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Rise of Democratic Politics
1820-1840
The right to vote during this time abolished the property qualifications for voting and officeholding, along with the elimination of voting by voice, and the overall increase in voter participation was happening.
Voting rights were being protected by allowing more people, mainly white men to vote without having qualifications and moving towards more to a right then a privilege. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment granted the right to vote to people of different races. It helped expand voting by prohibiting discrimination based on race, allowing African American men to participate in the electoral process, and finally able to achieve their voting rights. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment allowed women the right to vote. It helped to expand voting rights by disallowing gender to disqualify anyone from the right to vote which finally gave women the right to participate in voting. -
Indiana Citizenship Act
The Indian Citizenship Act granted citizenship to Native Americans who were born in the United States. With the gaining of citizenship, it allowed the to have the right to vote since they were officially citizens of the United States. So them having citizenship was protected and gave them rights that others in the United States had. -
McCarren Walter Act
The McCarren-Walter Act focused on immigration policies and the criteria for naturalization. It ended the racial restrictions on immigration, and paved the way for immigrants to participate in politics. It made it so Eventually once immigrants gained citizenship it will allow them to gain the right to vote. Along with being protected by the rest of the rights that everyone gets. -
23rd Amendment
The 23rd Amendment allowed the residents of D.C. to have the right to vote in presidential elections. Since D.C. was not a state the residents could not vote. Giving the people of D.C. the right to vote protected the right to vote, and allowed them to have their voices heard. -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment got rid of the poll tax, which before made people pay a fee to vote. The abolition of the poll tax made sure that people of different economic status were allowed to vote, and were not denied because they were unable to vote. This protected people who could not afford the tax and allowed them to vote and let their voice be heard. -
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act got rid of discriminatory ways that polls used to stop people from voting, mainly minorities. The ways of literary tests and polling fees made many African Americans and minorities unable to vote were finally gone. This protected their right to vote by allowing them to be treated equally as everyone else, and to vote without having any boundaries to stop them. -
26th Amendment
The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. This allowed many young adults to participate in elections and allowed them to gain responsibility for voting and politics at a younger age. -
Voting Rights Act Reauthorization
The Voting Rights Act of 1975 made certain areas that faced discrimination and had populations that spoke different languages provide materials and certain assistance so that people of different languages were able to vote in elections. -
Voting Accessibility for Elderly and Handicapped Act
The Voting Accessibility for Elderly and Handicapped Act made it so voting easier for people who could not access it as easily. So, it required that poll sites be accessible to the elderly and handicapped and that polling sites did not stop them from voting. Other voting methods were given to these people as well. This helped to include the elderly and disabled to properly vote in elections, and to have their voices heard, along with not being turned away from voting.