Who Can Vote: Brief History of Voting Rights in the United States

This traveling exhibit from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History “examines voting rights with an emphasis on the role of the US Constitution and the interplay between the states and federal government in determining who is allowed to vote. Beginning with the founding era and going up to the election of 2000, this exhibition explores the complex history of the right to vote that forms the core of our nation’s democracy. Topics include voting as a constitutional right, women’s suffrage, Reconstruction and Jim Crow era voting rights, the Civil Rights Movement, and the enfranchisement of Indigenous peoples.”

“Key takeaways of the exhibit include:

•  Voting requirements are primarily determined by states.
• The right to vote is fundamental to representative democracy.
• Voting rights have expanded significantly since the Constitution was ratified in 1788.
• Throughout American history, people have fought to gain and keep the right to vote.”