Voting rights laws and constitutional amendments

Federal laws govern voting rights. Learn about the laws and how they protect your rights and make it easier for you to vote.

U.S. election laws date back to Article 1 of the Constitution. This gave states the responsibility of overseeing federal elections. Many constitutional amendments and federal laws protecting voting rights have been passed since then.

Constitutional amendments affecting voting rights

• The 15th Amendment gave African American men the right to vote in 1870. But many weren't able to exercise this right. Some states used literacy tests and other barriers to make it harder to vote.
• The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, gave American women the right to vote.
• The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, eliminated poll taxes. The tax had been used in some states to keep African Americans from voting in federal elections.
• The 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971, lowered the voting age for all elections to 18.

Federal voting rights laws

Federal laws passed over the years help protect Americans' right to vote and make it easier for citizens to exercise that right:

• The Civil Rights Acts created some of the earliest federal protections against discrimination in voting. These protections were first outlined by the Civil Rights Act of 1870 and were later amended by the:
  • Civil Rights Act of 1957
  • Civil Rights Act of 1960
  • Civil Rights Act of 1964
  • The act also placed limits on certain states with a history of voter discrimination. These states had to get federal approval before passing voter restrictions. A 2013 Supreme Court decision struck down this rule.

  Learn more about the federal laws that protect your ability to vote with Know Your Voting Rights from the Department of Justice.

  State voter ID laws

  Most states require you to show some form of identification before you're allowed to vote. Learn more about states' voter ID requirements.