Honor the 15th Amendment; Prepare to Vote
Author: Jane Kapler Smith, Missoula
Honor the 15th Amendment; Prepare to Vote
Jane Kapler Smith
Less than half of the world’s people live in functioning democracies, but we do. We live in a country where we get to vote and where our votes matter. We can celebrate that privilege today, February 3. I call it Voting Rights Day. It’s the date in 1870 when the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified:
"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."
Although our Constitution was 80 years old in 1870, we had no national standards for voting rights. The Fifteenth Amendment began the process of making us a true democracy, “a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people” - ALL the people.
Nowadays, nearly every U.S. citizen over 18 has the right to vote. (In Montana, the only people not allowed to vote are felons serving time and adults determined “not of sound mind” by a court.) It was not always so. When the Constitution took effect, individual states controlled voting rights. If you were a free black man living in Maryland or North Carolina, you could vote, but between those states – in Virginia - you couldn’t. If you were a Catholic living in New Jersey, you could vote, but across the river in New York, you couldn’t. If you were a white, property-owning male, you could vote in every state. Amazingly, if you were a property-owning woman in New Jersey, you could vote… until 1807, when you couldn’t anymore. The right to vote was a hodgepodge. The result was far from the democratic “one person, one vote” ideal. When the Constitution was adopted, about 6% of the population had the right to vote.
After the Civil War, to provide justice for newly freed black men and to consolidate power in the dominant political party (Republicans at the time), “we the people” intervened in states’ control of elections for the first time by adopting the Fifteenth Amendment. Since then, we’ve extended and protected the right to vote many times, and it’s still a work in progress.
Why focus on this history now? Because we can best protect our right to vote by using it! This year, we will vote for President. In Montana, we’ll also choose a Senator, two Representatives, nine state officers, two Supreme Court justices, all state legislators, and many other local officers. More than 200 candidates have already registered!
This year, citizen initiatives may also be on the ballot. Five have already been approved for signature gathering. Two of them would change the election process itself: CI-126 would require that all candidates, regardless of political party, go on the primary ballot; then the top four would advance to the general election. CI-127 would require that a candidate obtain more than half of all votes to win an election. Currently, the winner only needs more votes than any other candidate. Are these good ideas for Montana? This year, we may get to decide.
The best way to honor the Fifteenth Amendment - and the many laws that extend and protect our right to vote - is to prepare for the upcoming elections. Make sure you’re registered. Learn about the candidates. Remember that what they’ve done in the past, whether in public office, professional life or other service, is a good indication of what they’ll do if elected. Study the initiatives. Then vote! Voting is a privilege not available to many in our world; we who have it should use it well.
Jane Kapler Smith is a Missoula citizen and voter.
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Photo Credits: Jane Kapler Smith
