The Voting Rights History
The rights to vote in America have not always been equally accessible. Native and black Americans and women of all ethnicities continue to fight for their voices to be heard. The voting history of the United States of America dates back to the period 1776 when the founding fathers established an Electoral College. At this period, voting was controlled by individual state legislatures, and the white men aged 21 years and above who owed lands were eligible for voting. The native and black Americans were restricted to voting rights (Catron 6). Moreover, the state determined who is and who is not allowed to vote. However, in 1856, all white men were allowed to vote regardless of property ownership. At around 1870, the 15th Amendment of the U.S Constitution eliminated the racial barriers to voting rights.
However, many states did not adhere to this and, as a result, continued to voter discrimination practices. Among these practices were poll taxes, fraud, literacy tests, and intimidation. Tactics, as well as violence. Race was the order of the day as the Native Americans were also denied the right to vote. To worsen the situation, the Supreme Court rules out that indigenous people are not American citizens and therefore are not legible for voting. This took place the year 1876. In 1920, the novel gender equality came to light. The 19th Amendment of the U.S Constitution endorsed supporting women with the right to vote. However, the black and Native Americans continue to face barriers (Zimring 7). For instance, in 1926, an act went viral, whereby the election officials were beating four black women who were attempting to register to vote in Birmingham, a state in the USA. The Indian Citizen Act grants Asians and Native Americans citizenship and voting rights. However, in 1968 the U.S Constitution grants all men born or naturalized in the United States the right to vote. Poll taxes were used in many states as a strategy to discriminate against voters at around 1923. The voters amend the State constitution, granting citizens democratic power to propose initiatives and referenda. In 1910, the constitution was amended by the voters allowing women to vote and manage offices. However, 1964 starts with positive changes whereby the federal Civil Rights Act is amended to ensure that all men and women aged 21 years and above have a right to vote regardless of age, gender, religion, education, and race. The rights also suspend literacy tests and implements registration and voting rights. The voting age is lowered to 18 years in 1971, and in 2008 Washington enacts "top 2 primary" that allowed voters to choose any candidate freely regardless of their parties.
Voting Methods
Voting methods in the United States have evolved over the centuries. However, this has led to the rise of debates over the honesty and reliability of American ways of voting. The methods have evolved from hand-written names to punch cards. In the early 1800s, some parts of the United States used voice to conduct elections. This meant that a voter would call out their votes, and the election clerk would record them on a running count. Interestingly, Americans would raise up their hands to be counted as a way of casting votes. Party tickets were also used, and they were typically ballot papers around the 1840s. Between 1862 and 1864, Mail-in absentee ballots were incorporated, and they helped civil war and soldiers fighting away from home to cast their votes (Inbody 6). Among the methods used over the recent past for voting are lever voting machines, punch cards, optically scanned paper ballots, Australian paper ballots, universal mail-in ballots, and R.N. in your inbox.
Conclusion
It is important to appreciate that time changes. There has been a trend in the change of voting methods in the United States of America. This is due to fears over the hacking of voting machines, and therefore advancement in technology has played an essential role in innovating more protective methods of voting (Nodine 5). The methods have evolved from expensive, complicated, and time-consuming methods to cheaper and first methods. Currently, optical scanning technology is the most popular method of casting votes in the United States. The methods used in voting have been changing with an increase in the number population, literacy levels, and advancement in technology. As the population grows, the dictatorship way of ruling people disappears. Most of the past casting votes were full of insecurities, and there were no enough people to air out their voice. For instance, in the past, women were denied voting rights; the culture during this period was against women. Generally, population growth means that the nation is growing and therefore needs informed and secure voting methods. On the other hand, voting methods have led to the division of states in America. Currently, the States play a role in determining the president's election, making voting even more transparent and manageable. The states have reduced to 52 due to the increase in the population. In general, the methods have been improving and increasingly becoming efficient and reliable due to an increase in population. Also, the number of states has been condensed to maximize transparency.
Work Cited
Catron, Krista. "Native American History of Voting." Washington University in St. Louis (2019).
Inbody, Donald S. "Military and Absentee Voting in the United States: History and Modern Practice." Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. 2021.
Nodine, Thad R. "How did we get here? A brief history of competency‐based higher education in the United States." The Journal of Competency‐Based Education 1.1 (2016): 5-11.
Zimring, Carl A. Clean and white: A history of environmental racism in the United States. NYU Press, 2017.
