How They Did It: Ancient Roman Elections

Overview

• Exploration of ancient Roman elections
• Focus on the mid Roman Republic
• Discussion divided into:
  • Offices
  • Voters
  • Process

Roman Offices

• Consul
  • Highest office
  • Controlled army and managed government affairs
  • Limited term; two consuls with veto power over each other
• Praetor
  • Dealt with law and justice
  • Supreme civil judges
  • Number increased to 16 by end of the 1st century BC
• Aediles
  • Administrative responsibilities in Rome
  • Supervised public works, archives, markets
  • Organized public games and festivals
• Quaestors
  • Financial and administrative officials
  • Maintained public records and administered the Treasury
  • Numbers eventually reached 30 by the 1st century BC
• Plebeian Tribunes
  • Provided protection against patricians
  • Convened the plebeian assembly and proposed legislation
  • Power to veto laws, decrees, and actions
• Censors
  • Voted once every five years
  • Controlled social order, conducted census, regulated Senate membership
  • Held power for 18 months; two censors

The Voters

• Only male Roman citizens could vote
• Voting system based on voting units, not one person one vote
• Two assemblies:
  • Tribal Assembly
    • Represented Romans in civil capacity
    • Elected Aediles, Quaestors, Tribune's, and lower officials
    • 35 tribes, each with one vote
    • Imbalance favored wealthy rural landowners
  • Centuriate Assembly
    • Represented Romans in military capacity
    • Elected Consuls, Praetors, and Censors
    • Organized by property class
    • 193 centuries, votes stacked in favor of the upper classes

Voting Process

• Held on the Campus Martius
• Presiding magistrate announced candidates
• Temporary voting structures used; later a permanent structure (Saepta Julia)

Tribal Assembly Voting

• 35 files for 35 tribes
• Initially voice votes, later switched to ballots
• 51% or 18 of 35 tribal votes needed to elect a candidate
• Process could lead to winners with fewer overall votes

Centuriate Assembly Voting

• Voted by centuries in wealth classes
• Sequential voting, took longer than tribal assembly
• 98 of 193 votes controlled by knights and first class
• System favored elites, typically didn’t require lower class votes

Conclusion

• System favored the wealthy and elite
• Future episodes to cover Roman political parties and campaigning
• Encouragement to participate in modern elections

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to Patreon supporters, researchers, and artists
• Encouragement to like, subscribe, and support the channel