Only white men over the age of 21 will be eligible to vote in the upcoming same-sex marriage plebiscite, in keeping with the traditional definition of voting.

Liberal MP Kevin Andrews told the media that it was a common sense approach to February’s poll, as “that’s the traditional way voting has occurred going back generations”.

Some critics however argue that allowing all white adult men to vote is a step too far. They believe New South Wales’s original voting eligibility definition of “men over 21 years of age with £100 free–hold, £10 annual value householders, 3 year lease of £10 annual value, or depasturing licence,” is more appropriate.

“Let’s not meddle with a system that has clearly worked well for years,” one critic said.

Mr Andrews responded to those critics, arguing passionately that all men, regardless of the value of their free-hold, should be able to participate in a democratic society.

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