voting rights

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

Timeline of voting rights

Understand the issue of voter turnout in the 2020 U.S. election, focusing on the younger generations

For Students

Martin Luther King, Jr. (center), with other civil rights supporters lock arms on as they lead the way along Constitution Avenue during the March on Washington, Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963.

Pop Quiz: 17 Things to Know About the American Civil Rights Movement

Read Next

Women casting their vote in New York City, c. 1920s. At Fifty-sixth and Lexington Avenue, the women voters showed no ignorance or trepidation, but cast their ballots in a businesslike way that bespoke study of suffrage."

Voting in the U.S.A.

Prominent woman's suffrage advocates parade in an open car supporting the ratification of the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote in federal elections. (From left) W.L. Prendergast, W.L. Colt, Doris Stevens, and Alice Paul; c. 1910-15.

Votes for Women

Close up of a hand placing a ballot in a ballot box. Election vote voter voting

Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term?

Map of Congressional Districts in the state of Wisconsin, reflecting district boundaries current to the 113th United States Congress. 2014

What Is Gerrymandering?

Washington, D.C. locator map.

What State Is Washington, D.C. In?

Discover

illustration of the walking titanosaurus, Patagotitan mayorum

Titanosaurs: 8 of the World's Biggest Dinosaurs

Entrants falling and tumbling over while chasing the cheese at the 2016 'Cheese Rolling' held at Cooper's Hill, in the Cotswolds, Brockworth England

7 of the World’s Most Dangerous Festivals

Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.

Why Is Ireland Two Countries?

Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.

10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Hemp (Cannabis sativa).

9 Mind-Altering Plants

Easter Procession of Maria Santisima del Sacromonte in Granada, Spain. This statue is known as Virgen de los Gitanos or The Virgin of the Gypsies.

What is Holy Week?

voting rights: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

Federal judge will wait to rule on an effort to block Trump's executive order on elections • Apr. 17, 2025, 5:26 PM ET (AP)

Photos and Videos

Understand the issue of voter turnout in the 2020 U.S. election, focusing on the younger generations

See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Topics

preclearance Timeline of Voting Rights in the United States United States voter ID law poll tax gerrymandering voting political liberty voter suppression human rights interest group disability rights movement liberty constituency feminism women’s suffrage toleration proportional representation primary election political convention

Key People

Stacey Abrams

Stacey Abrams

American politician, lawyer, activist, and writer

Quiz

Martin Luther King, Jr. (center), with other civil rights supporters lock arms on as they lead the way along Constitution Avenue during the March on Washington, Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963.

Pop Quiz: 17 Things to Know About the American Civil Rights Movement