In this issue, we cover various topics regarding voting in the U.S., including voter registration, the history of voting, and current issues regarding voting.
How to Register to Vote:
U.S. citizens can register to vote when they are 18, and will need some kind of documentation (such as a driver’s license or state ID.) There are three main ways to register. The first, and possibly easiest, way to register is through vote.gov, an official website of the U.S. government that will immediately prompt you to register to vote. Click on the link provided, then fill out all necessary information.
Another way to register online is by visiting Connecticut’s official state website. Select the “Government” tab, then scroll to click on the tab marked “Office of the Secretary of State.” From there, select the tab on the left side of the screen labeled “Civic Engagement.” If you scroll down a few paragraphs, there will be a list of links, with the first being the portal to register to vote. Click on that, and fill out the subsequent information.
The second main way to register to vote is via mail. First, print a voter registration form from the internet (you can find it with a quick Google search), then fill out the necessary information. You will have to mail this form to your area’s Registrar of Voters, which can also be found with a Google Search. Although there are two different registrars per area, one for each major party, they share the same mailing address.
Registering in person is a more complex process than the previous two. In some towns, you can register at your town hall—others will have designated areas for voter registrations, with some being open even on election day. Contact your local Registrar of Voters for more information on where and when you can register.
All three ways to register are completely viable, but difficult to access. Even if the actual action of registering online, in-person, or by mail is relatively simple, the information of how to actually do it is scattered across several different websites. It took several increasingly specific Google searches and asking several adults to acquire the information laid out for you in the previous few paragraphs, showing that there is much to be desired in the dissemination of critical voting information in the U.S.
The History of the Right to Vote in the U.S.:
One of the most important rights of American citizens is the right to vote. What originally started as voting was only allowed to white male landowners in the late 1700s, now permits Americans citizens, 18 years or older, regardless of gender, race, and identity the right to vote.
Prior to the independence of the United States, voting rights varied from state to state during colonial times. In some cases, property-owning women and free Black men could vote. However the founders of the country, who believed in a virtuous democracy, had welcomed severe voting rights. The Constitution originally stated that voting rights are individual state responsibilities, which led to the restricted voting to white male landowners.
Suffrage Expands:
The 15th Amendment, passed in 1869, expanded suffrage for Black men. However, this policy faced severe backlash in Southern states. Barriers such as poll taxes and literacy tests were used to suppress African American voters. Though as of 1962, the 24th Amendment was approved and ratified which banned poll tax in federal elections. This policy was further reinforced in 1966 by ruling polling taxes unconstitutional in Harper v Virginia Board of Elections, marking significant progress with suffrage.
The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, gave women the long awaited right to vote. This marks a victory for the women’s suffrage movement that had been going on for decades. While the amendment stated that it protected all women from discrimination. However, in practice, this amendment primarily benefited white women. Women of color, including American American, Asian American, and Latina women, face discriminating practices. These practices include literacy tests and intimidation that prevents them from voting. It was not until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that many barriers were removed to expand the voting rights to women of all color.
Indigenous Americans
In 1924, the Indian Citizenship Act granted Native Americans citizenship in the U.S. However, although they were citizens, they weren’t necessarily allowed suffrage, as the Constitution left it up to the states to decide who got to vote. Many Native Americans were discriminated against by states for years using some of the same strategies that barred several Black communities from voting up until the 1960s, such as literacy tests. Nowadays, Native Americans’ right to vote in national, state, and local elections, as well as tribal elections in their sovereign nations, is federally protected. However, Indigenous communities (particularly those located on reservations) still face significant challenges when it comes to access to polls and registration.
Asian Americans
Asian immigrants in the U.S. were not able to vote for a significant portion of U.S. history, as several laws and policy (such as the Naturalization Act of 1790 and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882) barred Asians from becoming U.S. citizens, thus denying them the right to vote despite many working and living in America. Asian Americans have only been able to vote since the 1940s, when federal policy barring immigrants of Asian descent from becoming citizens began to lift. Truly broad access to voting only came to Asian Americans with the implementation of the Immigration and Nationality Acts of 1952 and 1965, as well as the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Voting Age Lowered to 18
In the height of the Vietnam War, the United States implemented a military draft for men between the ages of 18 and 21. At the time, voting rights only extended to citizens aged 21 or above. This led many young men to become rightfully upset, and a youth rights movement quickly emerged, with several supporters of the movement requesting that the voting age requirement be lowered. “Old enough to die, old enough to vote,” became the catchphrase for the movement. Eventually, the U.S. government conceded to these protestors, and lowered the voting age to 18 via the 26th Amendment in 1971.
Protections for Disabled Voters
People with mental and physical disabilities have long been discriminated against when it comes to voting, due to assumptions of their individual capabilities. Throughout America’s history many civil rights laws were implemented to help solve such issues. One such policy is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which provides protections to people with disabilities. The act applies to all aspects of voting, from voter registration, polling place, and casting of ballots.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 expanded to sign language, and voting was made more accessible to those with disabilities. In 1993 the National Voter Registration Act allowed voter registration when applying for driver’s licenses, and required all polling places to have disability access (such as ramps and elevators)—this resulted in an increased voter access and turnout, in the following election. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 also made it easier for people with disabilities to cast ballots independently.
Can Felons Vote?
Typically in America felons are deemed ineligible to vote. However, in the last decade or so some states have been reinstating this right for felons. Restoration of suffrage for felons have been divided into four sections by NCSL, the National Conference of State Legislatures: never lose the right to vote, lost only while incarcerated and automatic restoration after release, lost until completion of sentence (Parole and/or Probation; Sometimes Fines, Fees and Restitution) and automatic restoration after (which requires felons to first re-register to vote), and lost until completion of sentence (in some states a post-sentencing waiting period) and additional action required for restoration.
Discrimination in Voting Today:
Voting, although may seem simple, is a long and extensive process that favors certain people over others. Discrimination in voting in the present is significant and is constantly being battled by average citizens and government officials. The most recent amendment to voting rights occurred in the course of the 2013 Shelby County vs. Holder Supreme Court case. The Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Acts, removing preclearance requirements for states with histories of voter suppression. This decision affected the laws states pass that make it harder to vote based on your race.
To this day, many communities of color experience disparities in voting. For example, more polling places tend to close in African American communities. Returns of early and mail voting have also been prominent in such communities. We as citizens must continue to fight for voting rights and accessibility for all, to ensure a healthy and fair democracy in the future.
