Definition

Noun: * A legal entitlement to cast a vote in an election or decision-making process. This is the fundamental right of a citizen in a democratic society to participate in choosing their government or representatives. * Specifically, the right of a shareholder to vote on corporate matters. In a business context, it is the right of an owner of common stock to participate in decisions affecting the company, such as electing the board of directors or approving major corporate actions.

Usage Examples

• General/Civic Context:
  • The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted voting rights to women.
  • Protecting the voting rights of all citizens is essential for a healthy democracy.
• Business/Finance Context:
  • As a shareholder, her voting right allows her to vote on the proposed merger at the annual meeting.
  • Preferred stock often does not carry the same voting rights as common stock.

Advanced Usage

• "Exercising one's voting right": The act of actually casting a vote.
  • Exercising your voting right is both a privilege and a civic duty.
• "Voting rights legislation": Laws enacted to protect or regulate the right to vote.
  • The landmark voting rights legislation of the 1960s aimed to eliminate racial discrimination at the polls.

Variants and Related Words

• Suffrage (n): A formal term for the right to vote in political elections.
  • The universal suffrage movement fought for all adults to have the vote.
• Franchise (n): Another formal term for the right to vote, especially in a political context.
  • The country extended the franchise to 18-year-olds in the 1970s.
• Proxy vote (n): A vote cast by one person on behalf of a shareholder who cannot attend a meeting.
  • He submitted his proxy vote before the shareholder meeting.

Synonyms

• Ballot access: The ability to cast a vote.
• Shareholder franchise: The specific right of shareholders to vote on corporate issues.

Related Phrases

• Voting rights activist: A person who campaigns to secure or protect the right to vote for a group of people.
  • She was a renowned voting rights activist who worked for decades to register new voters.
• Deprived of voting rights: To have one's legal right to vote taken away.
  • In some jurisdictions, convicted felons may be temporarily deprived of their voting rights.

Noun

1. the right to vote; especially the right of a common shareholder to vote in person or by proxy on the affairs of a company