Unit 5: Political Participation

15th amendment

the right to vote cannot be denied based on race, color, previous condition of servitude

19th amendment

the right to vote cannot be denied based on sex

26th amendment

the right to vote cannot be denied based on age to 18 year olds and older

17th amendment

the right of people to elect senators directly

23rd amendment

Washington D.C. shall appoint the same amount of electors as the state(s) with the fewest electors

24th amendment

abolishes poll tax as a means of denying the right to vote

Civil Rights Act 1957

creates U.S. office of Civil Rights to address discrimination in voter registration

Civil Rights Act 1964

requires equal application of voter registration rules

Voting Rights Act 1965

banned literacy tests and inspected states with historical discriminating voting practices

National Voter Registration Act 1993

“motor voter act” made it easier to register to vote by allowing people to register when renewing driver’s license

expanding suffrage

• amendments: 15, 19, 26, and 17, 23, 24

• legislation in Congress: Civil Rights Act 1957, 1964, Voting Rights Act 1965

• SCOTUS decisions: Guinn v. US

Guinn v. US 1915

SCOTUS outlawed the grandfather clause

Smith v. Allwright 1944

SCOTUS held that the white primary violated the 14th amendment equal protection clause