Voting Rights in the United States

By school-project-account

  • Constitution is Ratified

    Allowed white male property owners the right to vote. While this is an improvement over previous rights, it is still restrictive.

  • Religious Prerequisites Are Dropped

    There are no longer any religious prerequisites for voting rights. However, race and land ownership are still important.

  • Property Requirements Dropped

    Citizens no longer need to own land to have the right to vote.

  • 15th Constitutional Amendment is Passed

    15th Amendment protects the voting rights of all adult males of all races.

  • 23rd Constitutional Amendment

    Grants people living in the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) the right to vote in presidential elections.

  • 24th Constitutional Amendment is Passed

    24th Amendment bans Poll Taxes on federal elections. These were put into place in some states to prevent people of color, who were often from the lower classes, from voting.

  • Voting Rights Act Passed

    Removes barriers for legal citizens to vote; outlaws things like literacy tests. Act was expanded and renewed in 1970, 1975, and 1982.

  • 26th Constitutional Amendment is Passed

    26th Amendment sets the minimum federal voting age at 18.