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15th Amendment
Prevents state and federal governments from denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous servitude. This amendment helped give black people the right to vote and have a say in government. The southern states used other laws/loopholes to get around this. -
19th amendment
This was a big result of the women's suffrage movement Prevents the state/federal government from denying the right to vote based on sex. (granted women the right to vote.) -
Indian Citizenship Act
Granted US citizenship to the Native Americans. Giving voting rights to Natives that were being denied by state or local governments. -
McCarran-Walter Act
Was passed with context to the Cold War and fear of communism. Included security measures to strengthen immigrant review processes, increased deportation, and more strict naturalization processes which would make it a lot harder for minorities/new immigrants to vote and have a say. -
24th Amendment
A lot of southern states still did not want their black population to vote. In order to stop them they added poll taxes in order to add a high economic barrier to the black population. The 24th amendment removed this poll tax allowing the right to vote to be more accessible to black people. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This law aimed to reduce the impact of voting restrictions on African Americans. Abolished literacy tests and made all new voting practices need to be approved by the federal government. -
26th Amendment
Many people were upset about 18-year-olds being drafted for war and not being able to vote. They believed that if you can fight and die you should have a say in choosing the people in charge of the war. The 18th amendment set a voting age of 18 across the board so states could not have a higher one. -
Motor Voter Law
The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA, Motor Votor Law) required states to adhere to certain registration requirements for federal elections. Requires opportunities such as mail-in voting, registration at the BMV, and registration at public service/disability offices. It opened up voting and gave access to a lot more people to register. -
Help America Vote Act
The Help America Vote Act updated voting in 2002. It created a new federal agency to oversee voting, gave states funding in order to update their voting systems, and created minimum standards for states to follow for elections. -
Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act
Was passed to help soldiers and voters overseas vote absentee easier. The law includes mandatory use of technology to help voters, the use of online communication using websites and email, and blank ballot distribution 45 prior to election day.