Voting and Equity in the United States
The 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) has been hailed as one of the most significant pieces of civil rights legislation in US history, increasing voting engagement among marginalized voters. Given the documented successes of the VRA, it is all the more troubling that the Supreme Court, in Shelby County v. Holder (2013) sharply limited the scope of the VRA, dismantling critical elements that had increased voting participation. This court decision also spurred the enactment of long-stalled state-level policies designed to suppress voter turnout and disenfranchise minoritized populations across the nation.
These types of policies and practices are not new and have been utilized throughout US history to disenfranchise individuals, suppress voter turnout, and dilute voting power, primarily of people of color — especially those from lower income communities — and members of other marginalized groups. For example, post-reconstruction Jim Crow laws and practices such as poll taxes sought to combat the right to vote granted with the 15th Amendment, depriving generations of Black Americans and people of color of their voice in the US democracy. Today, states such as Texas and North Carolina have enacted strict Voter ID laws that bar a large number of voters, particularly eligible voters from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who are unable to access the types of identification required.
In the run-up to the midterm elections in November 2018, politicians and activists sought to register new voters and mobilize their core political constituencies. Yet beyond these key initiatives, activists, elected officials, and voters themselves addressed fears of election hacking, voter roll purges, and other voter suppression tactics. There were active efforts to counter suppression; for instance, use of social media to share information about provisional ballots process and how to respond if voter registration could not be found or was purged by officials. However, these tactics still functioned to create confusion and actual social and physical barriers to voting, especially for those from historically marginalized communities.
But voter disenfranchisement is not solely the product of laws directed at the polling booth. An often under-recognized aspect of voting inequity are the ways that mass incarceration undermines participation. Felony disenfranchisement deprives millions of individuals of the right to vote and, given that mass incarceration disproportionately impacts communities of color, the connection between incarceration and voting rights is a crucial one with wide implications for policymakers. Historical and contemporary policies in the state of Florida are often cited as an example of how elected officials have significant leeway in determining which individuals are able to secure restoration of their voting rights post-conviction.
Equitable access to voting in America impacts us all, through our communities, our systems of government, and our core democratic institutions. This access is also particularly relevant in shaping the voting and broader civic engagement interests and behaviors of young, new voters. This month, members of the Diversity Scholars Network provide their scholarly perspectives on how disenfranchisement of historically-marginalized groups, voter mobilization, and political participation relate to voter equity and democracy in the United States.
