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15th amendment
The 15th amendment gave African Americans the right to vote. This was not the case in the south, because they found ways around this like poll taxes , the grandfather clause and literacy tests. Voting acts outlaw literacy tests and make the 15th amendment a reality.
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Guinn v. US
Guinn v. US was a Supreme Court case that ruled against the grandfather clause in Oklahoma. The court struck down the grandfather clause in Oklahoma’s Voter Registration Act because of its violation of the 15th Amendment by discriminating against African American voters.
Source:https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.p?entry=GU001#:~:text=STATES%20(1915).-,Guinn%20v.,to%20pass%20a%20reading%20test. -
19th amendment
The 19th Amendment Gave women the right to vote. After the Civil War women fought for the 15th Amendment because they thought the 15th Amendment passed. They could get the 19th amendment as well. This did not end up working and they ended up winning it by going from state to state .
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24th amendment
The 24th Amendment made it so you cannot deny someone the right to vote because of tax. This is basically taking away poll taxes . The South ignored this amendment and it was not fully enforced until after the Passage of Voting Rights Act was put into place.
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Reynolds v. Sims
Reynolds v. Sims was a Supreme Court case that ruled the district legislative chambers of the state must be equal in population. This case was one in a series that set the precedent of “one person, one vote” when voting for the legislative bodies.
Source: https://www.oyez.org/cases/1963/23 -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965, was put into action by President Johnson. He outlawed the practice of literacy tests and voter clauses that discriminated against black voters. This also appointed federal examiners that had the power to register qualified citizens to vote. This act in only a few months allowed a quarter of a million black voters to regester to vote.
Source: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/voting-rights-act -
26th amendment
The 26th amendment was Making the voting age to 18 and older. The idea behind this was if you can be drafted then you should be able to vote. This debate started after World War II .
Source: Note -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act was the first civil rights law for people with disabilities in the world. This act made it so people with disabilities got all of the same opportunities as able bodied people. This act mostly helped make polling places accessible, as well as provide people with disabilities the information necessary to make voting as easy as possible for them.
Source: https://www.ada.gov/topics/voting/ -
Help America Vote Act
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was passed with the intention of making large reforms to the voting system in the US, especially relating to voter access. This act was passed to address the voter concerns that were prevalent following the 2000 presidential election. The HAVA mandated the use of the EAC test and certified voting equipment, while also providing funding to states to get this equipment.
Source: https://www.eac.gov/about/help_america_vote_act.aspx -
Shelby County v. Holder
This Supreme Court case was deliberated because the people of Shelby County filed suit against Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, saying that its renewal exceeded Congress’ authority as laid out in the 10th Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled that Section 4(b) was unconstitutional. This made it so Congress could not determine what jurisdictions were covered under Section 5.
Source: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2012/12-96