Universal suffrage is the solid foundation of the democratic state in which "one man and one vote" are identified. It assumes the maximum expansion of the electoral body so that the active electorate matches the capacity of public law.
Universal suffrage began to be recognized in France after the revolution of 1848, generalized in continental Europe in the second half of the 19th century, although it was not achieved in Austria, Italy or England until the beginning of the 20th century. However, when it is spoken in these terms it is made of universal male suffrage, because until well into the twentieth century, for example in Spain until 1931, universal suffrage was not achieved without distinction of sex.
Democracy is a system in which citizens elect their representatives. And universal suffrage is the main mechanism for citizen participation. It consists of the right to vote in an election. At present, in democratic countries there is universal suffrage in a standardized manner and it applies to the entire population over 18 years of age. This is the general rule, although there are variations in each nation. For example, the age of majority and the right to vote is exercised after 15 years in Iran and 21 in Côte d'Ivoire.
There are also some legal limitations when it comes to voting from the age of majority: that you have no criminal record, that you are not a foreigner, or that you do not have a mental health problem. There is, therefore, a rule (all adult citizens of a country can decide through their vote who will be their representatives) and some exceptions and limitations that each state specifies in its electoral laws.
Although considered an achievement of democracy and essential in any modern political system, throughout the history of the 19th and 20th centuries, and even today, universal suffrage has exceptions that vary in its treatment of the country. The limitations of the right to vote within a universal suffrage system generally have to do with two issues: the status of the foreigner, the absence or limitation of the ability to freely discern, for reasons of age, mental health or situations of due obedience. as is the case of the military or persons legally deprived of their liberty.
