Originally under the Constitution, only white male citizens over the age of 21 were eligible to vote. This shameful injustice has been corrected and voting rights have been extended several times over the course of our history.

January 31, 1865

The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

July 9, 1868

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude

"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

prohibited states from requiring payment of a poll tax as a condition for voting in federal elections.

prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

The Voting Rights Act prohibited the states from using literacy tests and other methods of excluding African Americans from voting

The 1968 Act expanded on previous acts and prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, sex, (and as amended) handicap and family status.

established a nationally standardized minimum age of 18 for participation in state and local elections