Editing Universal suffrage (section)

{{Short description|Right of every person to an equal say in politics}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Elections}}
{{Universalism}}
'''Universal suffrage''' or '''universal franchise''' ensures the [[right to vote]] for as many people bound by a government's laws as possible, as supported by the "[[one person, one vote]]" principle. For many, the term universal suffrage assumes the exclusion of [[Youth suffrage|the young]] and [[Non-citizen suffrage|non-citizens]] (among others).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Universal suffrage definition and meaning {{!}} Collins English Dictionary |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/universal-suffrage |access-date=1 February 2019 |website=www.collinsdictionary.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition of UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/universal+suffrage |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Brit">{{Cite encyclopedia |entry=Suffrage |encyclopedia=Britannica |entry-url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/suffrage |access-date=2023-01-18 |language=en}}</ref> At the same time, some insist that more inclusion is needed before suffrage can be truly universal.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rosenfeld |first=Sophia |date=2023-01-03 |title=Has the United States Ever Been a Democracy? |language=en-US |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/society/jedediah-purdy-two-cheers-for-politics/ |access-date=2023-01-21 |issn=0027-8378}}</ref> Democratic theorists, especially those hoping to achieve more universal suffrage, support [[presumptive inclusion]], where the legal system would protect the voting rights of all subjects unless the government can clearly prove that [[disenfranchisement]] is necessary.<ref name=":022">{{Cite SSRN |last=Hamilton |first=Vivian E. |date=2012 |title=Democratic Inclusion, Cognitive Development, and the Age of Electoral Majority |language=en |ssrn=2086875 }}</ref> Universal full suffrage includes both the right to vote, also called active suffrage, and the right to be elected, also called [[Nomination rules|passive suffrage]].<ref>[https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/conlawnow/vol11/iss1/6/ Gwen Jordan, "We Must Forget Every Difference and Unite in a Common Cause - Votes For Woman": Lessons From the Woman Suffrage Movement (Or, Before the Notorious RBG, There Were the Notorious RGBs), 11 ConLawNOW 91 (2020).]</ref>