universal suffrage

American  

noun

1. suffrage for all persons over a certain age, usually 18 or 21, who in other respects satisfy the requirements established by law.

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Etymology

Origin of universal suffrage

First recorded in 1700–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

universal suffrage

Somalians turned out in droves on Thursday to vote in local elections in the capital Mogadishu -- the first by universal suffrage in nearly 60 years -- with the city locked down amid security concerns.

From Barron's ● Dec. 25, 2025

That was in 1962, when lawmakers rejected a proposal to elect the president by universal suffrage.

From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2023

He was jailed again and was in prison when he was elected to office in 1951, in the first election in Africa in which universal suffrage was allowed.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022

Opposition morphed into months of violent unrest in the city as the protesters’ demands widened to include universal suffrage and other democratic aspirations.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2022

They didn’t oppose female suffrage, but it wasn’t their first priority, and they didn’t want to press for universal suffrage if it would make black suffrage less likely.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling