<P> Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). The right to run for office is sometimes called candidate eligibility, and the combination of both rights is sometimes called full suffrage . In many languages, the right to vote is called the active right to vote and the right to run for office is called the passive right to vote . In English, these are sometimes called active suffrage and passive suffrage . </P> <P> Suffrage is often conceived in terms of elections for representatives . However, suffrage applies equally to referenda and initiatives . Suffrage describes not only the legal right to vote, but also the practical question of whether a question will be put to a vote . The utility of suffrage is reduced when important questions are decided unilaterally by elected or non-elected representatives . </P>

The right to vote is known as suffrage or