The right to vote is a fundamental civil right that guarantees people’s ability to choose their leaders through representative democracy. It’s also recognized globally as a human right, including in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But access to the polls has been a constant battle for Black people and communities of color. In the years since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, states have enacted laws that make it harder to vote. These policies, such as voter ID requirements and shortened early voting periods, are often aimed at diluting the vote of racial minorities. We’re fighting for equal access to the ballot because, without it, democracy isn’t truly free.
Voter rights are governed by the United States Constitution and federal law, with several constitutional amendments (the Fifteenth and Nineteenth) guaranteeing that the voting rights of citizens cannot be “abridgd on account of race, color, previous condition of servitude, or sex.”
In the early 1900s, suffragists such as Fannie Lou Hamer and Alice Paul fought tirelessly to ensure women could cast their votes. Their efforts helped lead to the Nineteenth Amendment’s ratification in 1920, which allowed women to vote in presidential elections.
While laws denying the right to vote are still being used, new policies have been introduced that ease barriers to the ballot and allow people to exercise their citizenship. For example, in states as ideologically diverse as New York and Utah, online registration is now a legal option for all citizens. Other policies, like automatic registration, which effortlessly adds eligible citizens to the voter rolls when they visit the Department of Motor Vehicles or other government agencies, have been implemented in 19 states and the District of Columbia.
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