Make American Voting Hard Again
What region of the country makes it the hardest to vote?
How accurate was your prediction?
What is the big story this map tells?
What geographic trends do you see regarding voter restriction?
Why do you think that is?
What is one consequence of this?
According to this interactive map, How restrictive is voting in your state?
If you wanted to increase your ability to vote, explain what state you would move to.
Given the fact that voter fraud in modern American elections is a myth, In general, do you think that voting should be made harder or easier?
A big part of the story of American democracy is the increase in voting rights that came about because of the 15th (Right to vote not denied by race), 17th (Direct Popular election of senators), 19th (Women’s Right to vote), 23rd (Presidential vote for D.C.), 24th (Abolition of poll tax), 26th (Right to vote at 18) Amendments. Which of these Amendments do you think was the most important?
Why do you think some people are working so hard to restrict voting rights today?
Describe what position the following ideologies would take on the expansion of voting rights: Conservative, LIberal:
Explain the connection between this map and federalism.
When our nation was young only white males could vote. All of the map would have consisted of only 13 states and each would have had extremely restrictive voting barriers. What would this map have looked like during Jim Crow?
Given our current political trajectory, What do you imagine the state of voting restriction will be like in 20 years?
Given the fact that there are almost zero cases of voter fraud in the United States do you think that voting should be made more difficult?
What does this map tell you about what level of government creates the rules regarding voting restrictions?
How will current attempts to restrict voting impact the 2020 presidential election?
The Voting Rights Act (1965) outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting. This “act to enforce the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution” was signed into law 95 years after the amendment was ratified. Would you say that the Voting Rights act is working?
