The Franchise and Ballot Act (1892) was an act of the
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with t ...
Parliament, driven by Prime Minister
Cecil Rhodes, which raised the property franchise qualification, thus disenfranchising a large proportion of the Cape's non-white voters, and a number of poor white voters.
It was a significant early step in overturning the Cape's liberal and multi-racial constitution.
Background
The
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with t ...
had a system of franchise that was open to men of all races, dating back to its early constitution in 1853 and its achievement of "
Responsible Government" in 1872. Under this system, the right to vote was based on £25 property franchise regardless of race.
In the ensuing decade, increasing numbers of the Cape's Black African citizens became politically active. By the 1880s, the Cape's Prime Minister
Cecil Rhodes was disturbed by the prospect that white politicians may eventually be sidelined in many Cape Constituencies where non-white voters formed a majority. As more and more African citizens exercised their right to vote under the law as it existed, their vote looked to soon be decisive.
The Cape Colony was also unique of all the countries in
southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number o ...
for its multi-racial franchise. At this time in the
Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal.
* South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...
and the
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...
indigenous Africans had no voting rights, and in
Natal
NATAL or Natal may refer to:
Places
* Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil
* Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa
** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843)
** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...
very few non-whites had the right to vote.
Immediate effects
The Cape Colony's Franchise and Ballot Act of 1892 raised the franchise qualifications from £25 to £75, which effectively disenfranchised non-whites in significant enough numbers to make their voting powers negligible, but some poor whites were disenfranchised too.
Long-term effects
This legislation settled the disputes as to whether non-whites had voting power in Cape Colony in the late 19th century, and is recognized as being an early example of legislation motivated by racial discrimination, although the law itself achieved its racially discriminatory aims only indirectly, through financially based clauses.
See also
History of Cape Colony from 1870 to 1899
The year 1870 in the history of the Cape Colony marks the dawn of a new era in South Africa, and it can be said that the development of modern South Africa began on that date. Despite political complications that arose from time to time, progres ...
References
External links
Racial Legislation 1892
Apartheid laws in South Africa
1892 in the Cape Colony
1892 in law
Election legislation
Cape Colony law
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