How We Vote
With the midterm elections coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 6, The Mini Page explores the history of voting and how our Constitution protects our right to vote.
What are midterms?
Citizens of the United States elected a new president in 2016. Our next presidential election will be in 2020.
But every two years, there are
midterm elections,
which select members of the
House of Representatives, some senators and some state officials, such as governors.
Representatives are elected to two-year terms, so every two years, all 435 seats are part of the election. We will vote for House members in 2020, too.
Senators are elected to six-year terms. This year, we’ll vote on 35 Senate seats.
Midterms are important because they can change the power in Congress. Right now, the Republican Party has a majority of members of both houses of Congress. But if Democrats gain a majority on Nov. 6, they may have different ideas about what is important and try to change the laws to reflect that.
Our voting history
In the 1800s, only white, male property owners were allowed to vote. Some voted by
voice, calling out the name of the candidate they supported.
Voters also used paper ballots to vote. They wrote their choice for an election on a piece of paper, which was put into a box for counting later. Although ballot boxes were usually locked, it was easy for politicians to “stuff” the boxes with false votes. In 1884, a glass ballot box was introduced to help prevent this fraud. The first private
voting booth was invented in the 1890s. A voter would enter and pull a large lever to close the curtain, which would also unlock smaller levers that could be pulled down when voting for each candidate.
In the 1960s, voters used punched card systems to cast their ballot. Using a special tool, they would mark or punch a hole next to the candidate they chose, then put the card in a ballot box. The cards were tabulated, or counted, either by people or by computer. Today, most citizens vote using a
computer. A screen displays the choices for each office, and the voter makes his or her choice by touching the screen.
Who can vote?
American citizens who are 18 years old or older and who have not been convicted of a felony, or serious crime, can vote.
The original Constitution, drafted in 1787, left it to each state to decide who had the right to vote. The struggle for the right to vote has been long and hard for many people.
Gaining our rights
The 15th Amendment, approved in 1870, guaranteed black male citizens the right to vote. But the amendment did not grant equal justice to all citizens.
Some state governments passed laws especially written to keep AfricanAmericans from voting. But between
1957 and 1965,
Congress passed laws protecting black voting rights.
Women of all races who fought for the right to vote sometimes marched in parades. The women were called
suffragettes (suf-ruh-JETS).
Finally, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, allowing women to vote, was adopted in 1920.