Voting and Elections - civiced.org

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Voting and Elections
On Election Day in the United States, voters across the country cast their ballots for various federal, state, and local offices, including—every four years—the office of president. When citizens exercise their right to vote and participate in the electoral process, they are fulfilling their civic duty to our democratic society.
Did You Know?
Election Day has not always been a fixed date nationwide. In 1845, Congress passed the Uniform Election Day Act, which established that the Tuesday after the first Monday in November would be a uniform day for the general election of presidential electors. Prior to this act, states conducted elections at different times. Today, the way people vote varies from state to state, with options for day-of or early voting in-person, mail-in ballots, or online voting.
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Lesson Plans
60-Second Civics
Constitution EXPLAINED Videos
Federalism & Election Laws
Evolving Voting Rights
Lesson Plans
Can Democracy Survive Without a Peaceful Transition of Power?
Do We Need a Constitutional Amendment to Protect Voting?
Grades 6–8
Grades 9–12
Do We Still Need the Electoral College?
What Is a Vote Worth?
The Evolution of Political Parties
60-Second Civics Videos About...
Political Participation
Elections have consequences. If you want a say in the political future of our nation, it is up to you to get involved. Luckily, there are many ways to accomplish this. Listen to learn how!
Referendum and Recall
In this episode we learn about two political processes that directly involve the people: referendums and recall elections.
Ballot Initiatives
Learn about methods that allow citizens to participate in direct democracy in their states on today’s episode of the podcast!
One Person, One Vote
The principle of "one person, one vote" means that each congressional district in a state must have a roughly equal population as those in other states. This applies only the House, however. The Senate is based on equal representation, with each state receiving two senators.
The Importance of a Peaceful Transition of Power
Why does it matter that we have a peaceful transition of power in a democracy? We'll hear from David Levine, an Elections Integrity Fellow from the bipartisan Alliance for Securing Democracy. This is the final episode in our series on election security with David Levine.
Voting, Registration and Participation
The states make many decisions regarding voting rights, and most states require citizens to register before voting. Although voter turnout has surged in the 2020 presidential election, in recent years there has been a steady decline in voter participation in elections.
Noncitizen Voting
Should legal permanent residents be allowed to vote? On this podcast, we look at both sides of the issue.
How the Electoral College Works
The Electoral College might seem like a complicated method of choosing a president, but on this episode of 60-Second Civics, we'll explain how it works.
What Happens in an Electoral College Tie?
What happens if there is a tie in the Electoral College? Find out on today's podcast.
Elections in Colonial America
Elections in the colonial era and in the early American republic were rather uncivilized compared to today's standards. Explore the differences between then and now in today’s episode!
Shootings Gave Twenty-sixth Amendment Renewed Urgency
Two incidents in 1970 galvanized the movement to lower the voting age to eighteen: the Kent State and Jackson State shootings of anti-war demonstrators.
"Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote"
"Old enough to fight, old enough to vote" originated during World War II. The argument has resonance with the Declaration of Independence, which says, "the just powers of government are derived from the consent of the governed."
Cultural Context of the Twenty-sixth Amendment
The countercultural movement of the 1960s and the Vietnam War provided the cultural context to the movement to lower the voting age to 18.
Oregon v. Mitchell
Before the adoption of the Twenty-sixth Amendment, young men could be drafted and serve in Vietnam, but could not vote. The Oregon v. Mitchell Supreme Court case in 1970 gave added motivation for supporters of lowering the voting age to push for a constitutional amendment to reduce the national voting age to 18.
Vietnam and the Twenty-sixth Amendment
The Vietnam War motivated the states to take up the ratification process for the Twenty-sixth Amendment with a sense of urgency.
The Twenty-sixth Amendment
The Twenty-sixth Amendment mandates that federal and state legislatures not interfere with the right to vote of citizens eighteen years of age or older in federal, state, and local elections.
Shelby County v. Holder
Learn how Shelby County v. Holder changed the Voting Rights Act.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a step in the right direction, but it did not protect voting rights. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits discrimination based on race, eliminates literacy tests, poll taxes, and discriminatory voter registration practices. It also requires voting materials and assistance in appropriate languages in places with significant numbers of voters who do not speak English.
Prelude to the Voting Rights Act
Both the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the Civil Rights Act of 1960 were meant to eliminate interference with the right to vote. Both of the acts paved the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Removing Obstacles ot Native American Voting
Native Americans were often deprived of their right to vote until Congress took action.
Indian Citizenship Act of 1924
In several states, Native Americans are viewed as an increasingly important voting bloc. Only in 1924 did the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 extend the right to Native Americans, but the states continued to block Native access to the polls until at least 1965.
Native American Citizenship and Voting
The Framers of the Constitution considered Native Americans to be members of their tribes, not citizens of the United States, and were not allowed to vote.
The Nineteenth Amendment
As the United States entered World War I, pressure to recognize the right of women to vote increased. After the war, women launched a national campaign that included huge parades, demonstrations, picketing, and civil disobedience in Washington, D.C. The Nineteenth Amendment was finally adopted in 1920.
The Slow March of Women's Suffrage
Women in the United States gained the right to vote only in small increments. Plenty of excuses were offered for not recognizing the right of women to vote.
State Voting Rights for Women
In 1869 Wyoming, while still a territory, gave women the right to vote. By 1918 more than half the states had enfranchised women.
Equal Voting Rights for Women
The road to winning the right to vote for women was long, and suffragists faced many setbacks.
Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments
During the middle years of the nineteenth century the struggle for freedom and equality for African Americans was closely linked to the campaign for woman suffrage. Many abolitionists worked for woman suffrage, just as many women worked to end slavery.
Literacy Tests
Literacy tests were designed to disenfranchise African American voters. They did not disappear entirely until 1970.
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Until discriminatory laws and Supreme Court rulings took effect, millions of African American men were added to the voting rolls, and some were elected to public office.
The Fifteenth Amendment
In theory, the Fifteenth Amendment granted the right to vote to African American men. But discriminatory laws, physical intimidation, and economic reprisals kept African Americans from exercising that right.
Voting and Property
Thomas Paine, with his characteristically sharp wit, pointed out some problems with the property requirement for voting.
Gerrymandering
The term "gerrymandering" is named after a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention, Governor Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts. His political party drew a partisan electoral district designed to give them victory. A newspaper editor pinned the blame on Gerry, naming the salamander-shaped district "gerrymander." Gerrymandering now means drawing an electoral district to favor one political party.
The Importance of a Peaceful Transition of Power
Why does it matter that we have a peaceful transition of power in a democracy? We'll hear from David Levine, an Elections Integrity Fellow from the bipartisan Alliance for Securing Democracy.
Election Security with David Levine
Today we are joined by a very special guest, David Levine, who is an Elections Integrity Fellow from the bipartisan Alliance for Securing Democracy. David talks about election security, elections officials, signature verification, and what to do if there are any problems casting your vote.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Mexican American men faced discrimination and violence in Texas when they tried to exercise their right to vote.
Dorr Rebellion
Rhode Island was the only state after 1840 that did not have universal enfranchisement of white men. So, Thomas Wilson Dorr convened a "People's Convention" to draft a new state constitution that allowed all white men to vote. This led to a brief civil war in the state.
Cultural Context of the Twenty-sixth Amendment
The countercultural movement of the 1960s and the Vietnam War provided the cultural context to the movement to lower the voting age to 18.
The Constitution EXPLAINED
Votes for All Men
The 15th Amendment prohibited discrimination in voting based on race.
Votes for Women
The 19th Amendment protected the right to vote for women nationwide.
Votes for D.C.
The 23rd Amendment allowed citizens in the nation’s capital to vote for president.
No Tax on Voting
The 24th Amendment banned poll taxes in federal elections.
Votes for Young People
The 26th Amendment protected the right to vote for citizens between the ages of 18 to 21.
Federalism & Election Laws
The shared power in our election process is an example of federalism.
The
Shelby County v. Holder
(2013) outcome signaled a significant turning point for voting rights in the United States. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Shelby County, Alabama, which argued that the preclearance requirement was outdated and unfairly targeted certain jurisdictions based on decades-old data. The Court's majority opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, held that the coverage formula used in Section 4(b) of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which determined which jurisdictions were subject to preclearance under Section 5, was unconstitutional. The Court reasoned that the formula was based on outdated data and, therefore, violated the principle of equal sovereignty among states.
Without the preclearance requirement, jurisdictions are no longer required to seek federal approval before changing their voting laws or procedures unless those changes were found to be discriminatory through other legal challenges. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, “between January 1 and May 29, 2023, at least 11 states enacted 13 restrictive laws. Of these laws, seven curb access to mail voting, and six implement stricter photo ID requirements for voter registration or in-person voting. (
Voting Laws Roundup: June 2023 | Brennan Center for Justice
). Restrictive legislation makes it harder for eligible Americans to cast their ballots.
This theme of voter suppression can also be examined through the lenses of gerrymandering, the undercounting of undocumented individuals in census data, and the disenfranchisement of incarcerated individuals. Movements in the U.S. still strive to ensure that the right to vote is universally accessible.
Evolving Voting Rights
Not all U.S. citizens have always enjoyed universal suffrage. While the Preamble opens with “We the People,” not all people have the right to vote. Initially, the Constitution left it to each state to decide who could vote. This essentially led states to have different qualifications for voting, but almost all restricted voting to white men who met particular property and residency requirements.
Disenfranchised individuals have included women, Black Americans, Indigenous peoples, landless men, immigrants, and certain incarcerated individuals. Over the last 150 years, legislative, judicial, and executive actions have been taken to end voter suppression, yet we still have work to do to ensure all Americans have the right to vote.
1788: Constitution Ratified
1870: 15th Amendment
Grants right to vote to African American men
1887: Dawes Act
Authorizes federal government to break up tribal lands into individual plots; only those Native Americans who accepted the individual allotments were allowed to become U.S. citizens
1920: 19th Amendment
Granted right to vote to women
1924: Indian Citizenship Act
Grants citizenship to all Native Americans born in the U.S.
1965: Voting Rights Act
Prohibits election practices that deny vitizens the right to vote
1971: 26th Amendment
Lowers the voting age to 18-years-old
2013:
Shelby v. Holder
Supreme Court rules a section of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional, allowing states to avoid federal scrutiny of changes to voting laws
Several constitutional amendments and acts of Congress were crucial in expanding suffrage rights. The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, prohibited the denial of voting rights based on race or color and aimed to enfranchise African American men after the Civil War. The 19th Amendment, passed in 1920, granted women the right to vote. The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 gave the right to vote to all “Indians born within the territorial limits of the United States.”
The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, abolished poll taxes as a requirement for voting, removing a barrier that disproportionately affected African American voters in the South. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark piece of legislation of the Civil Rights movement that aimed to eliminate discriminatory practices, such as literacy tests and other impediments to prevent people of color from voting.
Additionally, the 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971, lowered the voting age to 18, recognizing the right to vote for citizens who could be drafted into the military and fight in the Vietnam War.
About
The Center for Civic Education is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating an informed and thoughtful citizenry committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy. We do this primarily through our flagship programs, We the People and Project Citizen, but we also provide high-quality, inquiry-driven curricular programs that bring civic learning to life. The Center additionally equips educators with professional learning that builds confidence and capacity to teach civics with depth and relevance, unlocks students’ civic agency by creating opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills, and share their voices through simulated hearings and other public forums. These initiatives build a national community committed to strengthening civic understanding and participation for all and root everything in decades of research and evidence.
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