In this article you will learn about the Meaning of Franchise in Political Science.
Meaning of Franchise
Franchise means the right of the people to vote in public elections. In simple words we can define Franchise as the right of the people to vote in elections for choosing their representatives.
When we say ‘contemporary age is the age of democracy’, we really mean the age of indirect democracy or representative democracy. Due to several reasons, the people now find it very difficult to operationalise a system of direct democracy. Therefore, they feel compelled to accept a system of governance by their elected representatives as the best available democratic system. Consequently, almost every democratic state is a representative democracy under which the people elect their representatives who form the legislature and executive organs of the government. The power of the state over the people is exercised by the elected representatives of the people. The people rule through their elected representatives and it is regarded as self rule of people.
Elections are regularly held in every democratic state and these are always contested by political parties who field their respective candidates in elections. Franchise and Suffrage, Representative, Elections, Voting and Political Parties all are at work in the operation of every democratic political system.
Franchise/Suffrage
Election of representatives is a cardinal necessity of every democracy. For this purpose the people of the state enjoy the right to Franchise i.e. the right to vote. Suffrage or Franchise means the right to vote in public elections. People of a democratic state have the right and freedom to elect their representatives by the use of their right to franchise. They have the right of representation by their elected representatives.
The people of the state who enjoy the right to franchise constitute the Electorate. The system by which the people cast their votes for electing representatives is called Election. The system electing representatives by the people and exercise of political power by their elected representatives is called Representation.
Meaning of Suffrage
Suffrage means the right to vote or the right to franchise or simply right to vote in public elections. When the people are given the right to elect their representatives through the exercise of the ballot (vote), they are designated as an electorate and their right to vote is described as suffrage or franchise. Suffrage means the enjoyment of the right to elect representatives through a free exercise of vote. It can also be described as the legal right of the people to elect representatives through the use of the right to franchise.
Without suffrage i.e. without the people enjoying the right and freedom to vote for electing their representatives, there can be no democracy. Without a system of elections there can be no democracy and without an electorate, there can be no elections. As such, the Right to Vote constitutes the backbone of every modern democratic system.
This article on Meaning of Franchise in Political Science is contributed by Dipshikha Anand. If you like LawStudyPoint.com do follow us on our Twitter handle.