 In the 17th century the English "suffrage" regained the earlier meaning of the Latin "suffragium", "a vote" or "the right to vote".Universal suffrage consists of the right to vote without restriction due to sex, race, social status, education level, or wealth.It typically does not extend the right to vote to all residents of a region; distinctions are frequently made in regard to citizenship, age, and occasionally mental capacity or criminal convictions.