Citizens' assemblies of the Roman Republic

According to the contemporary historian Polybius, it was the people (and thus the assemblies) who had the final say regarding the election of magistrates, the enactment of Roman laws, the carrying out of capital punishment, the declaration of war and peace, and the creation (or dissolution) of alliances.

Under the Constitution of the Roman Republic, the people (and thus the assemblies) held the ultimate source of sovereignty.

Since the Romans used a form of direct democracy, citizens, and not elected representatives, voted before each assembly.

In the Roman system of direct democracy, two primary types of gatherings were used to vote on legislative, electoral, and judicial matters.

Conventions were simply forums where Romans met for specific unofficial purposes, such as, for example, to hear a political speech.

[2] There were also religious officials known as augurs either in attendance or on-call, who would be available to help interpret any signs from the gods (omens).

[2] On several known occasions, presiding magistrates used the claim of unfavorable omens as an excuse to suspend a session that was not going the way they wanted.

[5] If the purpose of the ultimate vote was for an election, no speeches from private citizens were heard, and instead, the candidates for office used the Convention to campaign.

[4][8] The baskets that held the votes were watched by specific officers, who then counted the ballots, and reported the results to the presiding magistrate.

[11] While it then fell into disuse, it did retain some theoretical powers, most importantly, the power to ratify elections of the top-ranking Roman Magistrates (Consuls and Praetors) by passing the statute that gave them their legal command authority, the lex curiata de imperio.

In practice, however, they actually received this authority from the Centuriate Assembly (which formally elected them), and as such, this functioned as nothing more than a reminder of Rome's regal heritage.

The Centuriate Assembly organized the Roman citizens into economic classes, defined by a means test.

Only this assembly could declare war or elect the highest-ranking Roman Magistrates: Consuls, Praetors and Censors.

[17] The Centuriate Assembly could also pass a statute that granted constitutional command authority to Consuls and Praetors, and Censorial powers to Censors.

[17] In addition, the Centuriate Assembly served as the highest court of appeal in certain judicial cases, and ratified the results of the Census.

During the years of the Roman Republic, citizens were organized on the basis of thirty-five Tribes which included patricians and plebeians.

The Tribal Assembly elected three different magistrates: Quaestors, Curule Aediles, and Military Tribunes.

The thirty-five Tribes were not ethnic or kinship groups, but rather a generic division into which Roman citizens were distributed.

It functioned as a gathering through which the Plebeians (commoners) could pass laws, elect magistrates, and try judicial cases.

[29] According to legend, the Roman King Servius Tullius enacted a series of constitutional reforms in the 6th century BC.

This unit, the Tribe, was based on geography rather than family, and was created to assist in future reorganizations of the army.

[34] However, in 449 BC, a statute of an Assembly was passed which gave Plebiscites the full force of law over all Romans (Plebeians and Patricians).

[35] It was not until 287 BC, however, that the last mechanism which allowed the Roman Senate to veto acts of the Plebeian Council was revoked.