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First Voting Rights
Around the time that the constitution was ratified, only white men who owned property were allowed to vote. -
The 15th Amendment
After the Civil War, the 15th Amendment was ratified to make sure that all citizens, regardless of race and color, would be given the right to vote. Even after this, however, African Americans were still targeted and remained the largest group of citizens to be denied the right to vote. -
The 19th Amendment
This amendment finally grants all American women the right to vote. -
Indian Citizenship Act
Congress grants citizenship to all Native Americans born in the United States. A lot of them were still unable to vote because the right was governed by state law, in which some states kept them from voting. -
The 24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment guarantees that voters would no longer have to pay a poll tax to vote in federal elections. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, this act outlawed legal barriers, such as literacy tests, that would prevent African Americans from exercising their right to vote. -
The 26th Amendment
After the Vietnam War, the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18. Young voters believed if they were old enough to go to war, they were old enough to vote. -
National Voter Registration Act
This act's purpose was to make it easier for all Americans to register to vote and to maintain their registration. For example, Americans could now register to vote at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). -
Help America Vote Act of 2002
A result of the 2000 election between Bush and Gore, this act replaced the punch-card voting devices with touch screen computers to make votes clear and final.
