Last week I was sitting in a coffee shop when I overheard
two young women discussing voting. They
were both not registered to vote and had decided that their votes did not
matter anyways. It was clear they didn’t
know our history and the close ties voting rights in the United States have to
our freedom. When I turned 18 I registered
to vote, but in the past my voting habits have been inconsistent. It was not until recently I understood the
importance of civic engagement.
Voting rights have progressed a great deal since the
creation of the Constitution in 1787.
Initially, only ‘free whites’ had the ability to vote and it was not
until 1870 and the passing of 15th Amendment that voting standards began to shift. The 15th Amendment does not allow denial of
the right to vote based “on account of race, color or previous conditions of
servitude” which began to expand the diversity of the voting population. The 15th Amendment broke down huge barriers
when it came to voting rights however, discrimination based on sex still
remained. It was not until 50 years
later in 1920 the 19th Amendment was created which stated that “citizens could
not be denied the right to vote on the account of sex.” Later, in 1965 the Voting Rights Act was
constructed and signed by President Lyndon Johnston. The Voting Rights Act was created to enforce
the 15th Amendment and to take down state wide barriers which were infringing
on the right to vote.
Our history tells us that voting rights has been a constant fight,
which many having given their lives for.
Several Americans today do not register to vote or do not take voting
seriously. It seems Americans have forgotten
the importance and the significance of the battles historically that I have
allowed us this right. I have learned
that voting is more than a right, it is our responsibility. So, the next time I hear Americans discussing
how little value voting has I will take the opportunity to share our history
and the importance of participating in democracy.
