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Noncitizen Voting
Non-citizen suffrage is the extension of the right to vote (suffrage) to non-citizens. This right varies widely by place in terms of which non-citizens are allowed to vote and in which elections, though there has been a trend over the last 30 years to enfranchise more non-citizens, especially in Europe. Arguments for Non-citizen suffrage can improve political participation. Democracies are widely believed to function better when more people vote so the wisdom of the crowd can help make more fully-informed choices. Examples in New York, Chicago and Maryland all have shown positive results after immigrants received the franchise in local elections, such as school boards. Universal suffrage means one person, one vote, so if immigrants can't travel to the country of their citizenship (Right of return) or don't have either non-resident citizen voting rights or non-citizen suffrage, the ethics and the legitimacy of the democratic process has been called into question. Non-citizen suff ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vote is called active suffrage, as distinct from passive suffrage, which is the right to stand for election. The combination of active and passive suffrage is sometimes called ''full suffrage''. In most democracies, eligible voters can vote in elections for representatives. Voting on issues by referendum ( direct democracy) may also be available. For example, in Switzerland, this is permitted at all levels of government. In the United States, some states allow citizens the opportunity to write, propose, and vote on referendums ( popular initiatives); other states and the federal government do not. Referendums in the United Kingdom are rare. Suffrage continues to be especially restricted on the basis of age, residency and citizenship ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
