Census vote consists of restriction of the right to vote only for some groups of citizens, usually those with a high social and economic standard.
In general, census voting can still limit the right to vote exclusively for other groups, such as based on gender, religion, ethnicity and so on.
The census vote is not a system applicable in democratic states, precisely because it hurts some of the basic principles of democracy: sovereignty exercised by the people, equally and without discriminations.
Learn more about meaning of democracy.
Census vote in Brazil
The census vote was the first model instituted in Brazil, from the Colonial period until the end of the Empire.
The census vote was provided for in the Imperial Constitution of 1824, this right being extinguished with the establishment of the Constitution of 1891, the first since the implantation of the republic in the country.
But even with the end of census voting, beggars, illiterate people and women still did not have the right to vote under the 1891 Constitution.
According to historical records, the first election held in Brazil dates back to 1532 and, in this case, the census voting system was used.
Only the so-called "good men" were able to vote and run for the elections, that is, individuals from wealthy families, with noble titles or owners of many properties.
Thus, with this system, only rich men could run and vote for their representatives, totally excluding the rest of the population, which was mostly poor.
See also: the meaning of optional vote.
The Constitution of 1824 specified the basic conditions for citizens to be able to vote: being a man, over 25 years old and with an annual financial income of at least 100,000 réis, this value is quite high for the time.
With the census vote, they could not vote: women, men under the age of 25, salaried workers in general, Indians, soldiers and slaves.