HISTORY OF VOTING ACCESS

history of voting Access

The history of voting in America dates back to the 18th century, when individual state legislatures determined voting eligibility and generally limited it to white, male property owners ages 21 and older, according to sos.wa.gov and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Some states pushed these restrictions further so that only Christian men could participate in voting, the Carnegie Corporation explains. U.S.-born and naturalized men received citizenship and voting rights with the 14th Amendment in 1868, and in 1870, the United States ratified the 15th Amendment which sought to eliminate racial discrimination; in reality, especially in the American South, poll taxes, fraud, literacy tests and other barriers prevented low-income and African American citizens from voting, and Native Americans were still denied the right, according to the Carnegie Corporation and sos.wa.gov. The ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 gave women the right to vote in every state, and the Indian Citizenship Act followed four years later, granting citizenship and voting rights to Native Americans. Five states in the American South - Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas and Virginia – continued to practice the poll tax through 1962, and poll taxes were officially removed from voting requirements with the ratification of the 24th Amendment in 1964, explains Forbes contributor Kelly Phillips Erb in her article “For Election Day, A History Of The Poll Tax In America.” The Voting Rights Act of 1965 suspended similar voting suppression policies, like literacy tests, and has been expanded twice: in 1975 to ensure multilingual materials for voters with “limited or no proficiency in English,” and in 1982 to protect elderly and disabled voters, the Carnegie Corporation and sos.wa.gov specify.

Prior to 1971, voting was still only accessible to citizens 21 and older. In the 1960s and 70s, however, student activists had taken fierce stances in the Civil Rights, antiwar, counterculture, gender equality and gay rights movements, according to New Georgia Encyclopedia writer Christopher Allen Huff. Draftees as young as 18 were also playing significant roles in fighting the Vietnam War, the Carnegie Corporation says. Young adults’ participation in activism and war helped build momentum for the 26th Amendment, which lowered the minimum voting age from 21 to 18.

As the United States approached the 21st century, Congress introduced more legislation with the goal of expanding voter accessibility. Congress passed the National Voter Registration Act or “motor voter” law in 1993, permitting citizens to register to vote by mail, while applying for drivers’ licenses, or at locations with public assistance; this legislation allowed “more than 30 million” Americans to register or update their registration, according to the Carnegie Corporation. In recent years, voting by mail has become a popular avenue for citizens of Western and Southern states, as the New York Times demonstrates with their “Voting by Mail” infographic (see the sources below). As early as the Civil War, citizens like soldiers have participated in absentee voting, allowing them to vote early if they’re unable to travel to the polls, explains Olivia B. Waxman in her Time article “This Is How Early Voting Became a Thing.” Students attending schools out of state, stationed military members and families, and overseas citizens constitute a few of the groups who use absentee voting to participate in the democratic process today, according to usa.gov.

This brief history encapsulates the groups of Americans who have fought for their rights to mark their ballots and institute national change. If you’re a U.S. citizen over the age of 18, you, too, have an opportunity to determine America’s future by registering to vote and casting your ballot in time for Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.

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history of voting Access

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