The Politics of Our Ancestors

When you go to the voting booth this year, you'll be provided a ballot prepared by election officials and you'll be able to make your choices privately and cast your ballot in secret. We may take this for granted but most of our ancestors would be surprised by these practices.

Although the world's first votes were cast as early as 508 B.C. in ancient Athens, Athenian "democracy" resembled town meetings more than modern elections. Officials were chosen by lottery and voting was negative: Anyone receiving more than 6000 votes was exiled for 10 years. While negative voting may sound foreign to us, the practice of crossing out the names of unwanted candidates persisted into the 20th century in the Southern United States. Another example of negative voting is blackballing which comes from the Masonic practice of casting a black ball as a vote against a potential member.

Yet another form of voting was voice voting. The few Americans with voting rights would take an oath and announce their votes. Election officials would then record these voice votes. With voice voting, the fear of being recognized was the only deterrent to voting "early and often." Voice voting continued up until the 1860s in some locations.

The first paper ballots were scraps of paper, supplied by the voters themselves. As American political parties grew, partisans began printing ballots. More recently, new voting technologies such as electronic voting systems have been introduced.

Below is a timeline of voting milestones in the United States:

1789: The Constitution empowers states to set voting rights; most enfranchise only white male property owners over the age of 21
1830: Most restrictions based on property ownership had been abolished.
1838: Kentucky allows widows to vote.
1848: Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY launches suffragette movement
1855: Only 5 states allow blacks to vote.
1869: The territory of Wyoming grants voting rights to women.
1870: The 15th Amendment extends voting rights to African-American men.
1920: The 19th Amendment grants women's suffrage.
1924: The Indian Citizenship Act gives Native Americans the right to vote.
1965: The Voting Rights Act protects minority voters.
1971: The 26th Amendment lowers the voting age to 18.

You can learn more about the history of voting at the following websites:
A Brief Illustrated History of Voting
Vote: The Machinery of Democracy
Political Culture and Imagery of American Woman Suffrage
Voting Technology Timeline