/elections/topics/1450/ |title=CBC Digital Archives |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=21 June 2013}}</ref>
* 1955 – Religious exclusions are removed from election laws.<ref name="Canada 2017">{{Cite web |url=http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=his&document=chap3&lang=e |title=A History of the Vote in Canada |last=Canada |first=Elections |language=en |access-date=16 March 2017}}</ref>
* 1960 – Right to vote is extended unconditionally to [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] peoples. (Previously they could vote only by giving up their status as First Nations people.)<ref name="Noel Dyck 2016">{{cite encyclopedia |author=Noel Dyck; Tonio Sadik |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-people-political-organization-and-activism |title=Aboriginal people, political organization and activism |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |date=15 April 2016 |access-date=21 August 2019}}</ref>
* 1960 – Right to vote in advance is extended to all electors willing to swear they would be absent on election day.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=vot&dir=bkg&document=ec90785&lang=e |title=The Evolution of the Federal Franchise |last=Canada |first=Elections |language=en |access-date=16 March 2017}}</ref>
* 1965 – [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] people granted the right to vote in [[Alberta]] provincial elections, starting with the [[1967 Alberta general election]].<ref name="Noel Dyck 2016"/>
* 1969 – [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] people granted the right to vote in [[Quebec]] provincial elections, starting with the [[1970 Quebec general election]].<ref name="Noel Dyck 2016"/>
* 1970 – Voting age lowered from 21 to 18.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Evolution of the Federal Franchise |url=http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=vot&dir=bkg&document=ec90785&lang=e |website=Elections Canada |date=9 December 2020}}</ref>
* 1982 – The new ''[[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]]'' guarantees all adult citizens the right to vote.
* 1988 – Supreme Court of Canada rules mentally ill patients have the right to vote.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/rights_freedoms/topics/1450-9559/ |title=CBC Digital Archives |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=21 June 2013}}</ref>
* 1993 – Any elector can vote in advance.<ref name="Canada 2017"/>
* 2000 – Legislation is introduced making it easier for people of [[no fixed abode|no fixed address]] to vote.
* 2002 – Prisoners given the right to vote in the riding (voting district) where they were convicted. All adult Canadians except the Chief and Deputy [[Electoral Officer]]s can now vote in Canada.<ref>Sauvé v. Canada (Chief Electoral Officer)
</ref>
* 2019 – The [[Supreme Court of Canada]] rules that portions of the federal ''[[Canada Elections Act]]'' which prevent citizens who have been living abroad for more than five years from voting by mail are in violation of [[Section 3 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]] and thus unconstitutional.<ref>{{cite web |title=Frank v. Canada (Attorney General), 2019 SCC 1 |url=https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/17446/index.do |website=Lexum |date=January 2001 |access-date=27 January 2019}}</ref>

===European Union===
The European Union has given the right to vote in municipal elections to the citizen of another EU country by the Council Directive 94/80/EG from 19 December 1994.<ref>{{cite web |title=Council Directive 94/80/EG |url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:31994L0080&from=EN&lang=e |website=EUR-Lex}}</ref>

===Finland===
* 1907 - Universal suffrage in all elections for all over 24 years old<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mylly |first=Juhani |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/ocm77267222 |title=Edustuksellisen kansanvallan läpimurto |date=2006 |publisher=Edita |isbn=978-951-37-4541-7 |series=Suomen eduskunta 100 vuotta |location=Helsinki |oclc=ocm77267222}}</ref>
* 2000 – Section 14, al. 2 of the 2000 [[Constitution of Finland]] states that "Every Finnish citizen and every foreigner permanently resident in Finland, having attained eighteen years of age, has the right to vote in municipal elections and municipal referendums, as provided by an Act. Provisions on the right to otherwise participate in municipal government are laid down by an Act."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finlex.fi/pdf/saadkaan/E9990731.PDF |title=The Constitution of Finland |date=11 June 1999 |access-date=10 December 2007 |archive-date=19 February 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020219100615/http://www.finlex.fi/pdf/saadkaan/E9990731.PDF |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===France===
* 11 August 1792: Introduction of universal suffrage (men only)
* 1795: Universal suffrage for men is replaced with indirect [[Census suffrage]]
* 13 December 1799: The [[Consulat|French Consulate]] re-establishes male universal suffrage increased from 246,000 to over 9&nbsp;million.
* In 1850 (31 May): The number of people eligible to vote is reduced by 30% by excluding criminals and the homeless.
* [[Napoleon III]] calls a referendum in 1851 (21 December), all men aged 21 and over are allowed to vote. Male universal suffrage is established thereafter.
* As of 21 April 1944 the franchise is extended to women over 21.
* Effective 9 July 1974 the minimum age to vote is reduced to 18 years old.<ref>{{cite news |title=France lowers age of minors to 18 |newspaper=Kitchener-Waterloo Record |location=Ontario |date=10 July 1974 |page=36}}</ref>

=== Germany ===

* [[Frankfurt Parliament|1848]] – male citizens (citizens of state in German Confederation), adult and "independent" got voting rights, male voting population - 85%<ref>{{Cite web |title=Geschichte des Wahlrechts |url=https://www.bundestagswahl-bw.de/geschichte-des-wahlrechts0 |access-date=20 March 2021 |website=bundestagswahl-bw.de |language=de-DE}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Verfassungen und Gesetze des Rheinbundes und des Deutschen Bundes (1806-1866) |url=http://www.verfassungen.de/de06-66/index.htm |access-date=20 March 2021 |website=verfassungen.de}}</ref>
* 1849 – male citizens above 25, not disfranchised, not declared legally incapable, did not claim pauper relief a year before the election, not a bankrupt nor in bankruptcy proceedings, not convicted of electoral fraud,<ref>{{Cite web |title=documentArchiv.de - Gesetz, betreffend die Wahlen der Abgeordneten zum Volkshause ["Frankfurter Reichswahlgesetz"] (12.04.1849) |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/nzjh/1849/reichswahlgesetz1849.html |access-date=20 March 2021 |website=documentarchiv.de}}</ref>
* 1866 – male citizens above 25 (citizen for at least three years), not disfranchised, not declared legally incapable, did not claim pauper relief a year before the election, enrolled on the electoral roll, inhabitant of the electoral district,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wahlgesetz für den konstituierenden Reichstag des Norddeutschen Bundes (1866 |url=http://www.verfassungen.de/de67-18/wahlgesetz66.htm |access-date=20 March 2021 |website=verfassungen.de}}</ref>
* 1869 – male citizens above 25 (citizens of state in North German Confederation), not disfranchised, not a bankrupt nor in bankruptcy proceedings, not serving soldier, did not claim pauper relief a year before the election, inhabitant of the electoral district, not in prison, not declared legally incapable,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wahlgesetz für den Reichstag des Norddeutschen Bundes – Wikisource |url=https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Wahlgesetz_f%C3%BCr_den_Reichstag_des_Norddeutschen_Bundes |access-date=20 March 2021 |website=de.wikisource.org |language=de}}</ref>
* 1918 - full suffrage for all citizens above 20<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deutsches Reichsgesetzblatt 1918 Nr. 167 – Wikisource |url=https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Deutsches_Reichsgesetzblatt_1918 |access-date=18 March 2022 |website=de.wikisource.org |language=de}}</ref>
* 1970 - full suffrage for all citizens above 18<ref>{{Cite web |title=Plenarprotokoll Deutscher Bundestag 60. Sitzung |url=https://dserver.bundestag.de/btp/06/06060.pdf |access-date=18 March 2022 |website=Deutscher Bundestag |language=de}}</ref>
* 2019 - suffrage for citizens with [[insanity defense]], and persons under [[guardianship]].<ref>[https://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/2019/bvg19-013.html Wahlrechtsausschlüsse für Betreute in allen Angelegenheiten und wegen Schuldunfähigkeit untergebrachte Straftäter verfassungswidrig], exclusion from suffrage is unconstitutional, 29 January 2019.</ref>

===India===
Since the very first [[Indian general election, 1951–52|Indian general election held in 1951–52]], universal suffrage for all adult citizens aged 21 or older was established under Article 326 of the [[Constitution of India]]. The minimum voting age was reduced to 18 years by the [[Sixty-first Amendment of the Constitution of India|61st Amendment]], effective 28 March 1989.

===Ireland===
{{main|History of the franchise in Ireland}}

===Italy===
The Supreme Court states that "the rules derogating from the passive electoral law must be strictly interpreted".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Buonomo |first1=Giampiero |title=Nel passaggio Usl-Asl solo tre dirigenti restano ineleggibili negli enti locali |journal=Diritto&Giustizia Edizione Online |year=2000 |url=https://www.questia.com/projects#!/project/89247417 |access-date=14 March 2016 |archive-date=11 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211140818/https://www.questia.com/projects#!/project/89247417 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Japan===
{{Main|Suffrage in Japan}}
* 1889 – Male taxpayers above 25 that paid at least 15 JPY of tax got voting rights,<ref>{{Cite web |title=選挙のあゆみ |url=https://www.pref.yamaguchi.lg.jp/gyosei/senkyo/kids/02_ayumi/index.htm |access-date=20 March 2021 |website=pref.yamaguchi.lg.jp |archive-date=11 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511225056/https://www.pref.yamaguchi.lg.jp/gyosei/senkyo/kids/02_ayumi/index.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> the voting population were 450,000 (1.1% of Japan population),<ref name="city.kawasaki.jp 2010">{{Cite web |title=川崎市：日本の選挙権拡大の歴史 |url=https://www.city.kawasaki.jp/910/page/0000018982.html |access-date=20 March 2021 |website=city.kawasaki.jp |date=7 April 2010}}</ref>
*1900 – Male taxpayers above 25 that paid at least 10 JPY of tax got voting rights, the voting population were 980,000 (2.2% of Japan population),<ref name="city.kawasaki.jp 2010" />
*1919 – Male taxpayers above 25 that paid at least 3 JPY of tax got voting rights, the voting population were 3,070,000 (5.5% of Japan population)<ref name="gakusyu.shizuoka-c.ed.jp 2021">{{Cite web |title=わが国の選挙権の拡大 |url=https://gakusyu.shizuoka-c.ed.jp/shakai/seiji/02_2_senkyo_kakudai2.htm |access-date=20 March 2021 |website=gakusyu.shizuoka-c.ed.jp |archive-date=26 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226060818/https://gakusyu.shizuoka-c.ed.jp/shakai/seiji/02_2_senkyo_kakudai2.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*1925 – Male above 25 got voting rights, the voting population were 12,410,000 (20% of Japan population),<ref name="city.kawasaki.jp 2010" />
*1945 – Japan citizens above 20 got voting rights, the voting population were 36,880,000 (48.7% of Japan population),<ref name="gakusyu.shizuoka-c.ed.jp 2021" />
*2015 – Japan citizens above 18 got voting rights, voting population - 83.3% of Japan population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=選挙の歴史を学ぼう｜選挙フレンズ｜京都市選挙管理委員会事務局 |url=http://www2.city.kyoto.lg.jp/senkyo/senkyoFriends_html/senkyo/history.html |access-date=20 March 2021 |website=www2.city.kyoto.lg.jp}}</ref>

===New Zealand===
{{Main|History of voting in New Zealand}}
* 1853 – British government passes the [[New Zealand Constitution Act 1852]], granting limited self-rule, including a [[bicameral parliament]], to the colony. The vote was limited to male British subjects aged 21 or over who owned or rented sufficient property and were not imprisoned for a serious offence. Communally owned land was excluded from the property qualification, thus disenfranchising most [[Māori people|Māori]] (indigenous) men.
* 1860 – Franchise extended to holders of miner's licenses who met all voting qualifications except that of property.
* 1867 – [[Māori seats]] established, giving Māori four [[reserved seats]] in the [[lower house]]. There was no property qualification; thus Māori men gained universal suffrage before other New Zealanders. The number of seats did not reflect the size of the Māori population, but Māori men who met the property requirement for general electorates were able to vote in them or in the Māori electorates but not both.
* 1879 – Property requirement abolished.
* 1893 – [[Women's suffrage in New Zealand|Women won equal voting rights]] with men, making New Zealand the first nation in the world to allow women to vote.
* 1969 – Voting age lowered to 20.
* 1974 – Voting age lowered to 18.
* 1975 – Franchise extended to permanent residents of New Zealand, regardless of whether they have citizenship.
* 1996 – Number of Māori seats increased to reflect Māori population.
* 2010 – Prisoners imprisoned for one year or more denied voting rights while serving the sentence.

===Norway===
* 1814 – The [[Constitution of Norway|Norwegian constitution]] gave male landowners or officials above the age of 25 full voting rights.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://snl.no/Stemmerettens_historie_i_Norge |title=Stemmerettens historie i Norge |date=19 March 2021 |publisher=Espend Søbye |language=no}}</ref>
* 1885 – Male taxpayers that paid at least 500 [[Norwegian krone|NOK]] of tax (800 NOK in towns) got voting rights.
* 1900 – Universal suffrage for men over 25.
* 1901 – Women, over 25, paying tax or having common household with a man paying tax, got the right to vote in local elections.
* 1909 – Women, over 25, paying tax or having common household with a man paying tax, got full voting rights.
* 1913 – Universal suffrage for all over 25, applying from the election in 1915.
* 1920 – Voting age lowered to 23.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nrk.no/norge/stemmerettens-historie-1.2678101 |title=Stemmerettens historie |date=12 June 2007 |publisher=Laila Ø. Bakken, NRK |language=no}}</ref>
* 1946 – Voting age lowered to 21.
* 1967 – Voting age lowered to 20.
* 1978 – Voting age lowered to 18.

===Poland===
* 1918 – In its first days of independence in 1918, after 123 years of partition, voting rights were granted to both men and women. Eight women were elected to the [[Sejm]] in 1919.
* 1952 – Voting age lowered to 18.

===Singapore===
{{See also|Voting rights in Singapore}}

===South Africa===
* 1910 – The [[Union of South Africa]] is established by the [[South Africa Act 1909]]. The [[House of Assembly (South Africa)|House of Assembly]] is elected by [[First-past-the-post voting|first-past-the-post]] voting in single-member constituencies. The franchise qualifications are the same as those previously existing for elections of the legislatures of the colonies that comprised the Union. In the [[Transvaal Province|Transvaal]] and the [[Orange Free State Province|Orange Free State]] the franchise is limited to [[white South African|white]] men. In [[Natal Province|Natal]] the franchise is limited to men meeting property and literacy qualifications; it was theoretically colour-blind but in practise nearly all non-white men were excluded. The traditional "[[Cape Qualified Franchise]]" of the [[Cape Province]] is limited to men meeting property and literacy qualifications and is colour-blind; nonetheless 85% of voters are white. The rights of non-white voters in the Cape Province are protected by an [[entrenched clause]] in the South Africa Act requiring a two-thirds vote in a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament.
* 1930 – The [[Women's Enfranchisement Act, 1930]] extends the right to vote to all white women over the age of 21.
* 1931 – The [[Franchise Laws Amendment Act, 1931]] removes the property and literacy qualifications for all white men over the age of 21, but they are retained for non-white voters.
* 1936 – The [[Representation of Natives Act, 1936]] removes [[black African|black]] voters in the Cape Province from the common voters' roll and instead allows them to elect three "Native Representative Members" to the House of Assembly. Four [[Senate of South Africa|Senators]] are to be indirectly elected by chiefs and local authorities to represent black South Africans throughout the country. The act is passed with the necessary two-thirds majority in a joint sitting.
* 1951 – The [[Separate Representation of Voters Act, 1951]] is passed by Parliament by an ordinary majority in separate sittings. It purports to remove [[coloured]] voters in the Cape Province from the common voters' roll and instead allow them to elect four "Coloured Representative Members" to the House of Assembly.
* 1952 – In ''[[Harris v Minister of the Interior]]'' the Separate Representation of Voters Act is annulled by the Appellate Division of the [[Supreme Court of South Africa|Supreme Court]] because it was not passed with the necessary two-thirds majority in a joint sitting. Parliament passes the [[High Court of Parliament Act, 1952]], purporting to allow it to reverse this decision, but the Appellate Division annuls it as well.
* 1956 – By packing the Senate and the Appellate Division, the government passes the [[South Africa Act Amendment Act, 1956]], reversing the annulment of the Separate Representation of Voters Act and giving it the force of law.
* 1958 – The [[Electoral Law Amendment Act, 1958]] reduces the [[voting age]] for white voters from 21 to 18.
* 1959 – The [[Promotion of Bantu Self-government Act, 1959]] repeals the Representation of Natives Act, removing all representation of black people in Parliament.
* 1968 – The [[Separate Representation of Voters Amendment Act, 1968]] repeals the Separate Representation of Voters Act, removing all representation of coloured people in Parliament.
* 1969 – The first election of the [[Coloured Persons Representative Council]] (CPRC), which has limited legislative powers, is held. Every Coloured citizen over the age of 21 can vote for its members, in first-past-the-post elections in single-member constituencies.
* 1978 – The voting age for the CPRC is reduced from 21 to 18.
* 1981 – The first election of the [[South African Indian Council]] (SAIC), which has limited legislative powers, is held. Every [[Indian South African]] citizen over the age of 18 can vote for its members, in first-past-the-post elections in single-member constituencies.
* 1984 – The [[South African Constitution of 1983|Constitution of 1983]] establishes the [[Tricameral Parliament]]. Two new Houses of Parliament are created, the [[House of Representatives (South Africa)|House of Representatives]] to represent coloured citizens and the [[House of Delegates (South Africa)|House of Delegates]] to represent Indian citizens. Every coloured and Indian citizen over the age of 18 can vote in elections for the relevant house. As with the House of Assembly, the members are elected by first-past-the-post voting in single-member constituencies. The CPRC and SAIC are abolished.
* 1994 – With the end of [[apartheid]], the [[South African Constitution of 1993|Interim Constitution of 1993]] abolishes the Tricameral Parliament and all racial discrimination in voting rights. A new [[National Assembly of South Africa|National Assembly]] is created, and every South African citizen over the age of 18 has the right to vote for the assembly. The right to vote is also extended to long term residents. It is estimated the 500 000 foreign nationals voted in the 1994 national and provincial elections. Elections of the assembly are based on [[party-list proportional representation]]. The [[right to vote]] is enshrined in the [[Bill of Rights (South Africa)|Bill of Rights]].
* 1999 – In ''[[August and Another v Electoral Commission and Others]]'' the [[Constitutional Court of South Africa|Constitutional Court]] rules that prisoners cannot be denied the right to vote without a law that explicitly does so.
* 2003 – The [[Electoral Laws Amendment Act, 2003]] purports to prohibit convicted prisoners from voting.
* 2004 – In ''[[Minister of Home Affairs v NICRO and Others]]'' the Constitutional Court rules that prisoners cannot be denied the right to vote, and invalidates the laws that do so.
* 2009 – In ''[[Richter v Minister for Home Affairs and Others]]'' the Constitutional Court rules that South African citizens outside the country cannot be denied the right to vote.

===Sri Lanka===
* 1931 - [[Donoughmore Constitution]] granted equal suffrage for women and men, with voting possible at 21 with no property restrictions.

===Sweden===
* 1809 – New [[constitution]] adopted and [[separation of power]]s outlined in the [[Instrument of Government (1809)|Instrument of Government]].
* 1810 – The [[Swedish Parliament Act of 1810|Riksdag Act]], setting out the procedures of functioning of the [[Riksdag]], is introduced.
* 1862 – Under the [[Swedish municipal reforms of 1862|municipal laws of 1862]], some women were entitled to vote in [[local elections]].
* 1865 – [[Parliament of Four Estates]] abolished and replaced by a [[bicameral]] [[legislature]]. The members of the First Chamber were elected indirectly by the county councils and the municipal assemblies in the larger towns and cities.
* 1909 – All men who had done their [[military service]] and who paid [[tax]] were granted suffrage.
* 1918 – [[Universal Suffrage|Universal]], and [[#Equal suffrage|equal]] suffrage were introduced for [[local elections]].
* 1919 – [[Universal Suffrage|Universal]], [[#Equal suffrage|equal]], and [[women's suffrage]] granted for general elections.
* 1921 – First [[1921 Swedish general election|general election]] with [[Universal Suffrage|universal]], [[#Equal suffrage|equal]], and [[women's suffrage]] enacted, although some groups were still unable to vote.
* 1922 – Requirement that men had to have completed national [[military service]] to be able to vote abolished.
* 1937 – [[Intern]]s in [[prison]]s and [[Psychiatric hospital|institutions]] granted suffrage.
* 1945 – Individuals who had gone into [[bankruptcy]] or were dependent on [[welfare spending|welfare]] granted suffrage.
* 1970 – Indirectly elected [[upper chamber]] dismantled.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/tageerlanderserv00ruin |url-access=registration |quote=riksdag bicameral. |last=Ruin |first=Olof |title=Tage Erlander: serving the welfare state, 1946–1969 |series=Pitt series in policy and institutional studies, 99-0818751-1 |year=1990 |publisher=University of Pittsburgh Press |location=Pittsburgh, Pa. |isbn=9780822936312 |id={{LIBRIS|5791923}} |page=[https://archive.org/details/tageerlanderserv00ruin/page/93 93]}}</ref>{{Relevance inline|date=May 2018}}
* 1974 – [[Instrument of Government (1809)|Instrument of Government]] stopped being enforced.{{Context inline|date=May 2018}}.
* 1989 – The final limitations on suffrage abolished along with the [[Riksdag]]'s decision to abolish the 'declaration of legal incompetency'.<ref>[http://www.riksdagen.se/en/how-the-riksdag-works/democracy/the-history-of-the-riksdag/ History of the Riksdag] Official Riksdag Website. Retrieved 19 May 2018</ref>

===Turkey===
{{Main|Women in Turkish politics}}
* 1926 – [[Turkish civil code (1926)|Turkish civil code]] (Equality in civil rights)
* 1930 – Right to vote in local elections
* 1933 – First woman muhtar (Village head) [[Gülkız Ürbül]] in [[Karpuzlu|Demircidere]] village, [[Aydın Province]] 
* 1934 – Right to vote in General elections
* 1935 – First 18 Women MPs in [[Grand National Assembly of Turkey|Turkish parliament]]
* 1950 – First woman city mayor [[Müfide İlhan]] in [[Mersin]]

===United Kingdom===
{{See also|Reform Acts|Elections in the United Kingdom#History|Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom}}
[[File:The national convention. As it met on Monday the 4th of February, 1839, at the British Coffee House ca. 1839 LCCN2004669356.jpg|thumb|The [[Chartism|Chartists']] National Convention at the British Coffee House in February 1839]]
From 1265, a few percent of the adult male population in the [[Kingdom of England]] (of which Wales was a [[Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542|full and equal member from 1542]]) were able to vote in [[List of Parliaments of England|parliamentary elections]] that occurred at irregular intervals to the [[Parliament of England]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Origins and growth of Parliament |url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/citizenship/citizen_subject/origins.htm |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=18 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Getting the vote |url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/citizenship/struggle_democracy/getting_vote.htm |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=18 May 2015}}</ref> The franchise for the [[Parliament of Scotland]] developed separately. King [[Henry VI of England]] established in 1432 that only [[Forty shilling freeholders|owners of property worth at least forty shillings]], a significant sum, were entitled to vote in an English [[county constituency]]. The franchise was restricted to males by custom rather than statute.<ref>{{citation |title=The History of the Parliamentary Franchise |chapter-url=http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/RP13-14 |publisher=House of Commons Library |access-date=16 March 2016 |date=1 March 2013 |chapter=Ancient voting rights |page=6}}</ref> Changes were made to the details of the system, but there was no major reform until the [[Reform Act 1832#The franchise|Reform Act 1832]].{{refn|group=nb|Until this Act specified 'male persons', a few women had been able to vote in parliamentary elections through property ownership, although this was rare.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Heater |first1=Derek |title=Citizenship in Britain: A History |date=2006 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=9780748626724 |page=107 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=js-qBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA107}}</ref>}} A series of [[Reform Acts]] and [[Representation of the People Act]]s followed. In 1918, all men over 21 and some women over 30 won the right to vote, and in 1928 all women over 21 won the right to vote resulting in universal suffrage.<ref>{{cite web |title=The History of the Parliamentary Franchise |url=http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/RP13-14 |publisher=House of Commons Library |access-date=16 March 2016 |date=1 March 2013}}</ref>
*[[Reform Act 1832]] – extended voting rights to adult males who rented propertied land of a certain value, so allowing 1 in 7 adult males in the UK voting rights.
*[[Chartism]] – The People's Charter was drawn up in 1838 by the [[London Working Men's Association]]. The following year, the first Chartist petition was presented to [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]]. Further Chartist petitions were presented in 1842 and 1848.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Key dates |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/electionsvoting/chartists/keydates/ |website=UK Parliament}}</ref>
* [[Reform Act 1867]] – extended the franchise to men in urban areas who met a property qualification, so increasing male suffrage.
* [[Representation of the People Act 1884|Reform Act 1884]] – addressed imbalances between the boroughs and the countryside; this brought the voting population to 5,500,000, although 40% of males were still disenfranchised because of the property qualification.
* Between 1885 and 1918 moves were made by the [[Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom#Formation of a national movement|women's suffrage]] movement to ensure votes for women. However, the duration of the First World War stopped this reform movement.
* [[Representation of the People Act 1918]] – the consequences of World War I persuaded the government to expand the right to vote, not only for the many men who fought in the war who were disenfranchised, but also for the women who worked in factories, agriculture and elsewhere as part of the war effort, often substituting for enlisted men and including dangerous work such as in munitions factories. All men aged 21 and over were given the right to vote. Property restrictions for voting were lifted for men. The local government franchise was extended to include all women over 21, on the same terms as men. Parliamentary Votes were given to 40% of women, with property restrictions and limited to those over 30 years old. This increased the electorate from 7.7&nbsp;million to 21.4&nbsp;million with women making up 8.5&nbsp;million of the electorate. Seven percent of the electorate had more than one vote, either because they owned business property or because they were university graduates. The first election with this system was the [[1918 United Kingdom general election|1918 general election]].
* [[Representation of the People Act 1928]] – equal suffrage for women and men, with voting possible at 21 with no property restrictions.
* [[Representation of the People Act 1948]] – removed [[plural voting]] in parliamentary elections for university graduates and business owners.
* [[Representation of the People Act 1969]] – extension of suffrage to those 18 and older, the first major democratic country to do so,<ref name="Bingham 2019"/><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Loughran |first1=Thomas |last2=Mycock |first2=Andrew |last3=Tonge |first3=Jonathan |date=3 November 2021 |title=Lowering the voting age: three lessons from the 1969 Representation of the People's Act |url=https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/lessons-from-the-1969-representation-of-the-peoples-act/ |access-date=31 December 2022 |website=British Politics and Policy at LSE}}</ref> and abolition of plural voting in local government elections.

===United States===
{{Main|Voting rights in the United States}}
The [[Constitution of the United States]] did not originally define who was eligible to vote, allowing each state to decide this status. In the early history of the U.S., most states allowed only [[White American|white]] male adult property owners to vote (about 6% of the population).<ref>{{cite web |title=Expansion of Rights and Liberties – The Right of Suffrage |url=https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/charters_of_freedom_13.html |website=Online Exhibit: The Charters of Freedom |publisher=National Archives |access-date=21 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160706144856/http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/charters_of_freedom_13.html |archive-date=6 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Kenneth |last1=Janda |first2=Jeffrey M. |last2=Berry |first3=Jerry |last3=Goldman |title=The challenge of democracy : government in America |date=2008 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=9780618990948 |page=[https://archive.org/details/challengeofdemoc0009jand/page/207 207] |edition=9. ed., update |url=https://archive.org/details/challengeofdemoc0009jand |url-access=registration |postscript=none}}; {{cite book |last1=Murrin |first1=John M. |last2=Johnson |first2=Paul E. |last3=McPherson |first3=James M. |last4=Fahs |first4=Alice |last5=Gerstle |first5=Gary |title=Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People |date=2012 |publisher=Wadsworth, Cengage Learning |isbn=9780495904991 |page=296 |edition=6th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FGSQOiy6uZUC&pg=PT337}}</ref> By 1856 property ownership requirements were eliminated in all states, giving suffrage to most white men. However, tax-paying requirements remained in five states until 1860 and in two states until the 20th century.<ref name="Engerman 2005">{{cite web |first1=Stanley L. |last1=Engerman |first2=Kenneth L. |last2=Sokoloff |title=The Evolution of Suffrage Institutions in the New World |date=February 2005 |url=http://economics.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Workshops-Seminars/Economic-History/sokoloff-050406.pdf |pages=16, 35 |quote=By 1840, only three states retained a property qualification, North Carolina (for some state-wide offices only), Rhode Island, and Virginia. In 1856 North Carolina was the last state to end the practice. Tax-paying qualifications were also gone in all but a few states by the Civil War, but they survived into the 20th century in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. |access-date=10 March 2016 |archive-date=11 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111211244/http://economics.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Workshops-Seminars/Economic-History/sokoloff-050406.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Voting Rights |url=http://www.infoplease.com/timelines/voting.html |publisher=Infoplease |access-date=21 April 2015}}</ref>

Since the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], five amendments to the Constitution have limited the ways in which the right to vote may be restricted in American elections, though none have added a general right to vote.<ref group=nb>The [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|14th Amendment]] (1868) altered the way each state is represented in the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]. It counted all residents for apportionment including former slaves, overriding the [[three-fifths compromise]] of the original Constitution; it also reduced a state's apportionment if it wrongfully denied the right to vote to males over age 21. However, this sanction was not enforced in practice.</ref>
* [[Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|15th Amendment]] (1870): "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
* [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|19th Amendment]] (1920): "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."
* [[Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution|23rd Amendment]] (1961): provides that residents of the [[District of Columbia]] can vote for the President and Vice President.
* [[Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|24th Amendment]] (1964): "The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax." This did not change the rules for state elections.
* [[Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution|26th Amendment]] (1971): "The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age."

The use of [[grandfather clause]]s to allow European-Americans to vote while excluding African-Americans from voting was ruled unconstitutional in the 1915 decision ''[[Guinn v. United States]]''. States continued to use [[literacy test]]s and [[poll tax]]es, which also disenfranchised poor white citizens. Racial equality in voting was substantially secured after the passage of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], a major victory in the [[Civil Rights Movement]]. State elections, it was not until the 1966 decision ''[[Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections]]'' that the U.S. Supreme Court declared state poll taxes violated the [[Equal Protection Clause]] of the Fourteenth Amendment.<ref name="Scher 2015">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=POzqBgAAQBAJ&pg=PR9 |title=The Politics of Disenfranchisement: Why is it So Hard to Vote in America? |last=Scher |first=Richard K. |date=2015 |page=viii–ix |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=9781317455363}}</ref><ref name="NHLTS 2009">{{Cite web |year=2009 |title=Civil Rights in America: Racial Voting Rights |url=https://www.nps.gov/nhl/learn/themes/CivilRights_VotingRights.pdf |publisher=A National Historic Landmarks Theme Study}}</ref>

===Majority-Muslim countries===
{{Main|Timeline of first women's suffrage in majority-Muslim countries}}