The 15th Amendment: 1870–present
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.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government and each state from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen’s “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” It was ratified on February 3, 1870, as the third and last of the Reconstruction Amendments.
In the final years of the American Civil War and the beginning of the Reconstruction Era, Congress repeatedly debated the rights of four million Black people, the majority of whom were formerly enslaved. The 13th and 14th amendments had been passed by 1869, abolishing slavery and providing citizenship and equal protection under the laws. But it was the election of Ulysses S. Grant to the presidency in 1868 that convinced a majority of Republicans that protecting the franchise of Black male voters was key to any real chances for democracy. On February 26, 1869, after rejecting more sweeping versions of a suffrage amendment, Congress proposed a compromise amendment banning franchise restrictions on the basis of race, color, or previous servitude. After surviving a difficult ratification fight, the amendment was finally certified and became part of the Constitution on March 30, 1870.
The 19th Amendment: 1920–2020 • 100th Anniversary
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 sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
The Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. Initially introduced to Congress in 1878, several attempts to pass a women’s suffrage amendment failed until passing the House of Representatives on May 21, 1919, followed by the Senate on June 4, 1919. It was then submitted to the states for ratification. On August 18, 1920, Tennessee was the last of the necessary 36 states to secure ratification. The Nineteenth Amendment was officially adopted on August 26, 1920: the culmination of a decades-long movement for women’s suffrage at both state and national levels.
Prior to 1776, women had the right to vote in several of the colonies in what would become the United States, but by 1807 every state constitution denied even limited suffrage. Organizations supporting women’s rights became more active in the mid-nineteenth century. Black women such as Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman were major organizers of the early women’s suffrage movement while also advocating for the15th Amendment. In 1848, the Seneca Falls convention adopted the Declaration of Sentiments, which called for equality between the sexes and included a resolution urging women to secure the vote. Pro-suffrage organizations used a variety of tactics including legal arguments that relied on existing amendments. After those arguments were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, suffrage organizations, with activists like Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, called for a new constitutional amendment that would guarantee women the right to vote.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965: 1965–2020 • 55th Anniversary
“There is no cause for self-satisfaction in the long denial of equal rights of millions of Americans. But there is cause for hope and for faith in our democracy.”
President Lyndon B. Johnson, March 15, 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by U.S President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement on August 6, 1965, and Congress later amended the Act five times to expand its protections. Designed to enforce the voting rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, the Act secured the right to vote for racial minorities throughout the country, especially in the South. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Act is considered to be the most effective piece of federal civil rights legislation ever enacted in the country.
The Act contains numerous provisions that regulate elections. The Act’s “general provisions” provide nationwide protections for voting rights. Section 2 is a general provision that prohibits every state and local government from imposing any voting law that results in discrimination against racial or language minorities. Other general provisions specifically outlaw literacy tests and similar devices that were historically used to disenfranchise racial minorities.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can I vote?
Polls are open from 7 am to 8 pm.
What if I am still in line at 8 pm?
Wait! Everyone who is in line will get the chance to vote, even if it is after 8.
As a first-time voter, what do I need to bring?
If you are voting for the first time, you must bring a physical copy of a photo or valid photo ID. Acceptable IDs include:
Pennsylvania driver’s license
Pennsylvania state ID card
US passport or passport card
Valid student ID
Military ID
Employee ID
What if I registered for a mail-in ballot but want to vote in person?
If you receive a mail-in ballot but prefer to vote in person, you may bring your ballot to the polls to be spoiled, vote on a regular ballot, and scan through the voting machine.
Can I vote with a criminal record?
Those on parole and/or probation are eligible to vote in Pennsylvania. you will need to re-register to vote when they are no longer incarcerated.
This is a nuanced topic and may change on a case-by-case basis. For more information please click here.