{"id":351435,"date":"2020-03-17T09:36:43","date_gmt":"2020-03-17T14:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/voting\/how-do-i-protect-my-right-to-vote\/voting-rights-and-discrimination-faq.html"},"modified":"2024-02-27T15:26:34","modified_gmt":"2024-02-27T20:26:34","slug":"voting-rights-and-discrimination-faq","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/voting\/how-do-i-protect-my-right-to-vote\/voting-rights-and-discrimination-faq.html","title":{"rendered":"Voting Rights and Discrimination FAQ"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Voting Rights and Discrimination FAQ<\/h1>\n
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\n By Lyle Therese A. Hilotin-Lee, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Melissa Bender, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last reviewed\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

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Explore the crucial questions on voting rights and discrimination. This article highlights both the historical injustices and the current challenges in America’s electoral system.<\/i><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

Navigating the legal landscape of voting rights in the United States is crucial in ensuring your voice is heard. This article discusses some frequently asked questions about voting rights and voter discrimination. It looks into the historical context of how the Voting Rights Act came to be and its impact on voting laws today.<\/p>\r\n

What is the Voting Rights Act?<\/h2>\r\n

The Voting Rights Act of 1965<\/a> is a transformative law that removed the barriers to voting among minority groups across the country, mainly African Americans. The law protects eligible voters, regardless of race, color, sex, and disability. The Act was enacted into law on August 6, 1965, and since then, it played an essential part in the electoral process in the United States.<\/p>\r\n

What are the fundamental voting rights protected under the U.S. Constitution?<\/h2>\r\n

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 guaranteed U.S. citizen’s right to vote and be free from discrimination. The 14th<\/a> and 15th Amendments<\/a> of the U.S. Constitution protect eligible voters from voting restrictions based on race or color. The 19th Amendment<\/a> likewise prohibits election officials from denying U.S. citizens their right to vote based on sex. Meanwhile, the 24th Amendment<\/a> outlaws the use of poll tax, and the 26th Amendment<\/a> guarantees that U.S. citizens 18 years old and above can exercise their right to vote.<\/p>\r\n

How have literacy tests been used as a form of voter suppression?<\/h2>\r\n

The ratification of the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned states from denying U.S. citizens their right to vote on account of race. After its enactment, southern states<\/a> started passing other measures, such as literacy tests and poll taxes, to keep black voters from voting.<\/p>\r\n

Back then, the African American population suffered from a high rate of illiteracy<\/a>. They were often required to take unreasonable literacy tests<\/a> before voting, which they sometimes failed. For instance, election officials would ask black voters to recite the U.S. Constitution or explain complex law provisions. <\/p>\r\n

According to then-President Johnson, even white voters would have difficulty accomplishing this task. In some instances, even black voters with college degrees were turned away from polling places.<\/p>\r\n

What law ended racial discrimination in voting?<\/h2>\r\n

The Voting Rights Act of 1965<\/a> is a landmark legislation that ended voting discrimination in the country. Before its enactment, civil rights activists fought for years against voting discrimination targeting people of color. The March 7, 1965 event on the Edmund Pettus Bridge<\/a> in Selma, Alabama, became the turning point of the reform.<\/p>\r\n

On that day, later on, known as Bloody Sunday<\/a>, protesters were on their way to the state capital when state troopers charged the peaceful marchers. The footage of the violence against the protesters shocked the nation. The events in Selma mobilized Congress to enact the Voting Rights Act of 1965. President Lyndon Johnson signed it into law on August 6, 1965.<\/p>\r\n

The Voting Rights Act outlawed most discriminatory voting practices. This includes the use of literacy tests, the implementation of poll taxes, and the grandfather clause.<\/a> These legislations intended to suppress the voting rights of people of color.<\/p>\r\n

What measures are in place to ensure accessibility at polling places for voters with disabilities?<\/h2>\r\n

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that all polling places be accessible to people with disabilities<\/a>. What this means is polling places should have:<\/p>\r\n