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Struggle to extend voting rights.
Religious qualifications, instituted in colonial days, quickly disappeared. No state has had a religious test for voting since 1810. -
Wyoming
Wyoming, while still a territory, had given women the right to vote in 1869. By 1920 more than half of the states had followed that lead. -
Effort to broaden the electorate.
The 15th amendment, ratified in 1870, was intended to protect any citizen from being denied the right to vote because of race or color. -
19th Amendment.
The 19th amendment prohibited the denial of the right to vote because of sex. Its ratification in 1920 completed the third expansion of suffrage. -
Fourth major extension.
During this time, federal legislation and court decisions focused on securing African Americans a full role in the electoral process in all states. -
23rd Amendment.
The 23rd Amendment, passed in 1961, added the voters of the district of columbia to the presidential electorate. -
24th Amendment.
The 24th amendment, ratified in 1964, eliminated the poll tax as a condition for voting in any federal election. -
Voting Rights Act.
The voting rights act of 1965 and its later extensions, racial equality finally became fast in polling booths throughout the country. -
5th and latest expansion.
The 26th amendment was adopted in 1971. It provides that no state can set the minimum age for voting at more than 18 years of age.
