Right to vote
It is one of the most important rights, especially in modem democratic States. The right to vote means that every adult citizen has the right to express his opinion as to who should be his/her representative to run the government by casting a vote in his/her favour at the time of election. It should be given on the basis of “one man, one vote.” It should be given to all adult citizens. But some States do not grant it to the whole adult population on grounds of education, sex, colour or the like. Such distinctions are undemocratic.
Right of election to the legislature
This right is the complement of the right to vote. It is not enough that a citizen should have only the right to vote: he must also have the right to be elected to the law-making body of the State, by standing as a candidate to its membership at the time of election.
Right to public office
Every citizen has the right to hold or to be appointed to any public office in the State, provided he/she has requisite qualifications for it. It means that the poorest man/woman can hold the highest office in the country. This right presumes that there is full equality of opportunity for all citizens in respect of public offices, regardless of their income, social status, colour, race, religion, caste or sex.
Other political rights
Modern States also grant a few other political rights, such as the right to petition in order to place the citizens’ grievances before the government, the right to be protected when abroad by his own government, etc.