Snail Paced Progress of Voting Rights in America

Voting Rights

Period: Jan 30, 1789 to Oct 30, 2012

My timeline is focused on the slow pace Americans have gained voting rights in the United States. I also tried to portray the obstacles minorities have had to overcome in order to get the right to vote.

NJ/VA Plan and Electoral College

Feb 1, 1789

slaves count at 3/5 person
electoral college established to elect president

White, Landowning Men Can Vote

Oct 30, 1790

no one else!!

NH Eliminates Property Ownership Qualification

Oct 30, 1792

CT Makes Literacy Test

Oct 31, 1855

Connecticut establishes literacy test to keep Irish-Catholics from voting

Civil War 1861-1865

Oct 31, 1861

15th Amendment and Civi Right Act

Oct 31, 1866

Civil Right Act grant all all natural born citizenship
Some black men now have right to vote

Poll Tax in Florida

Oct 31, 1880

prohibits poor from voting (often black)

Chinese Exclusion Act

Oct 31, 1882

Chinese cannot vote or take part in government activity

19th Amendment and Womens Suffrage

Oct 31, 1920

Women get the right to vote! (Finally!)

DC Gets Vote

Oct 31, 1961

Citizens of Washington DC can now vote

Voting Rights Act

Oct 31, 1965

Voting barriers such as poll taxes and literacy tests outlawed

26th Amendment

Oct 31, 1971

Voting age lowered to 18

Gore/Bush Vote Shuffle

Oct 31, 2000

Bush wins very controversial election where there was supposed to be a re-count

Early Voting, Voter ID Laws, Mail in Ballots etc

Period: Oct 31, 2000 to Oct 31, 2012

also Federal Voting Standards and Procedures Act to streamline election process