The term franchise in its electoral sense denotes a right of voting at elections and the qualifications upon which the right is based.
The word franchise has various significations, both in popular and in a legal sense, and there is some confusion arising from a failure to discriminate in what sense the word is used. In a broad and popular sense, it embraces in a free country the right of trial by jury, the right of habeus corpus, and political rights of subjects and citizens like the elective franchise. ….. [Chicago vs. Dunber, 95 III, 575].
In a strict legal sense franchises are special privileges which are conferred by government on individuals, and which do not belong to the citizens of the country generally of common right. ….. [State vs. Philadelphia R. Co., 24 Am. Rep. 511]