Curia (elections)
Curia is a special category of voters, a class or group of the population, which elects its deputies to representative bodies separately from other classes. Curiae are part of the curial system of elections. They are distinguished by social status, property, nationality, race, or any other social qualification.
History
- Three-class franchise — also known as the Prussian system, because it was in effect in Prussia from 1849 to 1918, but was also applied in many other countries.
- The electoral system in Cisleithania within the Austria-Hungary was curial.
- It existed in the elections to the Russian Empire.
Russian Empire
In the Russian Empire, during elections to the State Duma, voters were divided into categories based on property and social status. Each curia elected a set number of deputies — usually regardless of the number of voters in that curia. Several new curiae were additionally organized several times, according to which voters were grouped and voted.| Electoral law of August 6 1905 | Law of December 11 1905 | Electoral system of June 3, 1907 |
| 3 curiae | 4 curiae | 5 curiae |
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