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The Right to Vote: How the Law Changed

In 1800 almost nobody in these three countries could vote in a national election in the sense we mean it today. The vote then widened in steps: first among men, as property and tax qualifications fell; then to women; then to groups kept out by race or by age. The order differs: France gave the vote to nearly all men in 1792, long before Britain, but gave women the vote only in 1944, after both the United Kingdom and the United States.

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1775180018251850187519001925195019752000United Kingdom1832: Great Reform Act1867: Second Reform Act1872: The secret ballot1884: Third Reform Act1918: Women over 30 vote1928: Equal franchise1948: One person, one vote1969: Voting age lowered to 18United States1856: Property tests end1869: Wyoming gives women the vote1870: Fifteenth Amendment1913: Senators elected by the people1920: Nineteenth Amendment1924: Native American citizenship1964: Poll taxes banned1965: Voting Rights Act1971: Voting age lowered to 18France1791: Active and passive citizens1792: Vote for nearly all men1814: Voting by wealth1848: Universal male suffrage restored1944: Women vote1974: Voting age lowered to 18

1832United Kingdom· Property, class and tax qualifications

Great Reform Act

The Reform Act 1832 redrew the constituencies, ended many 'rotten boroughs' and gave the vote to more property owners, but still only to a small minority of men.

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These charts show the main turning points in the law of several countries, from our own knowledge. Each entry is one law or decision, dated by when it was passed or decided; the date it took effect is sometimes later. A chart is a map of turning points, not a complete history, and it records the law on paper, not how it was applied. Check the statutes and decisions named for the exact wording. It is general information, not legal advice.

The story in each country

United Kingdom

A century of reform acts widened the male franchise; women gained it in two stages, in 1918 and 1928; the voting age fell to 18 in 1969.

United States

States first dropped property tests for white men; the Reconstruction amendment, the 19th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act then opened the vote by race and sex.

France

The Revolution briefly gave all men the vote in 1792; property limits returned and were ended for good in 1848; women voted from 1944.

Every turning point, in order

United Kingdom

  1. 1832 Great Reform Act

    Property, class and tax qualifications

    The Reform Act 1832 redrew the constituencies, ended many 'rotten boroughs' and gave the vote to more property owners, but still only to a small minority of men.

  2. 1867 Second Reform Act

    Property, class and tax qualifications

    The Reform Act 1867 gave the vote to many working-class male householders in towns.

  3. 1872 The secret ballot

    How voting works

    The Ballot Act 1872 introduced voting in secret, ending open voting under the eyes of landlords and employers.

  4. 1884 Third Reform Act

    Property, class and tax qualifications

    The Representation of the People Act 1884 extended the householder vote to the countryside, so that most men could vote.

  5. 1918 Women over 30 vote

    Women and the vote

    The Representation of the People Act 1918 gave the vote to all men over 21 and to women over 30 who met a property test.

  6. 1928 Equal franchise

    Women and the vote

    The Equal Franchise Act 1928 gave women the vote at 21 on the same terms as men.

  7. 1948 One person, one vote

    Property, class and tax qualifications

    The Representation of the People Act 1948 abolished plural voting, including the business vote and the university seats.

  8. 1969 Voting age lowered to 18

    Race, age and other limits

    The Representation of the People Act 1969, in force from 1970, lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

United States

  1. 1856 Property tests end

    Property, class and tax qualifications

    By 1856, when North Carolina was the last to drop its property requirement, nearly every state allowed white men to vote without owning property.

  2. 1869 Wyoming gives women the vote

    Women and the vote

    Wyoming Territory became the first jurisdiction in the United States to give women the vote.

  3. 1870 Fifteenth Amendment

    Race, age and other limits

    The Fifteenth Amendment barred denying the vote because of race, colour or previous servitude, though many states used other devices to keep Black citizens from voting.

  4. 1913 Senators elected by the people

    How voting works

    The Seventeenth Amendment provided for the direct election of United States senators; before it, state legislatures chose them.

  5. 1920 Nineteenth Amendment

    Women and the vote

    The Nineteenth Amendment barred denying the vote because of sex.

  6. 1924 Native American citizenship

    Race, age and other limits

    The Indian Citizenship Act granted citizenship to Native Americans born in the United States, though some states kept them from voting for decades.

  7. 1964 Poll taxes banned

    How voting works

    The Twenty-fourth Amendment barred poll taxes in federal elections.

  8. 1965 Voting Rights Act

    Race, age and other limits

    The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed literacy tests and other racial barriers and gave the federal government power to oversee elections in places with a history of discrimination.

  9. 1971 Voting age lowered to 18

    Race, age and other limits

    The Twenty-sixth Amendment lowered the national voting age from 21 to 18.

France

  1. 1791 Active and passive citizens

    Property, class and tax qualifications

    The revolutionary constitution of 1791 gave the vote only to 'active citizens', men who paid a minimum tax.

  2. 1792 Vote for nearly all men

    Property, class and tax qualifications

    The election of the National Convention in 1792 was held under a system in which almost all adult men could vote; domestic servants were among those excluded.

  3. 1814 Voting by wealth

    Property, class and tax qualifications

    After the restoration of the monarchy, the Charter of 1814 limited the vote to a small number of men who paid high taxes.

  4. 1848 Universal male suffrage restored

    Property, class and tax qualifications

    Universal manhood suffrage was decreed in March 1848 and, after a brief restriction in 1850, became the lasting basis of French elections.

  5. 1944 Women vote

    Women and the vote

    An ordinance of 21 April 1944 gave women the vote and the right to stand for election; they first voted in the municipal elections of 1945.

  6. 1974 Voting age lowered to 18

    Race, age and other limits

    A law of 1974 lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

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TheLawToKnow Tools. The Right to Vote: How the Law Changed. https://tools.thelawtoknow.com/law-evolution/the-right-to-vote.