History of Voting
1788: The founding fathers of the United States established the Electoral College. The American people do not directly elect the President. Instead, the Electoral College elects the President.
The Electoral College votes are divided among the states. Each state gets two votes for its two Senators and a vote for each of its Representatives in Congress. The number of congressional representatives varies from state to state depending on the state's population.
If a candidate wins the popular vote (a vote cast by a citizen) in a state, they win that state's Electoral College vote. It is possible, mathematically, to win the popular vote and lose the presidential election if the candidate does not win enough Electoral votes.
1789: The U.S. elects George Washington as its first President.
1820–1830: As states join the union, they create their own state constitutions outlining who is allowed to vote. Eligible voters are mostly white males who own property. A small number of free black men were allowed to vote but no women were allowed to.
1840: Women begin to organize to petition for suffrage, or the right to vote. Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Stanton are two of the most famous leaders of the Suffragette Movement.
1848: Wisconsin enters the union and has the most liberal voting laws. They allow people living here from other countries the right to vote if they had lived in Wisconsin for one year and plan to become citizens of the United States. But even in Wisconsin, women do not have the right to vote.
1850: Groups like the "No-Nothings" create literacy laws that state that those who wish to vote must pass a literacy test. Since many blacks and immigrants cannot read or write they are denied the right to vote. This was an attempt to keep the vote in the hands of the white male population.
1860: The Democratic party divides into Northern and Southern wings. South Carolina secedes from the United States after Abraham Lincoln is elected President.
1861–1865: The American Civil War
1861: Jefferson Davis is elected President of the Confederate States of America.
1866: The 14th Amendment to the Constitution is passed by Congress. It states that men age 21 and over who are residents of the United States have the right to vote. Any state preventing these rights will lose electors in the Electoral College. Women still do not have the right to vote.
1869: Congress passes the 15th Amendment to the Constitution. That amendment grants all men the right to vote regardless of race, color, or if they were formally slaves. The Amendment does not give women the right to vote.
In Wyoming Territory women are given the right to vote, and those rights continue after Wyoming becomes a state in 1890.
1870: Utah territory gives women the right to vote.
1877: After the presidential election of 1876, the Electoral Commission gives disputed Electoral votes to Rutherford B. Hayes, despite the fact that Samuel Tilden wins the popular vote.
1878: An act to amend the Constitution and give women the right to vote is introduced into Congress but does not pass.
1890: Many states begin to use secret ballots so that voters cannot be bullied into voting for candidates they do not support.
1893: New Zealand women receive the right to vote.
1896: Idaho grants women the right to vote.
1911: California gives women the right to vote.
1917: Canadian women receive the right to vote.
1920: On August 18, Congress passes the 19th Amendment to the Constitution giving women the right to vote.
1928: Women in the United Kingdom and Ireland receive the right to vote.
1944: Women in France receive the right to vote.
1950: Women in India receive the right to vote.
1964: On January 23 Congress passes the 24th Amendment to the Constitution outlawing poll taxes. Poll taxes, or tax fees for voting, have been used to discourage poor people from voting.
1965: The Voting Rights Act is signed by President Lyndon Johnson. The act enforces the 15th Amendment by explicitly stating that obstacles, such as literacy tests or complicated ballot instructions, are against federal law.
1971: On July 1, the 26th Amendment was passed by Congress lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. The law is meant to resolve the disparity that 18-year-old men are old enough to be drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, yet did not have the right to vote.
1975: Congress expands the Voting Rights Act to protect the voting rights of those people who do not speak or read English.
1990: The Soviet Union holds its first elections.
1994: First multiracial election in South Africa takes place. Until now, only white people have been allowed to vote.
2000: For the first time in United States history, in a close and controversial election, the President of the United States is chosen based on a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Al Gore wins the nation's popular vote, but George W. Bush has the lead in the Electoral College. The vote in Florida is too close to call and plagued with voting irregularities. Vice President and Democratic candidate for President, Al Gore, requests a recount. The recount must be done by the state's deadline to cast their Electoral College vote, so the Florida Supreme Court votes to extend the deadline. The U.S. Supreme Court suspends the recount and enforces the state's deadline. George W. Bush was declared President-elect on December 13, more than one month after the November 4 election.
“Over the last 20 years, states have put barriers in front of the ballot box — imposing strict voter ID laws, cutting voting times, restricting registration, and purging voter rolls. These efforts, which received a boost when the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act in 2013, have kept significant numbers of eligible voters from the polls, hitting all Americans, but placing special burdens on racial minorities, poor people, and young and old voters.” 8 It is easy to discourage people such as those living in impoverished areas from voting. To begin, many of these eligible voters feel that their vote doesn’t matter anyway. Hence, the low voter turnout. Today, African Americans and Hispanics have by far the highest poverty rates. 9 People of color tend to vote more democratic so voter suppression is a way to help Republicans continue to remain in power and keep people of color from voting. Many believe poor people don’t care about politics and voting. That is dead wrong. Minorities are so beaten down by many other things that voting is not at the top of the list. Survival is more important than voting. “What we are seeing across the country are effectively Republican attempts to resurrect a poll tax — to use poverty and income inequality (which white supremacy helps to create) to further racial oppression. We are witnessing attempts to use poverty and disadvantage as tools to silence voices. It is a further dehumanizing and delegitimizing of the poor.” 10 This indicates that the majority is most definitely fearful of what the minority vote could do at the polling places when it is time to vote. Wrongfully stripping people of their rights is a clear way to suppress them to keep control. The theme that remains and sounds loud is that people have power. We have more power than we tend to believe. Having the ability to exercise that right is one thing. Doing so is another. When people are prevented from exercising their basic rights, it should be a concern and problem for every American. According to Politico, Donald Trump admitted as much in 2016, saying, “Many Blacks didn’t go out to vote for Hillary ’cause they liked me. That was almost as good as getting the vote, you know, and it was great.” 11 So in essence, Blacks not going to the polls to vote, gave him an advantage. “Suppressing a Black vote is almost as good as earning a white one, and you don’t have to make any campaign promises when you do. Republicans don’t want to earn Black votes, they want to erase them. And to do that, they are using poverty as their proxy.” 12
After researching the history of voting, we can see a multitude of inequality as the process began and continues. Voter suppression and inequality has existed for centuries. The rich continue to remain in power because the lower classes are not as motivated to participate in the process due to many reasons. “For many Americans, voting is not a “prime time” event. Less than 60 percent of eligible voters voted in the 2012 general election. Yet, for other Americans, voting is a very meaningful, almost sacred duty.” 13 Through the inequalities that the Black and Brown have faced, many do feel that going to the polling places and voting is important to them. It is truly a way for our voices to be heard. This is why the suppression occurred in Georgia. In many of the urban areas, people went to the polls to express that they were seeking change. The majority didn’t like that.
We must teach our children that it is okay to enact change through processes that are granted to us by the Constitution of the United States. If the voter turnout is high enough, it would most definitely change the trajectory of the election process. This is what the majority is afraid of. There is power in numbers. When people show up, things change. We must challenge our communities and think of creative ways to get people out to vote that would not normally show up at the election polls. One way we can increase voter turnout is by eliminating the strict identification laws. We can also prevent unnecessary poll closures, prohibit harmful voter purges, prioritize black and brown voters in political outreach and/or recruit African American candidates to run for political office at the local, state and national level. If any of these changes occur at the national level for any state that has participated in voter suppression, we would see an increase in the number of participants in the electoral process. If coalitions and national groups focused on reaching out to those that do not generally participate in the electoral process, we would see more people going to the polls. First and foremost, people have to understand why it is important for them to participate in the process. This is a movement where the slogan, “Each one, teach one stay stronger longer” is real.
“African Americans overcome tremendous hurdles to vote at some of the highest rates of any demographic group in the United States. Even so, less than 60 percent of eligible African American citizens voted in the 2016 presidential election. This level of turnout undermines U.S. democracy. Policymakers must remove barriers to political participation to ensure that communities of color can participate fully in their nation’s democracy—because in a true democracy, voting should be uncomplicated and accessible to all.” 14 The fact that it is complicated and inaccessible for many proves to a great extent that our society is not as democratic as it appears to be. We must challenge ourselves and challenge our students to be empowered to make a difference. If it doesn’t challenge us, it won’t change us.
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