The Right to Vote:
Then, Now, and Tomorrow

The Constitution took effect in early 1789 after the first federal elections. It did not include an express protection of the right to vote, and it was left to the states to determine who was eligible to vote in elections. For the most part, state legislatures generally limited voting to white males who owned land. Some states also utilized religious tests to ensure only Christian men could vote. Gradually, state legislatures began to slightly expand voting rights to non-landowning white males.

Shortly after the Civil War, Mississippi’s Democrats were appalled when two Black men became members of the Senate. They then initiated a campaign of intimidation at the polls that succeeded in restoring white Democrats to power in Mississippi by 1881. Mississippi became one of the first states to put forth a “grandfather clause” that permitted registering anyone whose grandfather was qualified to vote before the Civil War.” This voter-suppression tactic cut the percentage of Black men eligible to vote from over 90% to less than 6% in 1892. Women still could not vote.

YWomen were afforded the right to vote by the 19th amendment to the Constitution in 1920. In practice, though, only white women were able to take advantage of this provision. The 1950s and 60s were a time of civil unrest in the U.S. as the civil rights, anti-war, and feminist movements gained prominence. As the civil rights movement grew, activists sought equality for African Americans, and voting rights were a major focus. Many states used poll taxes to keep marginalized people from voting. Others enacted grandfather clauses that reinstated the right to vote for many white people who had previously been allowed to vote but were disallowed because they could not pay poll taxes. The 24th Amendment outlawed poll taxes, but while the amendment extended the right to vote to many African Americans, it was not enough.

The years following the Voting Rights Act saw many changes. In the context of the Vietnam War, young people believed if they could be drafted to fight, they should be able to vote. The 26th Amendment allowed anyone over 18 years old to vote.

As racial diversity continued to grow in the U.S. through the 1970s and 80s, Congress expanded the Voting Rights Act to protect members of language minority groups. These laws required localities to provide voting materials in other languages and to provide multilingual assistance at the polls. Congress even passed the “National Voter Registration Act” requiring states to offer mail-in registration and allow people to register to vote at offices offering public assistance.