Voting Rights and Trends in American History

Voting as a Cornerstone of Democracy

  • Definition: Voting is essential for democracy and upholds civil liberties.
  • Types of Ballots:
  • Paper
  • Electronic
  • Absentee
  • 2024 Election Overview:
  • 3 Federal Positions
  • 12 State Positions
  • 15 Local Positions

Who Can Vote?

  • Eligibility Criteria:
  • US Citizenship
  • Minimum age of 18
  • Registration required in 49 states
  • Must meet residency requirements
  • Exclusions:
  • Noncitizens
  • Individuals convicted of felonies (varies by state)
  • Residents of US territories (cannot vote for President)
  • Legally mentally incapacitated individuals

Historical Voting Rights & Trends

1700s: Early Voting Restrictions
  • Eligibility:
  • Gender: Men only
  • Race: White
  • Age: 21+
  • Religion: Christian
  • Voting: Semi-private with rampant fraud
  • Tax-paying requirements
  • Notable State Constitution:
  • New Jersey's voting rights for affluent landowners
1800s: Jacksonian Democracy
  • Changes Between 1800-1830:
  • Continued restrictions by gender, race, age, and religion
  • Increased push for public, transparent elections
  • Focus on uplifting the common man
Reconstruction Era (1865-1877)
  • Key Amendments:
  • 13th Amendment (1865): Abolished slavery
  • 14th Amendment (1868): Granted citizenship and equal protection
  • 15th Amendment (1870): Prohibits voting discrimination based on race
  • Outcome: African American men gained voting rights but full enforcement failed
Women’s Suffrage Movement
  • Approach: State-by-state legal battles
  • Major Cases:
  • Minor v. Happersett (1875): Citizenship does not guarantee voting rights
  • 19th Amendment (1920): Prohibits denial of voting rights based on sex
1920-1965 Voting Trends
  • Changes:
  • Gender, race, age, and religion restrictions eased
  • Voting became private with diminished fraud

Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA)

  • Signed by: Lyndon B. Johnson
  • Goals:
  • Protect rights established by the 14th and 15th Amendments
  • Prohibit racial discrimination in voting
  • Main Impacts:
  • Outlawed discriminatory practices
  • Required preclearance for states changing voting laws
  • Banned literacy tests
  • Expanded protections for language minorities

Shelby County v. Holder (2013)

  • Overview: Supreme Court ruled that preclearance was unconstitutional.
  • Key Points:
  • Voting discrimination has decreased, making prior enforcement unnecessary
  • Arguments in dissent highlighted ongoing need for protections.

Looking Ahead

  • Post-Shelby Developments:
  • States enacted laws to restrict voting access
  • Introduction of voter ID laws, voter roll purges, and reduced polling locations
  • A notable decline in Black voter registration in the South since 2013
  • Legislative efforts in several states to bolster voting rights