What It Means

All citizens have the right to vote or stand for election. Charter rights are not absolute.  They can be limited under section 1 of the Charter; For example, voters must be at least eighteen years old.

For the right to vote to be meaningful, elections must be fair. To make sure we have fair elections, Courts have considered questions like electoral boundaries, benefits received by political parties, and rights to advertise during political campaigns.

No government can stay in office for more than 5 years unless there are extraordinary circumstances, like a national emergency.