Voting Rights Act

The United States Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed the requirement that would-be voters take literacy tests in order to qualify to register to vote, and it provided for federal registration of voters in areas that had less than 50% of eligible voters registered. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965.

No Affirmative Right to Vote

U.S. citizens commonly hear of a "right to vote," yet there is no such federal right. However, The Voting Rights Act and three constitutional amendments that prevent discrimination in granting the franchise, has established in United States Supreme Court jurisprudence that there is a "fundamental right" in the franchise, even though voting remains a state-granted privilege. U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. re-introduced House Joint Resolution 28 in March of 2005 to amend the U.S. Constitution and create a federal right to vote. The resolution had 58 co-sponsorsas of April, 2005.

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