You don't say which country you are asking about. In Englland an electoral register is maintained, and was compiled every year. Currently a registration form is delivered to every household, and and the householder enters the names of eligible people in the household. I suspect but can't say for sure that this was the case as soon as there was universal male suffrage, At first only property-owning married women were allowed to vote,and presumably they would have access to  such a registration form.
.As the husband fills in the form, in the past, you might have needed his permission,  I did find the name of one of my husband's female ancestors on a 1930s electoral register,  and was quite impressed. 
Some male relatives of mine who were householders, were on the electoral register in 1876,  almost as soon as Jews were allowed to vote in England, even though they were not British citizens, so it looks as if not too many awkward questions were asked if you actually wanted to vote
     
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Eva Lawrence
St Albans, UK.