Vote
There is one common theme amongst Americans these days. It goes beyond the Covid-19 pandemic, the economy, the stimulus checks, health care, education, global warming, Black Lives Matters, women’s rights and LGBTQ+ equality. That subject is voting. On the eve of New York’s moment to start the early voting process, I feel compelled to chime in from a historical point of view. If you ever questioned why it is important to exercise your right to vote in this country, I implore you to continue reading.
Voting Rights Timeline
· 1776 only White men who owned property were eligible to vote. The minimum age was 21.
· Three-Fifths Compromise was agreement between delegates from the Northern and Southern states at the Constitutional Convention. It said that 3/5ths of the slave population would be counted for the determining taxation and the representation of the House of Representatives.
· 1856 over 70 years after the Revolutionary War, most colonies/states expanded the right to vote to all White men regardless of property ownership.
· The 14th Amendment grants African Americans citizenship, but not the right to vote in 1868.
· The 15th Amendment prevents federal or state governments for denying the right to vote to citizens based on race in 1870. (Black women were excluded).
· 1876 Native Americans could not vote because they were not citizens. The Dawes Act of 1890 allowed Native Americans to become citizens if they denounced their tribes. In the 1910s they could vote if they served in World War I (WWI). In 1924, Congress granted citizenship to all Native Americans with exceptions to include excluding those who lived on reservations.
· Because of the Women’s Suffrage Movement, women won the right to vote when the 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920. This only included white women.
· The McCarran-Walter Act of 1952 allowed Asian immigrants citizenship extending their right to vote.
· The 23rd Amendment granted residents of District of Columbia the right to vote in Presidential elections in 1961. This does not include Congressional representation.
· The Voting Rights Act of 1965 Congress grants all African Americans the right to vote including women.
· Vietnam War enabled Congress to reduce the voting age from 21 to 18 in 1971.
Discrimination Tactics
JIM CROW
Poll Tax or poll fees began in the 1890s as a legal way to keep African Americans, other minorities, and poor communities from voting, specifically in the southern states. It was not until 1964 it was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Texas as an example implemented a poll tax of $1.50 to $1.75 to register to vote. Poll fees weighed heavily on the poor both White and Black eligible voters.
Grandfather Clause allowed any adult male whose father or grandfather who voted in a specific year prior to the abolition of slavery to vote without paying the tax. This generally excluded all African Americans. White males benefited only from this loophole.
Intimidation and Violent Acts against Black people registering to vote and voting throughout the Southern states were implemented. These crimes included lynching, personal and family threats, business boycotts and unlawful arrests. It wasn’t until February 2020 that lynching was made a federal crime and added to the United States Criminal Code.
Literacy Test were used to disqualify immigrants and the poor who had less education. The tests were used to prove individuals could read and write. The voting Rights Act ended these tests in 1965.
“In Mississippi, applicants were required to transcribe and interpret a section of the state constitution and write an essay on the responsibilities of citizenship. Registration officials selected the questions and interpreted the answers, effectively choosing which applicants to pass and which to fail.”
American History USA
CURRENT TACTICS
Identification required is a current mechanism used to suppress voters registration fraud, although there is little evidence of such widespread practices. These laws mostly restrict the poor and disenfranchised voters.
Felony convictions ruled by the Supreme Court in 1974. Allowed states to deny convicted felons the right to vote even after their time had been served.
Reducing Polling Locations in large minority populated areas has been steadily increasing in recent years. Under the guise of “saving money” 10 polling locations were closed in Georgia after a suggestion from election consultants. When similar actions were suggested in White communities, the pushback was enough to keep the polling locations open. In other words, less polling locations will equal less votes for the minority demographic. This practice is continuing to occur nationwide.
Final Question
If voting is not important to the democratic process, why has there been so many tactics used to suppress the vote and voters rights? I will leave to answer that one on your own.
Early Voting
Early, in-person voting in New York is allowed Oct 24 through Nov 1.
Begins - Oct 24th
Ends - Nov 1st
Election Day Nationwide
Nov 3rd
To check your registration and confirm your polling location click here.
Resources:
For furthering reading