Voting Rights in U.S. History

Voting is one of our greatest responsibilities as citizens of this country. Here's a quick overview of the voting rights in our nation.

1790

The only group allowed to vote were white male adult property owners.

1850

Property ownership requirements were eliminated from the law so all white male adults were allowed to vote.

1870

The 15th Amendment was passed which gave former African American slaves the right to vote.

1889

Florida adopted the poll tax which eliminated poor whites and blacks from voting who were probably not able to pay the tax.

1890

Mississippi passed the literacy tax as a way to keep African Americans from voting. Even some whites were not able to vote if they did not pass the literacy tests.

1920

Women are granted the right to vote.

1924

The Indian Citizenship Act gave Native Americans the right to vote when becoming citizens of this country.

1964

The 24th Amendment eliminated the poll tax in federal elections.

1965

Martin Luther King, Jr. draws more attention to African American rights to vote.

1966

The poll tax is eliminated in any election.

1971

The minimum voting age is set to 18 years of age.

1995

The Motor Voter Law allows people to register to vote when registering or renewing a driver's license.

2014

A number of states banned the law requiring photo ID at the voting polls. Courts also passed the right to vote on the same day as registration

ORIGINAL POST: http://www.infoplease.com/timelines/voting.html