It is that time of year where you get to participate in our political system by simply going to the polls and voting. Most groups in America had to fight for the right to vote, which makes it so troubling that so many refuse to exercise this hard won right.
Unfortunately, the only group in America that has always had the right to vote is white men who were property owners. Granted in 1787 with the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, any white male property owner at least 21 years old controlled the United States. By 1843, all white men at least 21 years old could vote, regardless of whether they owned property.
It is so unbelievable how certain people within America were disenfranchised and marginalized in our great democracy. Non-white men, the poor and women had no say in how our country was governed. They were at the mercy of wealthy white men who elected other wealthy white men to determine the direction of American democracy.
The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed in 1870; it allowed all men to vote regardless of race or ethnicity. Of course, we all know that there were all types of laws and strategies to prevent certain classes of men from voting; poll taxes, literacy tests and religious tests were used to deny minority and other poor men their right to vote.
Women were finally granted the right to vote in 1920, followed by Native Americans in 1924. Native Americans were not considered U.S. citizens even though they were here first. The history of our voting laws illustrates how our government was designed to protect the power and rights of white men.
The Voting Rights Act of 1964 eliminated the egregious federal laws that disenfranchised the poor and minorities, which was closely followed by a court decision in 1966 striking down the use of poll taxes or property ownership requirements in all elections.
In 1971, during the Vietnam War, people 18 or older were granted the right to vote. The argument was “if they are old enough to die for their country, they should be able to vote.”
Can you believe that it took until 1986 for U.S. military personnel stationed out of the country to be able to cast absentee ballots? Sad but true.
As we approach this election, I want everyone to consider how important it is to vote. For the vast majority of those reading this, there was a time when you could not vote. You could have been a white male with no property, a woman, under 21, Native American or other ethnic minority; you would have had no say in how you were treated in America.
This year, it is troubling that many states have introduced new strategies of voter suppression all across the U.S. These laws are targeted at the poor and minority communities.
You have the right to vote: use it! So many have sacrificed so much for you to have that right. Don’t you owe it to them and yourself to participate in our great democracy? v
STAMPP CORBIN
PUBLISHER
San Diego LGBT Weekly
