Voting for most offices was open to all full Roman citizens, a group that excluded women, slaves and originally those living outside of Rome. In the early Republic, the electorate would have been small, but as Rome grew it expanded.
What rights did a Roman citizen have?
Some of those advantages included:
- The right to vote.
- The right to hold office.
- The right to make contracts.
- The right to own property.
- The right to have a lawful marriage.
- The right to have children of any such marriage become Roman citizens automatically.
- The right to have the legal rights of the paterfamilias of the family.
Could Roman plebeians vote?
During this time, plebeians had no political rights and were unable to influence Roman Law. ... While the plebeians each belonged to a particular curia, only patricians could actually vote in the Curiate Assembly. The Plebeian Council was originally organized around the office of the Tribunes of the Plebs in 494 BC.
