Voting equality in the United States has a long and complex history, involving both legislative change and enforcement challenges. Many of the most significant changes within the United States occurred between the 1860s-1960s, especially for people of color. While the 15^th Amendment opened the door to voting rights for all male citizens of the United States, this legal statute was not fully enforced on the grounds of race until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. One aspect of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s-1960s focused on eliminating illegal barriers to non-white U.S. citizens’ voting rights. Even with legislative action, voter discrimination continues, as the U.S. Supreme Court chips away at the Voting Rights Act (E.g., making room for states to enact inequitable voter identification laws and close poll locations in minority neighborhoods). Many groups of people continue to bring lawsuits to challenge these decisions, hoping to ensure that all communities within the United States have access to fair elections and equitable representation.

Document A

The 14^th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Ratified July 9, 1868.

“Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Document B

The 15^th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Ratified February 3, 1870.

“Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

Document C

An excerpt from the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Signed into law August 6, 1965.

“SEC. 2. No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.

(1) Congress hereby declares that to secure the rights under the fourteenth amendment of persons educated in American-flag schools in which the predominant classroom language was other than English, it is necessary to prohibit the States from conditioning the right to vote of such persons on ability to read, write, understand, or interpret any matter in the English language."