November 5, 2024
WRITTEN BY:
Melinda Head

Many Have Worked Tirelessly to Ensure Your Voting Rights

Exercise your hard-earned right to vote today

America’s journey to democracy began in the late 1700s when the U.S. population was just under 4 million. Back then, only about 40,000 people (10%) voted for the first president, George Washington. Fast forward to today, and the U.S. has about 346 million people, with two-thirds of eligible voters casting their ballots in the last election (2020).

When the Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, it let individual states set their own rules for who could vote, which meant that mostly white male property owners got the say. It took until 1870, 83 years later, for the 15th Amendment to try to stop race-based voting discrimination, but many states still found ways to block access.

In the early 20th century, women were mostly shut out of voting. After a lot of activism, the 19th Amendment was finally ratified in 1920, giving women the right to vote, 133 years after the Constitution was signed.

Sadly, unfair practices like poll taxes continued to target African Americans and poor whites who could not afford to pay. The 24th Amendment, passed in 1962 and ratified in 1964, finally got rid of them in federal elections, and the Supreme Court later confirmed that poll taxes were unconstitutional.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a game-changer, thanks to civil rights activism. It was supported by both parties and signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. This act banned discriminatory voting practices and required certain places with a blatant history of discrimination to obtain federal approval before changing voting laws.

Activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. casts his ballot

In 1965, as America entered the Vietnam War, men aged 18 and up were drafted into military service, but those under 21 couldn’t vote. This sparked a movement to lower the voting age, leading to the 26th Amendment, in 1971, which guaranteed voting rights for anyone 18 and older.

Later on, the Voting Rights Act included protections for language minority groups and made voting more accessible for elderly and disabled people.

In 1993, the National Voter Registration Act, or “motor voter,” made it easier to register to vote by allowing people to sign up when they obtained their driver’s licenses or through mail-in options, boosting voter registration numbers significantly.

The 2000 presidential election was a mess due to an extremely close result in Florida, where George W. Bush won by just 537 votes. Issues like "hanging chads” (little bits of paper that didn’t fully detach from ballots) led to much confusion, recounts and ensuing legal battles. The Supreme Court's ruling in Bush v. Gore stopped the recounting process, effectively giving Bush the presidency and deepening political divides.

An extremely tight election and hanging chads played havoc during the 2000 presidential election

After the controversial 2000 election, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002 to standardize election procedures and make voting easier. This law pushed states to update their voting equipment and create statewide voter registration lists.

In 2013, the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder effectively nullified the preclearance requirement established by the 1965 Voting Rights Act. They ruled that the formula used to decide which areas needed federal oversight was outdated, allowing states with histories of discrimination to change voting laws without federal checks. As a result, states like North Carolina and Texas quickly rolled out strict voter ID laws, which many felt suppressed minority voting.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (aka RBG) dissented with the Supreme Court’s decision to nullify the preclearance requirement established by the 1965 Voting Rights Act. She argued that protections were still necessary due to ongoing racial discrimination in voting. Ginsburg believed the decision ignored the realities of voter suppression

The fight for voting rights continues, highlighting a persistent battle against both obvious and subtle ways people are denied the right to vote. Today, if you are 18+ years old, an American citizen, meet your state’s residency requirements and are registered to vote by your state’s deadline (North Dakota does not require voter registration), it is time to step up and make your voice heard. Others worked tirelessly for you to do so. You owe it to them and to the future of freedom.

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About the Author

A serial entrepreneur, Melinda is a sociologist and statistician who believes there is no currency with greater value than knowledge

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