Voter Suppression in the United States

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Democracy depends on the voting system, which although should be accessible to all eligible voters, has limitations and flaws that leave some unrepresented in the government. Laws regarding voter rights are often changing and many of the bills proposed stand to marginalize certain groups or populations to a party’s advantage. Examples of race, age and class suppression have been exhibited and continue today in the democracy of the United States of America.

Voter Discrimination

Gender

In the United States of America, women were excluded from the voting process for decades in the view that they were too fragile to engage in politics and that they would be represented by the votes of their husbands[1]. This enforced the notion that women were possessions of their husbands and that an unmarried woman has no value and thus has no say in the democratic process. It wasn’t until the women’s suffrage movement that that Nineteenth Amendment was ratified granting women the right to vote in 1920.

Race Suppression

Perhaps the most well know case of voter suppression in American history is that against African Americans. Only given the right to vote in 1870 (1920 for women)[2], African Americans were further suppressed by voting methods designed to prevent them from participating in their democracy. In 1869, states began to require literacy tests[3] in order to vote although exempting those who had the right to vote prior to 1855. As many most African Americans had been unable to receive an education at this time and were illiterate, they were essentially excluded from the voting process despite gaining the right to vote itself.

There are further, lesser-known examples of racial voter suppression of other groups such as those of Native Americans who were historically only given the chance to vote if they disassociated from their tribe. Yet, modern suppression continues and is effective through the requirement of a state address. Many of native Americans live in rural areas and reserves that are not given state addresses, often relying on P.O. boxes to receive any mail.[4] However, the federal government excludes P.O. boxes as valid addresses and therefore leaves a large proportion of aboriginals unable to register to vote. Due to historical discrimination and modern day suppression tactics, indigenous people have very little representation in the government.[5]

Many forms of anti-immigrant voter suppression exist today. As recent as 2009, citizens of Chinese and other Asian descent were not allowed to vote due to illegal demands for identification. In the 2004 election, there were 214 reported hate crimes against Asian Americans accompanied by racist tactics to keep them from voting.[6]

Age Suppression

The US voting system is not accessible for many beyond the working class – both young voters and senior citizens are faced with additional barriers when enacting their right to vote. As approximately 70% of high school graduates attend college,[7] many of which moving on campus or out of state, young voters often have an inconsistent address and are away from home during the election period. While different states carry different laws about voting, many require an an absentee ballot which requires preparation and access to mailing services, often discouraging students to vote.

Furthermore, senior citizens face the challenge of strict identification practices. In the claim of stopping voter fraud, which studies have shown scarcely happens at all,[8] the US government has enforced more strict and extensive methods of voter identification. In some states, this includes government issued photo ID such as a driver’s license,[6] which many senior citizens do not have. These extensive precautions to prevent such a small chance of voter fraud end up discouraging many elderly people from going to the polls.

Class Suppression

In the same way that mandating a address inhibits many Native Americans and Young people to vote, any low-income individuals who have an unsteady address or are facing homelessness are unable to register as voters.[9] In many states, even if a person registers under their previous steady address, they are required to verify their address at the polls through documentation such as a bill. This results in homeless people either being unable to register to vote, or else lying about their address and hope it is accepted.[6] The lack of resources to enable low-income voters ensures that the majority of representation is decided by the upper/middle class who are able to afford homes.

It is also important to note that many homeless people do not have government issued photo identification and can therefore be barred from voting even if they have an address to register through.

Systematic Suppression

Felony Disenfranchisement

Felony disenfranchisement is the process in which millions of Americans are excluded from voting due to having a criminal record. Some states, such as Florida, disenfranchise citizens permanently, even if they have completed their sentences. While those in support of this policy claim that they enforce this process limit the views of racists and murderers, many are disenfranchised for smaller crimes – felony disenfranchisement was co-opted during the same era as literacy tests[10] and there is evidence to suggest it was enforced to further prevent minorities from voting.

Felony disenfranchisement affects marginalized groups disproportionately; for African-American men, the rate of disenfranchisement is seven times the national average. In states with strict disenfranchisement laws, one in four African-American men is permanently disenfranchised[11]. This process also overly affects class as people from low income families are more likely to be charged with a felony. It is estimated that one in ten boys who come from low-income families are imprisoned at age thirty[12]. Therefore, given someone born to a racial minority/low-income family, their chances of being disenfranchised are alarmingly high. The 6.1 million disenfranchised felons in the United states are disproportionately minorities and thus their exclusion from the democratic process could be influential enough to have a large effect on federal and state elections[10].

Gerrymandering

Gerrymandering is the practice of drawing and manipulating voting district boundaries to gain a political advantage. This process has the ability to discourage certain groups from going to the polls due to the placement of the district or to ensure that areas highly populated with the supporters of the opposition can be split up so they do not carry a majority in the district[13]. This is an undemocratic process that affects the intersectionality of race, class and age as those who draw the district lines often aim to discourage voters subjected to discrimination through many forms. In 2016, black voter turnout declined in every gerrymandered swing state and this was highly evident in low income areas in the elderly and young voters[14].

“Control redistricting … and you could control Congress.” -Karl Rove [14]

Relevance & Statistics

  • The voter turnout rate of Native Americans is 5% to 14% lower than that of other racial and ethnic groups[15]
  • 34% of Native American eligible voters are not registered to vote[15]
  • It is estimated that only one in ten of the 1.6 million homeless people nationwide exercise their right to vote[16]
  • Voting rates are lowest in young voters, increasing gradually to a peak at age 50, then decreasing with age.[17]
  • Most minority groups are more heavily Democratic[18]

It is common practice for the political party in office to ensure maximum voter turnout of their supporters; however, there are also practices designed to suppress the supporters of the opposition and this can threaten the ethics of democracy. As of 2019, the republican party is in office and holds a majority in the senate. Therefore, as minority groups have historically supported the democratic party, it is important to ensure that some of the proposed bills are not passed that enforce stricter identification as it will further discourage immigrants, Native Americans, and seniors from voting. Given all the methods of voter suppression above, it is crucial to emphasize that these practices are linked through intersectionality; for example, an elderly, low income, African American woman has numerous identities for which she may be excluded from democracy and remain unrepresented in the very government that enforces these practices to oppress her.

  1. ↑ Ross, Bertral (2008). "Voter Disenfranchisement".
  2. ↑ Lindsey, Fred. "African-American Vote". Encyclopedia of U.S. campaigns, elections, and electoral behavior.
  3. ↑ Ross, Bertrall. "Literacy Test". Encyclopedia of U.S. campaigns, elections, and electoral behavior.
  4. ↑ Kleinfeld, Joshua. "Securing Indian voting rights". Harvard Law Review.
  5. ↑ McCoy, Matthew. "Hidden Citizens: The Courts and Native American Voting Rights in the Southwest". Journal of the Southwest, vol. 58 no. 2.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Scher, Richard K. (2011). The politics of disenfranchisement : why is it so hard to vote in America?. Armonk, N.Y: M.E. Sharpe.
  7. ↑ "Immediate College Enrollment Rate". National Center for Education Statistics. 2019.
  8. ↑ Minnite, Lorraine (2010). The Myth of Voter Fraud. Cornell University Press.
  9. ↑ Ruth, Terrance; Matusitz, Jonathan; Simi, Demi (March 2017). "Ethics of Disenfranchisement and Voting Rights in the U.S.:Convicted Felons, the Homeless, and Immigrants". American Journal of Criminal Justice : AJCJ. 42: 56–68 – via ProQuest.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Magee, Robin (2013). "Felony disenfranchisement".
  11. ↑ Cottrell, David; et al. (2018). "Mortality, Incarceration, and African American Disenfranchisement in the Contemporary United States". Explicit use of et al. in: |first= (help)
  12. ↑ Looney, Adam; Turner, Nicholas (2018). "Work and opportunity before and after incarceration" (PDF).
  13. ↑ Waymer, Damion; Heath, Robert (2016). "Black voter dilution, american exceptionalism, and racial gerrymandering: The paradox of the positive in political public relations". Journal of Black Studies.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Anderson, Carol; Durbin, Dick (2018). One Person, No Vote.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "The National Congress of American Indians - Native Vote Infographic" (PDF).
  16. ↑ "WHY WE SHOULD CARE ABOUT THE HOMELESS VOTE".
  17. ↑ KLECKA, WILLIAM. "APPLYING POLITICAL GENERATIONS TO THE STUDY OF POLITICAL BEHAVIOR: A COHORT ANALYSIS".
  18. ↑ Teixeira, Ruy (2009). Red, Blue, and Purple America: The Future of Election Demographics. Brookings Institution Press.
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