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Voting Left to States
The U.S. Constitution is adopted on this date, but in lieu of a federal requirement, it grants states the power to establish standards for voting rights. -
Black Men Granted the Right to Vote
The 15th Amendment is ratified, granting Black men the right to vote and Congress the power to enforce the right. However, laws, including poll taxes, literacy tests and grandfather clauses, are enacted in mostly Southern states, suppressing Black voting rights until 1965. -
Women Get the Right to Vote
After decades of protest and struggles for change, the 19th Amendment is adopted, granting American women the right to vote: “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. -
Native Americans Granted the Right to Vote
Congress enacts the Indian Citizenship Act, granting the right to vote to Native Americans born in the United States. Despite its passage, some states continue to bar Native Americans from voting. -
Chinese Exclusion Act Ends
In the wake of World War II when the United States and China had operated as allies, the Chinese Exclusion Act, which had barred Chinese from becoming citizens since 1882, is finally repealed. Chinese immigrants and their American-born families become the first Asian Americans eligible to naturalize and gain citizenship—and vote. -
Washington, D.C. Residents Can Vote in Presidential Elections
The 23rd Amendment is ratified, allowing American citizens living in the District of Columbia to vote for president and vice president. Prior to its passage, D.C. residents could only vote for those offices with valid registration in one of the nation's states. -
Poll Taxes Banned
The 24th Amendment is ratified, prohibiting the use of poll taxes in federal elections. "There can be no one too poor to vote," President Lyndon Johnson says during a ceremony announcing the amendment. -
Voting Rights Act
President Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act into law, banning literacy tests and enforcing the 15th Amendment on a federal level. -
18 and Up Can Vote
The 26th Amendment is signed by President Richard Nixon, granting the right to vote to U.S. citizens who are 18 or older -
Rights for Non-English-Speaking Voters
In addition to establishing a permanent ban on literacy tests and other discriminatory voting requirements, amendments to the Voting Rights Act are signed into law by President Gerald Ford requiring districts with significant numbers of non-English-speaking voters to be provided with instructions or assistance in registering and voting. -
Voting Rights Act Extended
President Ronald Reagan signs a 25-year extension of the Voting Rights Act. Revisions also reverse recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court, making voting easier for people with disabilities and the elderly. -
Voting Is Made Accessible
The Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984 is signed into law by Reagan, requiring polling places in federal elections to be accessible for people with disabilities and the elder. It also states that if no accessible location is available, an alternative way to vote on Election Day must be offered. -
Voter Registration Through DMVs
Also known as the "motor voter" law, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 is signed into law by President Bill Clinton. It requires state motor vehicle agencies to offer voter registration opportunities, states to offer mail-in voter registration applications, states to maintain current and accurate voter registration lists and opportunities to register to vote at certain state and local offices. In its first year, 30 million-plus voters update or complete their registration. -
Help America Vote Act
Enacting sweeping voting process reform, President George W. Bush signs Help America Vote Act, mandating that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission improve and certify voting equipment, maintain the National Voter Registration form and administer a national elections clearinghouse with shared practices, among other items. It provides states with funds to meet the new standards and provisions. -
Voting Rights Act Walked Back
In Shelby County v. Holder, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote, rules that Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional, holding that the constraints placed on certain states and federal review of states' voting procedures, known as preclearance, are outdated.