Voting Rights

Native-born or naturalized U.S. citizens over the age of 18, with the exception of convicted felons, possess the right to vote. During the early years of the nation's history, legislatures in the United States generally restricted voting to white men over the age of 21. In 1870 the 15th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States secured the right of blacks to vote throughout the nation. However, Southern states continued to deny blacks voting rights until the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s brought about the enactment of the 1965 federal Voting Rights Act. The women's suffrage movement culminated in 1920 in the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. In 1971 the 26th Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.