Answer Close-Reading Questions
Have students write their responses or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.
• What is voter suppression? What are some examples of it? (Domain-Specific Vocabulary)
Voter suppression is efforts to prevent or discourage people from voting. Throughout history, different groups and political parties have tried to prevent certain Americans from voting. Examples in history include the use of literacy tests and poll taxes, and examples today include closing polling locations and removing people from voter registration lists.
• How have voting rights changed in the U.S. over time? (Key Details)
For nearly a hundred years after the founding of the U.S., white men were generally the only people allowed to vote. Black men were guaranteed the right to vote when the 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870. Women, Indigenous people, and non-English speakers didn’t gain suffrage until decades later.
• What evidence supports the idea that there’s “a new wave of discriminatory laws that limit access to voting”? (Text Evidence)
Nearly 1,700 voting locations across 13 states were closed between 2012 and 2018, many in places with large populations of people of color. Some places are also requiring voters to show photo identification. Such changes often limit access to voting because some lower-income Americans do not have driver’s licenses.