Timeline of Voting Rights in America

February, 1870: The U.S. Congress passes and the states ratify the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting African-American men the right to vote.
1890: Wyoming becomes the first state to grant women the right to vote, followed by Colorado in 1893.
October 23, 1915: 25,000 women marched in New York City demanding the right to vote.
August, 1920: The Nineteenth Amendment was adopted, granting women from every state the right to vote. It was nicknamed the “Anthony” amendment in recognition of the lobbying efforts of suffragette Susan B. Anthony. The amendment was adopted just in time for the 1920 presidential election.
March 29, 1961: Ratification of the 23rd amendment to the Constitution gave residents of Washington, D.C., the right to vote in presidential elections.
August, 1965: President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act to outlaw states’ discriminatory voting practices, especially in regards to those targeting African-Americans in the South.
July, 1971: The 26th Amendment reduced the voting age in the United States from 21 to 18 years of age. The first 18-year-olds voted in the 1972 elections.
March, 1993: The “motor-voter” bill was signed by President Bill Clinton, allowing citizens to register to vote when applying for a driver’s license and ease voter registration.