Whose Vote Counts? Voter Suppression in the US
In this Exploration Guide for students in high school, you'll learn about different reasons why a person can't vote - and about the many organizations working to help protect people's right to vote.
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Exploration Guide: Voter Suppression and Voting Rights (High School)
This interactive slideshow includes all of the links and reflections for this Exploration Guide. Please start here. The links below are pulled from the presentation in case you are not able to access the slideshow.
View Exploration Guide: Voter Suppression and Voting Rights (High School) -
The Fight for the Right to Vote in the United States | TEDed
All throughout American history different groups have had to fight for the right to vote. When the United States was founded, who had the right to vote? Which group was the last one to get the right to vote? Are there any groups that still can’t vote? Do enough citizens have the right to vote in our country?
View The Fight for the Right to Vote in the United States | TEDed -
Uncounted: The Women the 19th Amendment Left Behind | Teen Vogue
We just celebrated the 100 year anniversary of women’s right to vote granted in 1920 under the 19th amendment. But even though there were Black suffragists working to gain the right to vote along with white suffragists, Black women were not granted the right to vote until the 1965 voting rights act which granted the right to vote for all African Americans living in the United States. The women in this article share their experiences of voter suppression and activism. Choose one of their stories, and find out more about the organization they work with and how they are working to restore voting rights.
View Uncounted: The Women the 19th Amendment Left Behind | Teen Vogue -
95 and Fighting for Voters' Rights in North Carolina | The New York Times
Imagine you already had to fight for the right to vote once in your lifetime and then you have to fight for it for a second time. Watch the story of a 95-year-old woman that marched with Martin Luther King Jr but she is still fighting for her right to vote. Do you think voting is worth all that work? Why or Why not?
View 95 and Fighting for Voters' Rights in North Carolina | The New York Times -
The Voting Rights Act Prevents Voter Suppression | Opposing Viewpoints
In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down key parts of the Voting Rights Act allowing 9 southern states to change voting laws without federal oversight. These states have history of racial discrimination and of preventing Black citizens from voting. One of the ways these states prevent people from voting is with strict identification laws. In your opinion, how would voter turnout be affected if voting laws in our area were changed to require that all eligible voters purchase an additional form of identification when registering to vote?
View The Voting Rights Act Prevents Voter Suppression | Opposing Viewpoints -
My Vote Don't Count | YelloPain
View My Vote Don't Count | YelloPain -
Why Vote? Your Place in the History of Voting | Generation Citizen
After you watch Yellopain's video, My Vote Don’t Count, reflect on the questions in this action guide. What have you heard about voting from friends and family? Does that make you think of voting as related to your life or unrelated to your life? Based on Yellopain’s explanation, why is it important to vote?
View Why Vote? Your Place in the History of Voting | Generation Citizen -
Future Voter Program |Washington Secretary of State
Washington state allows 16- and 17-year-olds to sign up as future voters! You can sign up now and you will be registered to vote automatically as soon as you turn 18.
View Future Voter Program |Washington Secretary of State -
Gerrymandering: Is Geometry Silencing Your Vote? | Above the Noise
Watch this video to learn all about gerrymandering. What is gerrymandering? How did it start? How do congressional districts affect election results and suppress voting?
View Gerrymandering: Is Geometry Silencing Your Vote? | Above the Noise -
Look up the History of your Congressional District Lines | ACLU
For better or worse, the way Congressional districts are drawn can determine who wins elections, which communities are represented, and what laws are passed. Look up your district by zip code and explore how your own district has changed (sometimes dramatically) over time. What does the state of Washington do to protect the districting process from political influence?
View Look up the History of your Congressional District Lines | ACLU