Legislation secures citizens the right to vote. This means that entities have the opportunity to vote for candidates for state bodies and local government structures. In addition, subject to a number of conditions, citizens may themselves be elected. The norms allow the participation of individuals in the monitoring of voting, the work of commissions, including in determining the results of campaigns. Citizens can express their will in referenda and other events established by the legislation of the country, legal acts of the regions.
The principle of freedom of election
Legislation divides the suffrage into passive and active. The latter involves direct participation in the vote, that is, an expression of the will of the population. Passive law - the opportunity to become a candidate who will be elected. The participation of the population in the voting is voluntary and free. No one can put pressure on people to force them to express their will or to refrain from it. It is not allowed to create any obstacles to free participation in campaigns. State Duma deputies are elected on the basis of an equal, universal, direct, secret ballot.
Normative base
The legislation governing the election of the country's president is formed primarily by the constitution. Its provisions are specified in Federal Law No. 67. This law regulates the basic guarantees of the right to vote and the participation of citizens of the Russian Federation in referenda. Regional authorities may also adopt other regulatory acts in this area that do not contradict the Constitution and the Federal Law.
The concept of selective qualification
As mentioned above, participation of citizens in voting, expression of will is subject to a number of conditions. They are selective qualifications. The concept and types of these conditions are fixed normatively. All of them are divided into 2 large groups. The first are natural, and the second are arbitrary conditions. Consider which qualifications required by current law.
Natural conditions
This category includes the age qualification of suffrage . He assumes that a citizen can vote only if he is a certain number of years old. Such qualifications of active suffrage in different countries are different. For example, in Russia you can vote in 18 years. I must say that this threshold was not established immediately. Until the mid-60s of the last century, in most states, a citizen could vote in only 21 years. It was believed that this is the age of full legal personality, absolute adulthood. Having reached the age of 21, a person can enter into an inheritance, independently carry out various kinds of transactions, and so on. However, over time, this threshold began to be perceived as unnatural, abnormal. This was due to the fact that in the early 60s, the realities of life changed significantly. This was especially noticeable in the USA. America at that time participated in the Vietnam War. The country had military duty. In fact, a very controversial situation has developed. Young people drafted into the ranks of the troops from the age of 18 died in battles for the ideals of the state, could not participate in its political life. There was a need to reduce electoral qualifications. This happened in the 60s. In the UK, the threshold has fallen by the 70s. However, even today in some countries higher electoral qualifications are established. This , in particular, is noted in Switzerland and Japan. In these countries, you can vote at the age of 20.
Nomination
There are natural qualifications for passive suffrage . As a rule, the threshold for nominating oneself for voting is higher than for participation in the process of expression of will. This is due to the following. Establishing qualifications for suffrage , the legislator assumes that a person who offers his candidacy for a post (deputy, mayor, senator, president, in the end), has some experience. The threshold may be 25, 35 years, and so on. In Italy, for example, a citizen can only be promoted to senator when he is 40 years old. And to vote for members of the Senate only with 25.
Education and Literacy
In some countries, these types of electoral qualifications are established. In a number of countries, the level of education is checked during registration of voting participants. In some American states, for example, there was a rule according to which a citizen received the country's constitution. He needed to read a few lines from it and explain them in his own words. Thus, the level of not only ordinary, but also political literacy of a person was determined. A prerequisite for voting in some states is the ability to write and read in the language of the country in which the voter lives. In some cases, a citizen is required to provide a document confirming the availability of secondary education. To nominate candidates for high posts, sometimes a diploma of graduation is required.
Specifics of some countries
Educational qualifications of suffrage are established depending on the characteristics of the population. In a number of states, the percentage of illiterate citizens is high. They are allowed to vote without any conditions and even facilitate their selection process. According to the constitution of Ecuador, those who can write and read are required to participate in electoral events. For the illiterate, the realization of their ability is optional (desirable). After the adoption of the constitution of Peru (in 1980), about a million uneducated people were allowed to vote. In India, the procedure for the illiterate is simplified. In this country, each party and each candidate has its own symbol. It can be a lotus, a pigeon, an ear, etc. Voters during their speeches see their symbols and subsequently put a checkmark in front of the sign in the ballot.
Settled
In some cases, specific electoral qualifications are established. This is also due to the specifics of the area. For example, in Ireland a citizen is not allowed to vote if he does not have a place to sleep. It seems that tramps who live under bridges cannot take advantage of suffrage. Formally, it is forbidden to vote for hired agricultural workers who settle on other people's farms. These people do not live in their own homes, so they are denied active suffrage. In a number of countries, a prerequisite is to be in the area where the voting takes place continuously for a certain period. This term may be different. For example, in most American states you need to live 1-2 months permanently, in Germany - 3 months, in France - six months, and in Canada - a year. There are quite logical reasons why such selective qualifications are established. This is primarily due to the fact that a person, before participating in the vote, needs to know the specifics of the area, to feel like a member of the community. This circumstance is especially relevant in elections to territorial power structures. It should be said that even because of the short period of stay on the ground, many do not vote. For example, in America there are a lot of seasonal workers. They move from one place to another during harvesting. These people do not participate in the elections. Citizens who live in trailers (mobile homes) do not exercise their suffrage. According to some reports, there are about 6 million such people. They practically do not take part in the political life of the state.
Floor
In the modern world, in most countries there are no gender restrictions. However, this situation was not always. Before World War I, for example, women were allowed to vote only in some states. These were mainly Scandinavian countries (Iceland, Finland, Norway, Denmark), New Zealand and Australia. Dutch women were the first to vote. In Great Britain, the sexual qualification was lifted in 1918, in Germany a year later, and in the USA in 1920. After World War II, restrictions were lifted almost everywhere in the world. In 1944, in France, women were allowed to vote. In Japan, restrictions were lifted in 1946, in Italy in 1945. Sexual qualifications lasted the longest in Switzerland until 1971, although for the first time in this country the question of allowing women to vote was raised as early as 1919. Its decision dragged on quite a long period. For almost 50 years, several polls and referenda have been conducted. But they involved only men who opposed equalization of women in rights. Therefore, the solution of the issue was so delayed. In some Middle Eastern states, not only women but also men cannot vote. This is due to the fact that in such countries elections are not foreseen at all. For example, such a situation in the UAE, Saudi Arabia. In Kuwait, only men participate in the elections. In a number of countries, today there are norms that infringe on the rights of women. For example, in Haiti, they can only vote for candidates for local structures. In Guatemala, there was a rule according to which only literate women could enjoy the right to vote. And men are allowed to vote, regardless of education, the ability to read / write. In El Salvador and Costa Rica, there was a regulation that married women could run in elections from the age of 25, and unmarried women from the age of 30.
Property qualification
It existed for quite a long time in all states that had a parliament. In these countries, people now called the middle class were allowed to participate in election campaigns . They were determined quite simply - by the amount of tax paid. The literature noted that those citizens who do not have property, have not achieved a certain position in society, cannot be allowed to manage state affairs. The proletariat, as a rule, was apolitical and illiterate. Workers worked too much to adequately understand what was happening around. However, with the improvement of technology and the development of civilization, the reduction in the length of work shifts, the expansion of the trade union movement, restrictions on property status became indecent. After the end of World War I, they were almost everywhere eliminated. Currently, in open form, the property qualification almost does not exist. In a number of states, however, material conditions are set for candidates for deputy. For example, to register nominees for the presidency of Argentina, you need to provide evidence of a certain amount of annual profit. By this, the candidate confirms that he seeks to take a post not for his own enrichment, but in the name of serving the people. Such a requirement is still present in the laws of Costa Rica, New Zealand, Mexico, Colombia, Australia.
Additional restrictions
In some countries, qualifications are provided for military personnel. Opinions about his justice were divided. On the one hand, the armies of many countries today are formed on a professional basis, and their numbers are small. Accordingly, participation or non-participation of soldiers in the vote will not significantly affect the results. However, more often than not, military personnel are deprived of a passive right. According to some authors, this seems fair. Military service should not be burdened with politics. If a citizen wants to participate in public administration, he will have to give up his military career. Some countries have religious qualifications. For example, in Iran, a citizen must be a Muslim who is actively preaching Islam to run for parliament. In this country, about 90% of board members are worshipers.
The situation in Russia
The censorship of the Russian Federation is rather small. One of the limitations has already been mentioned above. In particular, all citizens who have reached the age of 18 years can vote. Electoral qualifications in the Russian Federation include restrictions for presidential candidates, deputies of the State Duma. The head of state can be a subject who has reached the age of 35. You can run for the State Duma from the age of 21. At the same time, the presidential candidate must have a higher education, know the course of municipal and civil service, as well as the Constitution of the country. Some states have so-called moral selective qualifications. In the Russian Federation , for example, it is forbidden to vote for persons serving prison sentences. In Art. 48 of the Italian constitution does not allow the election of subjects who have committed immoral acts specified in the law. It is also forbidden to vote in bankrupt, drug addicts and other entities whose influence on the election results the authorities consider undesirable. In some countries, a ban on the exercise of their suffrage acts as a punishment. In some cases, the law allows for the suspension of such a legal opportunity. For example, similar provisions are present in the constitution of Mexico. According to the law of this country, the opportunity to vote and to stand for election may be suspended for systematic vagrancy or drunkenness. The relevant limitation is imposed by the court. Citizenship is another condition for the nomination of candidates for the highest state posts in Russia.
Conclusion
In total, there are about fifty qualifications in the world. All of them are related to the specifics of the cultural development of a particular state, historical features. Many of them are well founded. For example, educational or age qualifications for individuals nominating for high government posts. Undoubtedly, a person who seeks to occupy the post of head of the country must possess certain managerial experience and knowledge. Passive suffrage in Russia cannot be used by foreigners. This is also quite justified, since only its citizens who permanently reside in it and know its internal structure can manage the affairs of the state. Meanwhile, in some countries there are still rules that infringe on the freedoms of some people living in their territories. This mainly concerns women who are far from always allowed to vote or with certain reservations.