Keeping the Vote

As new and diverse groups of Americans won the right to vote, local and national concerns shifted from whether or not they could vote to whether or not they would vote. Some advocates and officials encouraged voters to come out to the polls and looked for ways to make voting easier. Others changed voter registration requirements and Election Day rules in attempts to minimize the political power of newly enfranchised groups. Whether it is about voter qualifications, ballot language, or physical access to the polls, Americans continue to debate whose votes and voices should be counted in our representative democracy