115. What does "active suffrage" mean in Germany?

Answer options

1. 1. One can be elected.
2. 2. One is required to vote.
3. 3. One can vote.
4. 4. One must go to the counting of the votes.

Explanation

Active suffrage denotes the individual public right to cast a ballot; it contrasts with passive suffrage (eligibility for office). For elections to the Bundestag, Article 38(1) of the Basic Law guarantees universal, direct, free, equal, and secret suffrage; there is no compulsory voting. Historically, universal equal suffrage, including women’s suffrage, was introduced in 1918, and the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1970; some Länder allow voting at 16 in municipal and European elections. Exclusions from the franchise are subject to strict constitutional scrutiny; in 2019 the legislature abolished the blanket disenfranchisement of persons under full guardianship in response to Federal Constitutional Court rulings.