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(1820-1840)

Voting Rights in this period were being expanded by removing the stipulation that you had to be landowning to vote. This expanded the vote to all white men and created universal white manhood suffrage. Accessibility to vote was also expanded by extending polling hours, and creating more locations to vote.

By amending each individual state’s constitution, the right to vote was accesible to more individuals - white males. They no longer had to own property, or were restricted.

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In the 15th amendment, the voting rights were expanded to African American Men.

Previously denied from voting, AA men could now exercise the right to vote. With the amendment, voting was being extended to disenfranchised groups, and making steps towards the right to vote being universal.

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The 19th amendment gives women the right to vote.

It expands voting rights by making discrimination based on gender illegal, and then gives women a vote.

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The ICA gave Native Americans the right to citizenship to those born in the U.S. Through this, Native Americans were able to gain the right to vote. Though, this right could be denied by individual states.

By this Act, not only were Natives granted citizenship, but also the right to vote. In putting in this Act in place, it helped make steps towards the equality for all mentioned in the Constitution, even though they still faced discrimination - like literacy tests.

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The McCarren Walter Act opened citizenship to Japanese Americans born in the U.S.

This law effectively removed racial restrictions on citizenship, officially making it legal for those who had been here/born here for decades. By making it legal to gain citizenship, those individuals could then vote without federal restriction.

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The 23rd Amendment gives residents of D.C. the right to vote in the presidential elections.

Because D.C. was not a state, it did not have any electoral votes, which meant that its residents couldn’t vote. By passing the amendment, it expanded the right to vote to everywhere regardless of residency.

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The use of poll taxes in elections is illegal.

This expanded the right to vote to many disenfranchised groups.

These groups (African Americans, Latinos, the poor etc) were all given the right to vote, but still faced significant barriers at the polls. One of those being payment to vote, which some could not afford.

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The VRA outlaws discriminatory practices in voting towards minority groups, and says that literacy tests are unconstitutional.

Literacy tests, and other discriminatory practices were designed to discourage minority groups from voting in elections. By removing these practices and making them illegal, voting became more accesible.

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It gives 18 year olds the right to vote.

By giving 18 year olds the right to vote, the government establishes that they are adults. In the context of the time period and the Vietnam War, if 18 year olds were old enough to be drafted why don’t they get a say/vote. This way these young adults can now vote for issues they believe in.

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A federal reauthorization of the VRA except with changes to include that polling locations must have the polls in different languages so as to include those who do not speak English.

Because those who didn’t speak English couldn’t read, it discouraged them from voting. By adding this provision, the right to vote was expanded to not only English speaking residents.

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Voting Accesibility for Elderly and Handicapped Act (1984)

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Voting Accesibility for Elderly and Handicapped Act (1984)

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This Act made it easier for the elderly and handicapped to gain access to voting locations, and place a vote.

By ensuring people can access locations, it opens up voting to a wide array of people who may not have had the chance/ability to vote before.