Snapshot of Voting Rights in the United States

1776
Only white, land‑owning men age 21 and older could vote.

1848
Abolitionists and pro‑women’s suffrage groups first meet and organize in Seneca Falls, New York.

1856
Vote granted to all white men.

1868
The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including formerly enslaved people. It forbids states from denying any person “life, liberty or property, without due process of law” or denying “equal protection of the laws.” African‑Americans were granted citizenship, but not the right to vote.

1870
The 15th Amendment prohibits federal or state governments from denying the right to vote based on race. Non‑white men and freed male slaves are given the right to vote.
Disenfranchisement after Reconstruction began. Southern states suppressed the voting rights of Blacks and poor voters through Jim Crow laws, including poll taxes and literacy tests. Native Americans are still not permitted to vote.

1872
Susan B. Anthony is arrested for voting in Rochester, New York, and convicted in a publicized trial.
Sojourner Truth appears at a polling booth in Grand Rapids, Michigan, attempting to vote and is turned away.
In 1878, Anthony and other suffragists present Congress with an amendment proposal to give women the right to vote.

1890
Wyoming becomes the first U.S. state to grant women the right to vote.

1913
The 17th Amendment establishes the direct election of U.S. Senators. Voters, not state legislatures, elect senators.

1917
New York grants women the right to vote, nearly seventy years after the Seneca Falls Convention.

1920
The 19th Amendment grants suffrage to women nationwide. New York and 36 other states ratify the amendment.

1924
The Indian Citizenship Act grants Native Americans full citizenship and the right to vote regardless of tribal affiliation.

1937
The Supreme Court rules in Breedlove v. Suttles that state poll taxes are constitutional.

1952
The federal McCarran‑Walter Act grants all Asian‑Americans the right to become citizens and to vote.

1961
The 23rd Amendment gives Washington, D.C. residents the right to vote for U.S. presidents, but not congressional representation.

1964
The Civil Rights Act ensures that all men and women age 21 and older, regardless of race, religion, or education, have the right to vote.
The 24th Amendment prohibits poll taxes in federal elections.

1965
Congress passes the Voting Rights Act, removing discriminatory barriers that kept many people of color from voting. It prohibits literacy tests and other exclusionary practices.

1966
The Supreme Court rules in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections that poll taxes in any election are unconstitutional, violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

1971
The 26th Amendment lowers the voting age from 21 to 18, influenced by the Vietnam War.

1975
The Voting Rights Act is reauthorized, permanently banning literacy tests nationwide and requiring translated voting materials for language‑minority citizens.

1984
The Voting Accessibility for Elderly and Handicapped Act mandates accessible polling places for people with disabilities.

1993
The National Voter Registration Act is passed, making voter registration easier at DMVs and public assistance centers.

2000
A federal court rules that citizens of U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam cannot vote in federal elections.

2002
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) passes in response to the disputed 2000 presidential election. States must meet federal mandates for provisional ballots, disability access, centralized voting lists, electronic voting, and ID requirements for first‑time voters.