The right to vote means the right of citizens to enjoy to choose deputies to people's congresses and public servants including heads of the people's governments at various levels. Citizens also stand for election of being chosen to be deputies to people's congresses and public servants. In China, all citizens meeting the following conditions have the right to vote and stand for election in accordance with the law.

1.A citizen of the People's Republic of China;

2. Reaching the age of 18; and

3. Not being deprived of political rights according to law

Knowledge of Election

 Zoning of electoral districts

According to the Chinese law, voters may vote in their residence or in their production units, institutions and work units.

 One ballot a person

Each voter shall have the right to vote only once in an election. Every ballot is in equal value with the other one. All citizens of the People's Republic of China who have reached the age of 18 have the right to vote and stand for election, regardless of ethnic status, race, sex, occupation, family background, religious belief, education, property status or length of residence. Nobody shall be deprived of the right to vote unless he/she has been deprived of political rights, and nobody shall have privilege to vote.

 Secret voting

All elections take the form of disclosed ballot and secret ballot.

Disclosed ballot means that voter's name shall be written down on the ballot besides the one who stands for election. While secret ballot means that the voter only writes down the name of the one who stand for election.

According to the Electoral Law of China, the election of deputies to the national and local people's congresses shall be by secret ballot. If the voter is illiterate or blind or physically disabled to write, he or she may entrust others to fill in the ballot.

 Indirect election

Indirect election means that the person-elect is not directly elected by voters, but elected by representatives who have been elected by voters. Deputies to the people's congresses at the next higher level are elected by deputies to the people's congresses at the next lower level.

In China, deputies to National People's Congress and to the people's congresses of provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, cities divided into districts, and autonomous prefectures shall be elected by the people's congresses at the next lower level.

 Direct election

Direct election means that voters directly elect deputies by casting their votes.

According to the Electoral Law of China, deputies to the people's congresses of cities not divided into districts, municipal districts, counties, autonomous counties, townships, nationality townships and towns shall be elected directly by the constituencies.