Electing public officials is a cornerstone of America’s representative democracy. However, throughout our history who is eligible to vote has varied. Only white, male landowners were eligible to vote in the first presidential election. The 15th Amendment to the Constitution gave all men, regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude, the right to vote. However, states, including Tennessee, quickly passed laws that restricted Black voting rights. Women could not vote until the 19th Amendment was ratified, and Indigenous people did not have this right until 1924. However, state-level voting laws often barred Black and Indigenous citizens from casting ballots. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 federally mandated voting access be ensured and protected.

 

Today, all citizens over the age of 18 have the right - and the responsibility - to vote for their representatives.