Voting Rights

📖Story Brief #487

Voting rights refer to the legal ability of citizens to participate in elections and choose their leaders.

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Voting rights refer to the legal ability of citizens to participate in elections and choose their leaders. In the United States, the right to vote has evolved over time, expanding to include more people. Initially, only white male landowners could vote, but changes in laws have allowed women and people of all races to gain this right. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a significant law that aimed to eliminate racial discrimination in voting. It made it illegal to impose unfair practices, like literacy tests, that prevented many African Americans from voting. For example, after the Act was passed, millions of African Americans registered to vote for the first time, significantly changing political representation in the South. Today, voting rights continue to be a topic of discussion as people advocate for fair access to the polls for everyone.

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What was the Voting Rights Act of 1965 designed to do?

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