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Women's Suffrage
The first attempt to organize a national movement for women's rights occurred in Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848. -
15th Amendment
Passed by Congress February 26, 1869, and ratified February 3, 1870, the 15th amendment granted African American men the right to vote. -
Women's right to vote/19th amendment
19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women's Right to Vote (1920) ... Passed by Congress June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote. -
Indian Citizenship Act
Congress enacts the Indian Citizenship Act, granting the right to vote to Native Americans born in the United States -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment is ratified, prohibiting the use of poll taxes in federal elections. "There can be no one too poor to vote," President Lyndon Johnson says during a ceremony announcing the amendment. -
26th Amendment/Voting Age
In the turmoil surrounding the unpopular Vietnam War, lowering the national voting age became a controversial topic. Responding to arguments that those old enough to be drafted for military service, should be able to exercise the right to vote, Congress lowered the voting age as part of the Voting Rights Act of 1970. -
Voting Rights Act of 1975
in addition to establishing a permanent ban on literacy tests and other discriminatory voting requirements, amendments to the Voting Rights Act are signed into law by President Gerald Ford requiring districts with significant numbers of non-English-speaking voters to be provided with instructions or assistance in registering and voting. -
Help America Vote Act
Enacting sweeping voting process reform, President George W. Bush signs Help America Vote Act, mandating that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission improve and certify voting equipment, maintain the National Voter Registration form and administer a national elections clearinghouse with shared practices, among other items. It provides states with funds to meet the new standards and provisions.