A Vote For Every Man?

As the 13 states continue working out a series of new constitutions, they seem to hold widely differing views on a fundamental question: Who shall vote? Most states restrict the franchise to adult white males, but North Carolina permits Negro freeholders to vote, and New Jersey does not specifically ban women (although no women have actually voted there). Maryland excludes all "Papists," the original settlers, who are now only 8 percent of the population, while New York also has passed a resolution to bar Jews (a tiny group numbering only about 250). Among the most important restrictions are the property requirements that exist in twelve states, ranging from Georgia's rule that a voter must own 50 acres to South Carolina's granting a vote to anyone who has paid 10 shillings in taxes.

Such restrictions have a notable effect. According to recent figures, only about 8 percent of New York's citizens are eligible to vote, and only 3 percent of Bostonians actually do vote. But while the arguments for a limited franchise may seem self-evident in a Europe that is ridden with paupers, it is far less justifiable among the prosperous citizens of America. Indeed, the slogan "No taxation without representation" can reasonably be applied to American legislatures as well as to Parliament. And there are signs that an increasing number of people realize it. New Hampshire, which used to require -L-50 worth of property, now demands only that every voter be a taxpayer, male, white and 21. This is a change that should be encouraged. For as Benjamin Franklin has said, "the franchise is the common right of free men."

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