We often forget about how hard we have had to fight for our rights to vote over the last 250 years. We often take for granted the democratic rights that our forbears fought so hard for.
Preamble: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” September 17, 1787
Article 1, Sec. 4 “The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.”
Article 2, Sec. 1 “Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector. The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.”
Wikipedia explains the history of the Electoral College for the Presidency as follows: “Article Two of the Constitution originally established the method of presidential elections, including the Electoral College. This was a result of a compromise between those constitutional framers who wanted the Congress to choose the president, and those who preferred a national popular vote.” Originally half of the states used popular vote to choose the President and half used their state legislature to direct their electoral college appointees whom to choose. Over time, it evolved to popular vote for the Presidency in all states. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election There is a lingering issue of faithless electors that is pending before the Supreme Court this term. https://www.scotusblog.com/2020/04/symposium-constitutional-doctrine-and-political-reality-in-the-faithless-elector-cases/
The 14th Amendment, sec. 2 and the 15th Amendment secured the right to vote in all elections regardless of race or color “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 race, color, or previous condition of servitude” Passed by Congress June 13, 1866. Ratified July 9, 1868 and Passed by Congress February 26, 1869. Ratified February 3, 1870.
The 17th Amendment provided for the direct popular vote election of US Senators. Passed by Congress May 13, 1912. Ratified April 8, 1913.
The 19th Amendment guaranteed women the right to vote in all elections. “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.” Passed by Congress June 4, 1919. Ratified August 18, 1920.
The 24th Amendment outlaws the poll tax used by some states to disenfranchise their citizens; it specifies that “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 or 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.” Passed by Congress August 27, 1962. Ratified January 23, 1964.
The 26th Amendment was passed during the Vietnam War, it requires that “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.” Passed by Congress March 23, 1971. Ratified July 1, 1971.
So please register, please ask for an absentee vote by mail ballot, and please vote this November.
Please also ask Congress to require absentee mail-in voting rights in federal elections for every citizen eligible to vote.