Definition of Electorate



What does the term "electorate" mean? What is the definition of the term "electorate"?

The "electorate" consists of every person within a specific area (country, state, municipality, etc) who is eligible to vote.

Definition of the term Electorate - Financial Dictionary - IllustrationFor instance, let's take a fictional country. Under the laws of this fictional country, everybody is eligible to vote provided that they are at least 19 years of age, that they were born in the country or became naturalized, and that they are not currently in an institution (jail, etc). Note: being "naturalized" means that you acquire citizenship in a country in which you were not previously a citizen.

Ok, so everybody in this fictional country who meets all of these three criteria is eligible to vote, which means that they are part of the "electorate".

Of course, just because people are part of the "electorate" doesn't mean that they will necessarily vote. In fact, getting people out to vote is a major issue in many countries due to a number of different issues. Voter apathy is a major issue, as many people just don't believe in the candidates that are running for office.

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