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Only people with land can vote.
The right to vote during Colonial and Revolutionary times was restricted to the property owners--most of whom were whiter males. -
No Federal voting standard
Since there is no agreement on a national standard for voting rights, states are giving the right to regulate there own voting rights. -
George Washington elected as President
Only 6% of the population can vote. -
Activists for ending slavery and women's rights join together
Frederick Douglass's speech helps the convention to adopt a resolution calling for voting rights for women. -
Citizenship granted-- but voting denied
The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo guarantees U.S. citizenship to Mexicans living in territories conquered by the US, but English language requirements and violent intimidation limit access to voting rights. -
Voting expands to all white men
North Carolina was the last of the states to remove property ownership as a requirement to vote. -
Movements untie and divide
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony formed an organization for white and black women and men dedicated to the idea of universal voting rights then disbanded and reconnected over disagreements in strategies to gain the vote for women and African Americas. -
Former Slaves granted citizenship
14th Amendment is passed (citizenship is given to former slaves). Voters; however, was explicitly defined as male. Although the amendment forbids states from denying any rights of citizenships, voting regulation is still left to the states. -
15th Amendment Passed!
It states that the right to vote cannot be denied by the federal or state governments based on race. However, soon after, some states begin to enact measures such as voting taxes and literacy tests that restrict the actual ability of African Americans to register to vote. -
Women TRY to vote.
Susan B. Anthony is arrested and brought to trial in New York for tempting to vote in the presidential election. At the same time, Sojourner Truth, a former slave, and advocate for justice and equality appears at a polling booth in Michigan demanding a ballot but she was turned away. -
Indigenous people cannot vote
The Supreme Court ruled that Native Americans were not citizens as defined by the 14th Amendment and thus cannot vote. -
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Granting Citizenship
The Chinese Exclusion Act bars people of Chinese ancestry from naturalizing to become U.S. citizens. Dawes Act passed. It grants citizenship to Native Americans who give up their tribal affiliations. -
First state to legislate voting for women
Wyoming admitted to statehood and became the first state to legislate voting for women in its constitution. -
Indigenous people must apply for citizenship.
The Indian Naturalization Act grants citizenship to Native Americans whose applications are approved-- similar to the process of immigrant naturalization. -
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Women lead voting rights marches
Women lead voting rights marches through New York and Washington, D.C. -
Right to vote extended to women
19th Amendment passed, giving women the right to vote in both state and federal elections. -
Asian unequal White unequal Citizen
Supreme Court rules that people of Japanese heritage are ineligible to become naturalized citizens. In the next year, the Court finds that Asian Indians are also not eligible to naturalize. -
Again, citizenship granted but voting denied
The Indian Citizenship Act grants citizenship to Native Americans, but many states nonetheless make laws and policies which prohibit Native Americans from voting -
Military Service= Citizenship for Filipinos
Congress bars Filipinos from U.S. citizenship unless they have served three years in the Navy. -
State violence used to prevent people from exercising their right to vote.
While attempting to register to vote in Alabama, a group of African American women are beaten by election officials. -
Legal barriers to Native American voting removed.
Miguel Trujillo, a Native American and former Marine, sues New Mexico for not allowing him to vote. He wins and New Mexico and Arizona are required to give the vote to all Native Americans. -
Granting all people of Asian ancestry citizenship.
McCarran- Walter Act grants all people of Asian ancestry the right to become citizens. -
23rd Amendment passed
It gives citizens of Washington, D.C. the right to vote for U.S. president. But to this day, the district's residents-- most of whom are African American-- still do not have voting representation in Congress. -
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Voting rights as civil rights
Large-scale efforts in the South to register African Americans to vote are intensified. However, state officials refuse to allow African Americans to register by using voting taxes, literacy tests and violent intimidation. Among the efforts launched is Freedom Summer, where close to a thousand civil rights workers of all races and backgrounds converge on the South to support voting rights. -
No special tax to vote
24th Amendment passed. It guarantees that the right to vote in federal elections will not be denied for failure to pay any tax -
Grassroots movement forces change in law
Voting Rights Act passed. It forbids states from imposing discriminatory restrictions on who can vote and provides mechanisms for the federal government to enforce its provisions -
Voting age lowered to 18
26th Amendment passed, granting voting rights to 18 year old. -
Voting materials in various languages
Amendments to Voting Rights Act require that certain voting materials be printed in languages besides English so that people who do not read English can participate in the voting process. -
Making voter registration easier
National Voter Registration Act passed. Intends to increase the number of eligible citizens who register to vote b making registration available at the Department of Motor Vehicles. -
Residents of U.S. colonies are citizens, but cannot vote.
A month prior to the presidential election, a federal court decides that Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico, though U.S. citizens, cannot vote for U.S. president. (Residents of U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa and the U.S Virgin Islands cannot vote in presidential elections and do not have voting representation in the U.S. Congress. -
Debate-- Should voting rights be taken away from felons? For how long?
The National Commission on Federal Election Reform recommends that all states allow felons to regain their right to vote after completing their criminal sentences. Nearly 4 million U.S. citizens Could not vote because of past felony convictions. In California, felons were prohibited from voting while they were in prison or on parole. But, in other states, especially in the South. a person with a felony conviction was forever prohibited from voting in that state. -
Trying to solve election inconsistency with more federal voting standards.
Help America Vote Act passed in response to dispute 2000 presidential election. Massive voting reform effort requires states comply with federal mandate for provisional ballots, disability access, centralized, computerized voting lists, electronic voting and requirements that first- time voters present identification before voting.
