1. Chapter 3 – Introduction: Suffrage
What is Suffrage?
Suffrage: “The right to vote, or the exercising of that right.” –Andrew Heywood; Politics (Second
Edition); p. 432.
•The human right to vote is embodied in three instruments: Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR); the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and in the 1987 Philippine
Constitution. The Philippines is governed by these three documents which similarly mandate
universality of the right; equality in access to public service; and secrecy of votes.
Art. V, Sec. 1-2 of The 1987 Philippine Constitution
Section 1: Suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of the Philippines not otherwise disqualified by law.
The following shall be disqualified from voting:
A. Any person who has been sentenced by final judgment to suffer imprisonment for not less than
one year. However, he/ she may reacquire the right to vote upon expiration of five years after
service of sentence.
B. Any person who has been adjudged by final judgment by competent court or tribunal of having
committed any crime involving disloyalty to the duly constituted government such as rebellion,
sedition, violation of the anti-subversion and firearms laws, or any crime against national
security, unless restored to his/her full civil and political rights in accordance with law: Provided,
That he/she shall regain his right to vote automatically upon expiration of five years after service
of sentence.
C. Insane or incompetent persons as declared by competent authority.
Section 2: The Congress shall provide a system for securing the secrecy and sanctity of ballot as well as a
system for absentee voting by qualified Filipinos abroad. The congress shall also design a procedure for
the disabled and the illiterates to vote without the assistance of other persons. Until then, they shall be
allowed to vote under existing laws and such rules as the Commission on elections may promulgate to
protect the secrecy of the ballot.
RA 9189 or the Overseas Absentee Voting Law entitles all Filipino citizens overseas, not otherwise
disqualified by law, and immigrants and permanent residents with affidavit of intent to resume
residence in the Philippines, to vote for elective positions on the national level: President; Vice-
President; Senators; and Party-List Representatives.
Why is suffrage important?
The people’s right to suffrage is the foundation of the electoral process. If people are not allowed to
vote freely, then the whole process of elections becomes absurd and superfluous.
2. Being able to vote is a key part of citizenship and allows each person to have their say about what is
important to them and what they think their lives should be like. When people vote, they are saying
which policies they value, which political party they would like to make decisions on their behalf, and
which politician they trust to improve life for themselves and for their community.
It ensures that the citizens are given the chance to express their voice on an issue through choosing or
electing their leaders during the election.
SUFFRAGE is POWER
Are we using this power for the better?
Chapter 3 – Topic No.1: Theories of Suffrage
•THEORIES OF SUFFRAGE
There are several theories about suffrage. W. J. Shepard said that there are five basic theories about
suffrage and these are:
Suffrage as an Attribute of Citizenship – this theory was adopted by the ancient Greeks, such as those in
the Greek city-state of Athens where an assembly of citizens met regularly to choose their leaders. It
should be noted here that only the citizen of the city-state had the right to exercise suffrage. In a
modern democracy, citizenship is one of the requirements for the exercise of suffrage.
Suffrage as Averted Privilege – this theory originated during the Middle Ages. According to this theory,
only the rich who owned property, especially the landed gentry, had the vested rights and privileges to
vote for their public officials. Thus, suffrage was premised on the economic status of the voter—that the
voter who was a rich landowner had a greater stake to protect than those who did not own property. In
the early years of American sovereignty in the Philippines, the American authorities introduced local
elections as a means of building the foundation structures of democracy. One of the requirements for
voters was ownership of land with an assessed value of thirty to one hundred pesos. The provisions on
suffrage in the 1973 and 1987 Constitutions state that “no literacy, property, or other substantive
requirements shall be imposed in the exercise of suffrage.”
Suffrage as an Abstract or Natural Right – under this theory, suffrage is an inherent right endowed upon
man by God. It is an innate right that man exercises when he becomes an adult, regardless of his
qualifications or disabilities.
The Ethical Theory - the exercise of suffrage under this theory makes man an asset to this community,
for its main objective is to improve not only his personality but also mold him in the matrix of
responsible citizenship. Thus, responsible voters always think that suffrage is not only a political right or
privilege, since under ethical theory, the exercise of the franchise promotes the ethical and judgmental
values of individual voters.
3. Suffrage as a Government Function – this theory presupposes that suffrage is a function of government.
It is the government that prescribes certain qualifications for an individual to be qualified to vote. These
qualifications pertain to certain requirements based on citizenship, age, residence, and literacy. It
considers suffrage a political right or privilege since only a certain few possessing the qualifications and
none of the disqualifications under the law are entitled to exercise the right to vote. This is the theory of
suffrage that is exercised today by modern democratic government.
•THE ELECTORAL PROCESS
An electoral system or voting system is a set of rules that determine how elections and referendums are
conducted and how their results are determined.
Election- is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple
individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern
representative democracy has operated since the 17th
century.
Two Classifications of Elections:
Direct Election- A direct election is an election in which people vote directly for the person, persons or
political party that they want to see elected to a political position. The electorate casts their votes
directly in an election for candidates of their choice that will represent them either in the executive or
legislature without interference.
Indirect Election- The opposite is an indirect election, in which the voters elect a group of people who in
turn elects the officeholder in question.
Nomination Process-Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a
public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full
list of candidates is a short list.
Nomination by Party Convention- means a convention, caucus or other meeting which is held by a
political party at the national level and which chooses the presidential nominee of the party through
selection by delegates to that convention or through other similar means.
Nomination by Party Caucus- composed of the officers and leading members of the political
organization.
Nomination by Primary Elections- it is also called as Direct Election, it is a voting process by which
voters can indicate their preference for their party’s candidate, or a candidate in general, in an
upcoming general election, local election, or by-election.
Nomination by Petition- being placed on the ballot by petition gives nonpartisan candidates an
opportunity to run for partisan offices in a general election since those candidates are unable to be
nominated by a political party during a primary election. Nominations by petition also allow candidates
to replace other candidates when a vacancy occurs. Candidates who are nominated by petition will have
the words "By Petition" printed beside their name on the ballot to signify how the candidate was
nominated.
4. Nomination by The Candidate- A candidate who does not belong to any political party nominates
himself for a certain public office by announcing his official candidacy at a political meeting with the
people.
Registration of Voters-In electoral systems, voter registration is the requirement that a person
otherwise eligible to vote must register on an electoral roll, which is usually a prerequisite for being
entitled or permitted to vote. The rules governing registration vary between jurisdictions.
•(In Philippines)
Voter registration in the Philippines is the process of filing an application to have a voter’s record at the
Commission on Election in a specific date and designated places set by the Comelec.
Republic Act No. 8189, otherwise known as the Voter’s Registration Act of 1996, was enacted to
systematize the method of voter registration and to establish a clean, complete, permanent and
updated list of voters.
The Election Day Balloting-The political maneuvering by political parties and candidates of winning the
people’s votes culminates in election day.
•OTHER INSTITUTION OF DIRECT DEMOCRACY
Initiative:
Refers to the authority of the people to propose modifications to the Constitution
or to propose and implement laws through a special election.
Two kinds of Initiative—Indirect and direct initiative.
Indirect initiative: The term “indirect initiative” refers to the exercise of initiative
by the people through the submission of a proposal to Congress or a local
legislative body for action.
Direct initiative: puts a question directly on the ballot for voters to approve or
disapprove. The legislature is not consulted before submitting the proposal.
Referendum:
The power of the electorate to accept or reject legislation through a special
election is referred to as a referendum.
Plebiscite:
5. Is a direct vote by qualified citizens to settle a crucial public issue, such as a
constitutional amendment, separation, or some similar matter of significant
national or regional significance.
Recall:
This method or device of removing a public figure from office before the end of
his or her term is generally used at the state and local levels in the United States.
It is founded on the idea that those in positions of authority represent the popular
will and should thus be continuously under its supervision.
The politics of direct action is the name given to them collectively. There are three
ways for the populace to exert direct influence over the legislative process and
the executive branch of government: initiatives, referendums, and recalls. The
majority of constitutional democracies, including those in Australia, Canada, Italy,
and the US, employ a form of representative governance.
-These three tools are accessible if the public wants to change the government’s
activities or if the government wants to gain support for a certain programmer.
-They are collectively referred to as direct action politics. Initiatives,
referendums, and recalls are the three main methods that the public can have a
direct impact on the legislative and executive branches of the government.
