How Voting Became A Fundamental Right

by
Guest Contributor

In a democracy, voting is essential to ensuring that everyone has a say in how their country is run. It is a way for people to hold their government accountable and to make their voices heard on the issues that matter to them.

Voting rights are a fundamental part of democracy, and it is important that all citizens have equal access to this right. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In many countries, women and minority groups are denied the right to vote, or they face significant obstacles to exercising this right. This is often done in an effort to maintain the power of the ruling party or to keep certain groups from having too much influence. When it comes to voting, it’s never as easy as going on national casino australia and making a request—people had to fight.

Europe

In European countries, voting rights have been a controversial issue throughout history. Early on, voting rights were often limited to nobility and land-owning classes. This gradually changed over time, with voting rights being extended to more and more people. However, it was not until the 20th century that all European citizens were granted universal suffrage.

Even today, there are some European countries where voting is not mandatory. This has led to controversy, with some people arguing that voting should be made mandatory in order to ensure that everyone has a say in the running of their country.

North America

North America has a long and rich history of voting rights, dating back to the early days of the continent. The first voting rights in North America were granted to the indigenous peoples of the continent. In 1492, when Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas, the indigenous peoples were already living in complex societies with their own systems of governance. They had their own laws and customs, and they recognized the right of every person to have a say in the decisions that affected their lives.

The indigenous peoples of North America were not granted full citizenship rights until the 19th century. In the United States, the Native American Citizenship Act was passed in 1924, granting full citizenship rights to all Native Americans. In Canada, the Indian Act was passed in 1876, which granted limited citizenship rights to Indigenous peoples. It was not until 1960 that all Indigenous peoples in Canada were finally granted full citizenship rights.

The right to vote was not extended to all people in North America until the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the United States, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1870, which guaranteed the right to vote to all men, regardless of race. However, it was not until 1920 that all women in the United States were granted the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment. In Canada, the right to vote was first extended to all men in 1867, and then to all women in 1918.

Despite these advances, voting rights in North America are still not fully inclusive. In the United States, voting rights are often denied to people with felony convictions, and voter ID laws disproportionately disenfranchise people of color and low-income people. In Canada, Indigenous peoples and people with mental disabilities were not granted the right to vote until 1960.

Voting rights are an important part of a democracy, and North America has come a long way in extending these rights to all people. However, there is still work to be done to ensure that everyone has an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives.

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