On February 3, 1870, the 15th Amendment (Black suffrage) passed into legislation. The right to vote cannot be denied on race-based reasons. The 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA), authorized by the 15th Amendment, the VRA is one of the most consequential laws ever enacted. It dismantled Jim Crow practices that severely restricted African-American access to the ballot, such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and other voter registration games.
In a NYT article this past November was this quote: “Mr. Trump’s fruitless and pyromaniacal campaign to somehow reverse President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory in the election rests on the wholesale disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of voters, a disproportionate number of them Black Americans living in the urban centers of Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.” The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund sued Mr. Trump and his campaign stating “Defendants are openly seeking to disenfranchise Black voters.”
While no longer explicitly excluded, voter suppression is a problem in many parts of the country. Some politicians try to win reelection by making it harder for certain populations and demographics to vote. These politicians may use strategies such as reducing polling locations in predominantly African American or Lantinx neighborhoods, or only having polling stations open during business hours, when many disenfranchised populations are working and unable to take time off.
Participating in elections is one of the key freedoms of American life. Many people in countries around the world do not have the same freedom, nor did many Americans in centuries past. No matter what you believe, whom you support, or what race or gender you are, it is important to exercise your right to vote. Most of all, we should push against anything that prevents (suppresses) a registered voter from exercising their fundamental right to cast their ballot. So this Black History Month learn about redistricting, gerrymandering, red lining, and other practices that are aimed at disfranchising our voting rights. Seek out organizations like Common Cause, FairVote, The Campaign Legal Center, and the Brennan Center of Justice and fight back against any voter disfranchisement. Fight for the right to vote for all US Citizens for we are all in this together.
