Sidelines of the electoral laws? Mental health, law-abidingness, citizenship and domicile as preconditions for suffrage: spotlights on Austrian constitutional history from 1848 to the present

This article examines preconditions for suffrage that have not been the focus of previous research on the history of electoral laws: law-abidingness, mental health, citizenship and domicile. This is presented for Austria since 1848. Similarities and differences in the development of these aspects become apparent. Inclusive tendencies contrast with cases of exclusion; overall, the traditional narrative of progress appears to be challenged.