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As a result of many
battles, laws and amendments, modern day voting is a much simpler
matter. To vote in a presidential election today, you must be 18 years
old, a United States citizen and NOT a convicted felon. Each state
has its own requirements, but the National Voter Registration Act
of 1993 makes registering simple. Thanks to the act, also called the
"Motor Voter Law," states now permit citizens to register by mail,
when they obtain their driver's license, or at government agencies.
You can even access voter registration information online!
In every suffrage battle in America's history, Article
I, Section 4 of the Constitution saved the day. It provided that "Congress
may at any time by law make or alter such regulations" governing elections.
Without that provision of Article I, unfair voting practices might still exist
in the United States.
This precious right, the right to vote, was hard won by many of our nation's citizens. Today, active citizenship demands that Americans cast a vote to have their "say" in the political arena. After the bitter struggle to gain the right to vote for all our citizens, one might wonder why so many Americans do not exercise this right.
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