Why We Shouldn’t Take the Right to Vote for Granted

With the elections just around the corner, it got me thinking about equality and the right to vote. We’re all aware that the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote, and when it was passed in August 1920, it ended almost a century of protest, known as women’s suffrage.

But even though this new law passed so that no one would be denied the right to vote on the basis of sex, it was not that simple. Poll taxes, local laws, and other restrictions continued to block many women of color from voting. For 40 more years, Black men and women in particular faced intimidation or violent opposition at the polls or when registering to vote.

While poll taxes are no longer a thing today, there is still a lot that contributes to lower voter turnout out, particularly in communities that are majority people of color, and history provides a lot of context to this.

A Brief History of Women’s Right to Vote

1848: The first women's rights convention is held in Seneca Falls, New York.

May 1866: The American Equal Rights Association is formed when the National Women's Rights Convention and American Anti-Slavery Society merge.

July 1896: National Association of Colored Women is founded, which was a big step towards black women’s suffrage. 

August 18, 1920: The last state (Tennessee) ratifies the Constitution's 19th Amendment, guaranteeing all American women the right to vote.

June 1924: Although Native American women played a vital role in gaining the right to vote, they weren’t able to reap the full benefits until years later during the Indian Citizenship Act.

1930s - 1960s: Discriminatory racial practices, including poll taxes and literacy tests, were put in place to stop people of color from voting. These were heavily implemented in Southern states, and areas with large Black communities or low-income households.

August 6, 1965: President Lyndon Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act, which outlawed these discriminatory voting practices.

(Sources: Time Magazine and National Geographic)

Voting in Today’s Political Climate

We did well to fight for these rights, because in every US presidential election dating back to 1984, women reported having turned out to vote at higher rates than men (source: Pew Center Research). But voter turnout is lower amongst people of color and those in the younger generations. Many assume this is due to apathy, but it’s actually more to do with these groups feeling underrepresented and disenfranchised throughout history. 

The election of Barack Obama was a huge turning point for America. Seeing someone who looked like them created a strong show of Democratic support from Black voters and birthed a new energy that increased voter turnout. When you consider that more than half of Americans are millennials or younger, with two-fifths of them being Black or brown (source: Brookings), this could affect the results of this year’s election. Especially important since in nine states (including many of the swing states), people of color comprise over half of millennial and Gen Z voters.

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Can Younger Generations Change the Course?

Only 51% of eligible voters under 40 turned out for the 2016 election, compared to 70% of those over 55. It doesn’t feel right that older generations have such a large say on issues that will affect millennials and Gen Z for far longer. But with awareness and activism against systematic racism is the most prevalent it has been since the civil rights movement in the 1960s, especially in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, all that is set to change.

The younger generation differs from ones before, especially on issues like immigration reform, criminal justice, environmental protection, and the importance of diversity. And with 37% of the voting population consisting of millennials and Gen Z, can this new wave of activism translate into electing more progressive leaders in this country?

We all deserve to have access to wealth and rise above systemic inequality, but the onus isn’t on Black or brown people to vote for change and correct centuries of white supremacy and inequality. We all (but especially white voters) should be voting and fighting for systems that benefit us all, rather than just the privileged few.