The right to vote has been important in the history of our nation. Battles were fought and waged for many years across this country to provide EVERYONE the right to vote.
From the U.S. Constitution:
- Constitution of the United States, Fifteenth Amendment, Section 1 – 1870: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged … on the account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
- Constitution of the United States, Nineteenth Amendment, Section 1 – 1920: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged … on the account of sex.
Listen to some voices from the past:
- Civil Rights slogan:
“One man, one vote” - Susan B. Anthony, social reformer and women’s rights activist, speech before her trial for voting – 1873
“Here, in the first paragraph of the Declaration [of Independence], is the assertion of the natural right of all to the ballot, for how can ‘the consent of the governed” be given, if the right to vote be denied?” - Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, Speech at Bloomington, Illinois – 1856
“The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States
“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”
CWA has prepared resources to help you be a part of getting people registered to vote (add link). Download these resources and use them in your church and community. CWA is also partnering with iVoterGuide to help you vote knowledgeably. You can check to see how the candidates in your state are rated based on information gathered from a number of resources.