Expansion of SuffrageJake Long, Sam Cizmar, Kevin Dobbins, Isabel

Adelson

Voting Rights/Voting DiscriminationA landmark piece of national legislation in

the United States that prohibits discrimination in voting.

Act prohibits states and local governments from imposing any voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure.

Historical Background #23The amendment was proposed by Congress

on June 17, 1960, and ratified by the states on March 29, 1961. The first Presidential election in which it was in effect was the presidential election of 1964.

Amendment #23Gives residents of Washington DC the right to

vote for representatives in the electoral college

Passed on June 16, 1960 Ratified March 29, 1961 Did not give them representation in congress

Court Case•It’s a 9th circuit court of appeals case. •It was attorney general of Guam• Includes a discussion on whether the residents of Guam have the right to vote for a president

Modern Use The 23rd amendment was last used in the

2012 presidential election. The amendment is used every 4 years.

It allows DC to receive 3 electoral votesAfter the 23rd amendment was added their

538 electoral college votes.

Historical Background #24Voting could not be limited by race, color or

previous condition.The fifteenth amendment started the new

voting rules

Amendment #24Prohibits both congress and the states from

conditioning the right to vote in federal elections on payment of a poll tax. (You don’t have to pay to vote)

Court CaseThe poll tax survived a legal challenge in the

1937 supreme court case Breedlove v. Suttles, which ruled that the privilege of voting is not derived from the United States.

Modern UsesMany southern states adopted a poll tax in

the late 1800s. This meant that even though the 15th amendment gave former slaves the right to vote, many poor people.

Because they didn’t want blacks to vote and they knew they were poor, the government placed a poll tax, knowing they couldn’t pay it, therefore blacks could not vote.

Historical Background #26U.S. supreme court ruled that congress had

the right to regulate the minimum age in federal elections.

Amendment #26U.S. constitution prohibits the states and the

federal government from setting a voting age higher than eighteen.

Court Case The supreme court upheld the lowered

national voting age in federal elections but not in state elections.

States were faced with the complexity and expense of keeping track of who was allowed to vote in various elections.

John Mithell challenged voting rights in 1970. They claimed that only the states, not congress, have the authority to establish qualification rulers for voters in state and local elections.

Modern UseAllows people 18 or older to become involved

as good citizens. If they fight for their country they should

have the right to vote18 year olds were drafted to fight in the

Vietnam war, but were not allowed to vote