Even though it’s a cornerstone of representative democracy in US politics, the right to vote expanded very slowly—and not without a fight in most cases. Today, voting is still contested, as some states have limited the franchise through redistricting, closing polling places, requiring official ID to vote, and other means.
Every time we get ready for an election, voting is on our minds. But those thoughts can be vague and lack historical and political context. With this syllabus, we hope to provide motivation to learn more—and to turn out!
Elections and Power
Voting and governing are different things, but both entail power. Our election system reflects that, but elections themselves can be convoluted processes in themselves.
What Makes Us Vote the Way We Do?
November 23, 2022
According to some political scientists, it's more about group identity than personal interests.
Why Do We Vote by Secret Ballot?
October 23, 2020
Election days used to be raucous affairs, with individual votes sometimes cast orally for all to hear.
Electoral College 101
August 8, 2016
They don't campaign and very few know who they are, but you'll be voting for them this November: introducing the Electors. Again.
Time for Reform of the Electoral College?
December 13, 2016
Is it finally time to reform the Electoral College after 2000 and 2016? If so, how could this be done?
Is Gerrymandering to Blame for Our Polarized Politics?
March 19, 2018
Gerrymandering is the process by which districts for the House of Representatives are drawn so that one party has a distinct election advantage.
Enfranchisement Is the Only Route to Security
March 28, 2019
In our final security studies column, our columnist posits that security as a permanent mode of government is actually making Americans less secure.
Do You Trust Your Democratic Representatives?
October 13, 2022
Scholars of politics and media have been tracking an ongoing collapse of trust in representative democracy's core institutions. What's at stake?
Why Do They Build Party Platforms, Anyway?
July 18, 2016
What is the point of the party platforms unveiled at political conventions?
Just How Unrepresentative Are the Iowa Caucuses?
January 25, 2020
There's no denying the whiteness of the state. But scholars cite other qualities that make Iowa more like the rest of the country.
The Accidental Presidents of the United States
June 17, 2019
How "accidental" world leaders have faced the challenges of leading major democracies without being voted in.
The Midterms That Changed America
September 17, 2018
In 1994, Republicans swept the midterms and Newt Gingrich became Speaker of the House. His “Contract with America” was both polarizing and transformative.
“It’s the psychology, stupid.” What really decides elections?
November 13, 2014
The "rational choice" model alone doesn't account for voting behavior. So what does?
Ballot Position: It Matters
August 29, 2016
Did you know that ballot position can have an effect on voting? The first-listed candidate is more likely to be voted for.
Fighting for the Right to Vote
It took a Civil War for Black men to get the right to vote. Millions were enfranchised when women got the vote in 1920, but Black women were mostly excluded from voting due to legal discrimination. Removing these injustices took both organizing and militance.
Suppressing the Black Vote in 1811
February 23, 2024
As more Black men gained the right to vote in New York, the state began to change its laws to reduce their power or disenfranchise them completely.
The Voting Rights Act at 50
August 5, 2015
Passage of the act was paved by the sacrifices of Civil Rights activists, especially those who had recently put their bodies on the line at Selma, Alabama.
Susan B. Anthony on Her Revolutionary Foremothers
July 19, 2016
Susan B. Anthony discusses how women's rights have evolved in a 1902 North American Review piece, "Woman's Half-Century of Evolution."
The Dorr Rebellion for Voting Rights
February 17, 2022
In 1842, an attempt to enfranchise all men in Rhode Island resulted in two governors, two constitutions and what we now know as the Dorr Rebellion.
Suppressing Native American Voters
August 25, 2020
South Dakota has been called "the Mississippi of the North" for its long history of making voting hard for Native Americans.
Free Love and the First Female Presidential Nominee
June 3, 2016
Victoria Woodhull who was known to her enemies as "Mrs. Satan," was the first woman to run for president of the United States.
The Significance of Shirley Chisholm’s Presidential Campaign
July 5, 2016
Shirley Chisholm: the first black female U.S. Representative, first black major-party candidate for President, and the first Democratic Party woman to run.
New Jersey Let (Some) Women Vote from 1776 to 1807
March 2, 2020
Historians Judith Apter Klinghoffer and Lois Elkis argue that this wasn't oversight. New Jersey legislators knew exactly what they were doing.
Revisiting Reconstruction
April 26, 2018
Reconstruction is one of the least-known periods of American history, and much of what people think they know about it may be wrong.
Race Has Always Affected the Vote
May 23, 2016
While racism in the United States is often attributed to poor whites, research suggests its political power resides in middle and wealthy suburban whites.
How Women’s Suffrage Has Been Represented in American Film
December 9, 2017
Women's suffrage was usually portrayed negatively in early films, but suffragists well recognized the importance of movies in getting their message out.
The Voting Rights Act 1965: Annotated
August 26, 2022
The passing of the Voting Rights Act in August 1965 prohibited the use of Jim Crow laws and discriminatory tests to disenfranchise Black voters.
Voting Rights for People Convicted of Felonies
November 1, 2022
Formerly incarcerated people comprise the largest group of disenfranchised American voters. The American Prison Newspapers collection offers fresh insight into the issue.
Who Are Voters?
Political scientists puzzle over the question for good reason: understanding voters, and voting, provides the kind of knowledge that can help citizens access the polls and exercise the kind of power that voting gives them.
Just How Unrepresentative Are the Iowa Caucuses?
January 25, 2020
There's no denying the whiteness of the state. But scholars cite other qualities that make Iowa more like the rest of the country.
How to Get People to Vote
October 19, 2018
In United States midterm elections, it is common for as few as 40% of eligible adults to vote. Why it matters, and some possible solutions.
Creating the Voter Fraud Myth
November 3, 2016
Although in-person voter fraud is close to nonexistent, it’s a big concern for many voters.
The Case for Lowering the Voting Age
October 17, 2018
If the standard we hold for who can vote is the consent of the governed, why shouldn’t children be included?
Would Formerly Incarcerated People Vote Democratic?
March 3, 2020
Conventional wisdom says that Republicans don't want to give ex-felons voting rights because they'll end up voting for Democrats. But is this true?
How Class Conflicts Determine Voter Turnout
December 7, 2015
Studying voting data from 1840 to the 1990s, a correlation emerges between voter turnout and class conflicts throughout the country.
Who Are the Independent Voters?
May 2, 2016
The voting patterns of actual independents have long been a topic of study. Who are they, and how do they actually vote?
Lawrence Lessig: How to Repair Our Democracy
December 5, 2019
Law professor and one-time presidential hopeful Lawrence Lessig on campaign finance, gerrymandering, and the electoral college.
Editors’ Note: This post was originally published on August 6, 2020. It has been updated many times, most recently on September 18, 2024.
