Fourteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

The principle of universal suffrage implies that every adult citizen has the right to participate in elections. The definition is very general, but this principle can be restricted by the laws that can be different in different countries. The goal of technical restrictions is not to separate concrete social layers from the election process; its purpose is to involve citizens in the electoral process, which has the appropriate civic responsibility. The most sensitive issue is age restriction, which differ in different countries according to active and passive voting rights. According to the laws of different countries, the age of active suffrage varies from 16 to 21 years. States with an active age limit of 18 years are the majority on the world political map, up to 100 states, but there are some exceptions. Some countries define the age of active suffrage to 16, that is sometimes can be unreasonable. The main aim of this paper is to explore on above mentioned issue and make some conclusions regarding the relevant definition of principle of universality in elections, interrelations between age limits, and civic responsibility. The study is based on the comparative analysis of political situation and civil society in several countries, which gives the author the opportunity to understand the underlying issues.