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Since the founding of the country, white men have had the right to vote but usually they had to meet a property requirement. During the Revolutionary War, six state governments eliminated all property requirements and gave the right to vote to all white males, rich or poor. Following the election of Thomas Jefferson as president in 1800, many states began eliminating the property requirement for voting.
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The right of citizens of the Unites States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
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The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
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Smith brought suit against the Texas Democratic party election officials alleging that he had been unconstitutionally denied a primary ballot because of his race. The United States Supreme Court said that since the primary system was an integral part of the state’s election procedures, citizens had the right under the Fifteenth Amendment to vote in party primaries free of racial discrimination.
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The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct: A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representative in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least populous States
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The right of Citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President and Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.
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Under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Congress ended the use of literacy tests and good moral character tests as a means of obstructing black voter registration. The Act permitted the use of U. S. marshals to ensure that African-Americans and members of other minority groups could register to vote without delay or harassment. The 1970 extension extended the ban on literacy tests nationwide. The 1975 extension included bilingual assistance for language-minority voters.
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The Twenty-fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned poll taxes as a condition for voting in national elections. Harper challenged the $1.50 Virginia annual poll tax as a pre- condition for voting. The U. S. Supreme Court said that the political franchise is a fundamental right that cannot be denied because of lack of wealth, property, or economic status.
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The United States Supreme Court upheld a New York law that barred convicted, unpardoned felons from voting. In 1974 the court reaffirmed that position, ruling that denial of the right to vote to convicted felons did not violate the 14th Amendment.
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The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.
