1. Suffrage:
- Property ownership: In most colonies, only property owners were allowed to vote. The value and type of property required varied. For example, in Virginia, voters needed to own at least 50 acres of land or an equivalent amount of real estate.
- Tax payment: In some colonies, voters had to pay taxes before they could participate in elections.
2. Race:
- White males: Only white males were allowed to vote in all thirteen colonies. Women, regardless of race, were not allowed to vote.
3. Age:
- Minimum age: Voters had to be at least 21 years old in most colonies.
4. Religion:
- Protestant: In some colonies, only Protestants were allowed to vote. This requirement was most common in New England colonies, such as Massachusetts and Connecticut.
5. Citizenship:
- Freemen: Only freemen, who were typically white male property owners, were allowed to vote. Indentured servants, enslaved individuals, and Native Americans were generally excluded.
6. Residency:
- Residency requirement: Voters had to have lived in the colony for a certain amount of time before they could vote. This requirement varied from colony to colony.
These requirements created a limited electorate, with only a small percentage of the population eligible to vote. However, the requirements evolved over time, and some colonies, such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania, expanded suffrage to include non-property-owning white males.