Universal suffrage (also
universal adult suffrage,
general suffrage or
common suffrage) consists of the extension of the
right to vote to
adult citizens (or subjects), though it may also mean extending that right to minors (
Demeny voting) and non-citizens. Although suffrage has two necessary components, the right to vote and opportunities to vote, the term
universal suffrage is associated only with the right to vote and ignores the frequency that an incumbent government consults the electorate. Where universal suffrage exists, the right to vote is not restricted by
race,
sex, belief, wealth, or social status.