Question

Give a brief explanation of the way each of the following amendments extended voting rights. 15th Amendment, 19th Amendment, 23rd Amendment, 24th Amendment, and 26th Amendment. ​

Answer 1

15th Amendment extended voting rights to African-American men.

19th Amendment extended voting rights to women.

23rd Amendment extended voting rights to citizens in DC.

24th Amendment prohibited the prior poll tax.

26th Amendment extended voting rights to those at least 18 years old.

Answer 2

• The Fifteenth Amendment (1870) granted the right to vote to African American men, including former slaves, and Americans of all colors.
• The Nineteenth Amendment (1920) extended the right to vote to all American women.
• The Twenty-third Amendment (1961) granted citizens of the District of Columbia the right to choose electors in the Electoral College. Prior to the amendment, this was not possible because the District of Columbia is not a state but a federal district, and, according to the Constitution, only citizens of a state could choose electors in presidential elections.
• The Twenty-fourth Amendment (1964) prohibited the imposition of poll taxes to be able to vote, which was a practice common in the Southern States that aimed at preventing African Americans from voting and participate in politics.
• The Twenty-sixth Amendment (1971) granted suffrage to citizens aged 18 years or older (Before, only people aged 21 years or older were eligible to vote).