Who got the right to vote when? A history of voting rights in America. “August 18, 2020 marks 100 years since the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution granting women the right to vote. However, obstacles like poll taxes, literacy tests and other discriminatory state voting laws would keep Black women (and men) disenfranchised for a further 45 years, until the Voting Rights Act was signed into law on August 6, 1965.” 

Follow the interactive history lesson by Al Jazeera illustrating all of the changes in voting laws in the United States that have given and taken away voting rights from US citizens from 1776 to the present. 

In 2013, “Part of [the] Voting Rights Act of 1965 [was] struck down. The Supreme Court weakens the law that had ensured federal government oversight of changes to voting systems in states with a history of discriminating against minority voters. Today, voter suppression tactics, including purging voter rolls, imposing strict voter identification laws, limiting the number of polling locations and cutting voting times, effectively deny countless Americans the right to vote.”

Who's Affected By Voter Suppression? Block the Vote: Voter Suppression in 2020 ACLU

“The short answer is all of us. Our democracy is debased when the vote is not accessible for all. But the fact is that some groups are disproportionately affected by voter suppression tactics, including people of color, young people, the elderly, and people with disabilities. There’s proof that certain groups have been deliberately targeted -- for example, the government documents uncovered in the census case proved that the citizenship question intended to harm immigrants. Other times, the proof is in the numbers.

• Seventy percent of Georgia voters purged in 2018 were Black. 

• Across the country, one in 13 Black Americans cannot vote due to disenfranchisement laws.

• One-third of voters who have a disability report difficulty voting.

• Only 40 percent of polling places fully accommodate people with disabilities. 

• Across the country, counties with larger minority populations have fewer polling sites and poll workers per voter. 

• Six in ten college students come from out of state in New Hampshire, the state trying to block residents with out of state drivers’ licenses.”

Why Minority Voters Have a Lower Voter Turnout: An Analysis of Current Restrictions “With ethnic and racial minority populations in the United States rising, there is a growing population of voices that remain unaccounted for. Though current legislation has been implemented to ensure fair and impartial voting access, there is too much leeway given to state governments in the voting system’s execution. As a result, restrictions in the election system have resulted in systematic discrimination toward minority populations, making them ineligible to vote.”

Systematic Inequality and American Democracy Danyelle Solomon, Connor Maxwell, and Abril Castro, Center for American Progress. “The United States is a contradiction. Its founding principles embrace the ideals of freedom and equality, but it is a nation built on the systematic exclusion and suppression of communities of color. From the start, so many of this country’s laws and public policies, which should serve as the scaffolding that guides progress, were instead designed explicitly to prevent people of color from fully participating. Moreover, these legal constructs are not some relic of antebellum or Jim Crow past but rather remain part of the fabric of American policymaking.”

Voter Suppression: November's Looming Election Crisis Adam Harris, The Atlantic. “Intentional voter suppression and unintentional suppression of the vote will collide in November.”

Hear Black Womxn: Let My People Vote "Soul 2 Soul Sisters’ Let My People Vote (LMPV) program is a Black, bold and collaborative program with New Era Colorado. LMPV is a Black Womxn-led, non-partisan, voter engagement program that increases 1) the awareness of political issues that impact Black people 2) Black voter registration 3) Black GOTV and 4) Black voter protection as we work to enfranchise all voting-age Black people and cultivate robust and sustained Black political participation."

Fighting Voter Suppression by Joevahn Scott "We must fight voter suppression if we hope to break down the remaining systems of oppression."

Voter suppression and disenfranchised voices Does [the] United States still need the full protection of the Voting Rights Act? Part of "an animated series delving into American laws that confuse or disrupt the promise of liberty and justice for all. Each bite-size episode examines the complex ecosystem in which a law came to be, illustrating its unintended – or all too intended – consequences." Produced by the Glassbreaker Films initiative at The Center for Investigative Reporting. (Note: some language in the title).

The ongoing fight to overcome voter suppression ABC News. Today, black voters across the country are still encountering road blocks.

A History of Voter Suppression with Carol Anderson Library Talks Podcast. "Carol Anderson is an historian, educator, and author of "White Rage." Her latest book, "One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy," is a timely survey of how voting rights have been rolled back in this country following the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder. Dr. Anderson's work exposes racially biased voter suppression methods happening today. Joining Dr. Anderson was Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, a professor of History, Race and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and former Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture."

Podcast Episodes About Voter Suppression | POPSUGAR News "To get you up to speed on this issue, we've rounded up a few helpful and engaging podcast episodes. Pop in your headphones and listen as each conversation breaks down how insidious attacks against the right to vote have impacted American elections past and present. Once you've listened up, join us in doing all we can to safeguard our elections of the future."

Think you know everything about women’s suffrage? Here’s the history to unlearn. Lauren Young and Caitlyn Kelleher, MetroWest Daily News. “Time can often twist the real story, turning rumor into legend. There's plenty of "history" surrounding the 19th Amendment and the suffragists that needs to be unlearned.”

Is Ranked Choice Voting a Better Way to Vote? NBC NBCLX Storyteller Chase Cain. "Maybe you’ve never heard of ranked choice voting, but it’s gaining momentum across America. Ranked choice voting works when there are multiple candidates running for office, like in presidential primaries or hotly-contested congressional races. Instead of choosing one candidate, voters rank their top choices for office – it’s similar to how the Olympics awards gold, silver, and bronze medals, and to how the Academy Awards decides its Oscar winners."

A History of the Voting Rights Act, ACLU. “The Voting Rights Act is a historic civil rights law that is meant to ensure that the right to vote is not denied on account of race or color. This will be the first election in 50 years without full protection of the right to vote for minority voters. We need to pass the Voting Rights Amendment Act to protect the right to vote for all people in future elections.”

Voting Rights: A Short History | Voting Rights Carnegie Corporation of New York. “Now, after a period of bipartisan efforts to expand enfranchisement, Americans once again face new obstacles to voting.”

Movement Voter Project "We support hundreds of incredible organizations that both turn out unlikely voters and organize communities to grow their power and create transformation, from policy to the streets. We believe that supporting local movement vote groups is the most effective and most cost-effective strategy to transform our country."

Protecting the Right to Vote "PFAW has been on the front lines of change, supporting voting rights legislation, pushing back on voter suppression and, through PFAW Foundation’s programs, building civic engagement with local leaders in communities across the country."

Fair Fight "Fair Fight brings awareness to the public on election reform, advocates for election reform at all levels, and engages in other voter education programs and communications."

National Voter Protection Action Fund "NVPAF is committed to protecting the franchise and voting rights by partnering with local organizations to fund work which increases ballot access, supports voter protection mobilization, and engages in anti-suppression advocacy efforts so that every American citizen can vote in every election without obstacle."

Ensure Every American Can Vote "Voting is the most basic right in our democracy, but too many people are locked out of the process. The Brennan Center has developed bold solutions to ensure that every eligible American can cast a ballot."

Rock the Vote - Register to Vote, Find Election Info, and More! Building the Political Power of Young People

Let America Vote "Politicians are trying to pick their voters instead of voters picking their politicians. We can’t let that happen."

HeadCount "We stage voter registration drives at concerts and run programs that translate the power of music and culture into real action."

Vote Forward "Sending a Vote Forward letter is one of the easiest things you can do to increase turnout. It takes two minutes and one stamp, and meaningfully increases the odds that the recipient will vote. A concrete action you can take, no matter where you live, to get unlikely-to-vote fellow citizens to the polls."

Block the Vote: Voter Suppression in 2020 ACLU. "At an individual level, the best way to fight voter suppression is to vote. Here’s how to ensure your vote is protected:

• Tell your senators to pass the VRAA, which would reinstate critical protections against voter suppression left behind after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013.

• Know Your Rights before you get to the polling booth. Here’s a guide on what to do if you face registration issues, need disability or language accommodations, or come across someone who’s interfering with your right to vote. Share the guide on Facebook and Twitter to spread the word."

Here's How You Can Fight Voter Suppression Bria Mcneal, Refinery29. “U.S. elections are full of roadblocks that harm people of color, the disabled, and low-income communities. Common provisions include voter ID laws, voter purges, and poll closures. On average, Black voters wait 45% longer to vote than white voters, and Latinx voters wait 46% longer. In 2017, for example, North Carolina tried to pass a voter ID policy that the Supreme Court shut down for targeting Black people with “almost surgical precision.” The issue is often the way the rules they are applied, and how they target Black people and other people of color. For example, if you close polling locations, those communities need alternatives like extended voting hours or the ability to vote by mail.” “Even without crucial legislation passed, we can still follow the steps to vote responsibly and advocate for fair and safe elections.”

One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy, Carol Anderson. "Anderson follows the astonishing story of government-dictated racial discrimination unfolding before our very eyes as more and more states adopt voter suppression laws."

Book Excerpt: Stealing Democracy Spencer Overton is a professor of law at George Washington University specializing in voting rights and campaign finance law. This is the introduction to his book Stealing Democracy.

5 Books About Voter Suppression That Will Inspire You To Get Involved K.W. Colyard, Bustle. "There's a lot of talk about so-called voter fraud going on today, but the truth is that what we call voter fraud isn't actually a thing, from a statistical perspective. However, the systematic disenfranchisement of elderly and disabled voters, and voters of color, is a very real problem, and it's one that everyone, in every state, should be committed to eliminating."