Constitutional Amendment Making Voting A Right

TurtleDude said:

are you in favor of them being able to own guns too?

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Yes.

Voting should be a constitutional right.

But before the left gets too excited, remember that when something becomes enshrined in the constitution, it will only be available to proven citizens of the country, not all those reliable Democrat voters just visiting from southern climes.

If it ensured that verified citizens were the only voters at the booths, then sure, why not?

Jerry said:

Since when are judges elected?

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We vote every other year whether to keep the current judges or not. They may not be elected but it takes the agreement of the people for them to stay in office.

I hope it never becomes a "right". Of course, I say that for pretty much everything except a few choice things.

Creating "rights" is letting more of the genie out of the bottle. We've already erected a society where people think jobs, health care, welfare, etc. are rights. God forbid I work to regain some normalcy.

jamesrage said:

Last I checked drafts back then were not limited to just land owners.Laws were not restricted to just land owners.Taxes were not restricted to just land owners and pretty much anything else the government did was not restricted to just land owners. So the idea these people had not stake is absurd.

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I was not advocating returning to " halcyon" days.
I was pointing out their "justification", right or wrong.
Certainly, the USA ultimately decided there was inequalities and fixed them.
But I don't see a need for an amendment assuring us of MORE right to vote than is already protected.

U.S. Voting Rights

When the Constitution was written, only white male property owners (about 10 to 16 percent of the nation's population) had the vote. Over the past two centuries, though, the term "government by the people" has become a reality. During the early 1800s, states gradually dropped property requirements for voting. Later, groups that had been excluded previously gained the right to vote. Other reforms made the process fairer and easier.

1790 Only white male adult property-owners have the right to vote.
1810 Last religious prerequisite for voting is eliminated.
1850 Property ownership and tax requirements eliminated by 1850. Almost all adult white males could vote.
1855 Connecticut adopts the nation's first literacy test for voting. Massachusetts follows suit in 1857. The tests were implemented to discriminate against Irish-Catholic immigrants.
1870 The 15th Amendment is passed. It gives former slaves the right to vote and protects the voting rights of adult male citizens of any race.
1889 Florida adopts a poll tax. Ten other southern states will implement poll taxes.
1890 Mississippi adopts a literacy test to keep African Americans from voting. Numerous other states—not just in the south—also establish literacy tests. However, the tests also exclude many whites from voting. To get around this, states add grandfather clauses that allow those who could vote before 1870, or their descendants, to vote regardless of literacy or tax qualifications.
1913 The 17th Amendment calls for members of the U.S. Senate to be elected directly by the people instead of State Legislatures.
1915 Oklahoma was the last state to append a grandfather clause to its literacy requirement (1910). In Guinn v. United States the Supreme Court rules that the clause is in conflict with the 15th Amendment, thereby outlawing literacy tests for federal elections.
1920 The 19th Amendment guarantees women's suffrage.
1924 Indian Citizenship Act grants all Native Americans the rights of citizenship, including the right to vote in federal elections.
1944 The Supreme Court outlaws "white primaries" in Smith v. Allwright (Texas). In Texas, and other states, primaries were conducted by private associations, which, by definion, could exclude whomever they chose. The Court declares the nomination process to be a public process bound by the terms of 15th Amendment.
1957 The first law to implement the 15th amendment, the Civil Rights Act, is passed. The Act set up the Civil Rights Commission—among its duties is to investigate voter discrimination.
1960 In Gomillion v. Lightfoot (Alabama) the Court outlaws "gerrymandering."
1961 The 23rd Amendment allows voters of the District of Columbia to participate in presidential elections.
1964 The 24th Amendment bans the poll tax as a requirement for voting in federal elections.
1965 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., mounts a voter registration drive in Selma, Alabama, to draw national attention to African-American voting rights.
1965 The Voting Rights Act protects the rights of minority voters and eliminates voting barriers such as the literacy test. The Act is expanded and renewed in 1970, 1975, and 1982.
1966 The Supreme Court, in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections, eliminates the poll tax as a qualification for voting in any election. A poll tax was still in use in Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia.
1966 The Court upholds the Voting Rights Act in South Carolina v. Katzenbach.
1970 Literacy requirements are banned for five years by the 1970 renewal of the Voting Rights Act. At the time, eighteen states still have a literacy requirement in place. In Oregon v. Mitchell, the Court upholds the ban on literacy tests, which is made permanent in 1975. Judge Hugo Black, writing the court's opinion, cited the "long history of the discriminatory use of literacy tests to disenfranchise voters on account of their race" as the reason for their decision.
1971 The 26th amendment sets the minimum voting age at 18.
1972 In Dunn v. Blumstein, the Supreme Court declares that lengthy residence requirements for voting in state and local elections is unconstitutional and suggests that 30 days is an ample period.
1995 The Federal "Motor Voter Law" takes effect, making it easier to register to vote.
2003 Federal Voting Standards and Procedures Act requires states to streamline registration, voting, and other election procedures.


Read more: U.S. Voting Rights | Infoplease.com U.S. Voting Rights | Infoplease.com

What wrongs would be redressed with an amendment declaring voting a right?

For those who don't think voting should be a right, remember the principle of no taxation without representation. If the government has the right to determine how much of your wages it can steal, then you should have the right to determine who is in government.

jamesrage said:

Voting is mentioned as a right at least four times in the Constitution bill of rights. So your claim that voting is not a right is blatantly false.



15th Amendment (1870): "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."

19th Amendment (1920): "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."

23rd Amendment (1961): provides that residents of the District of Columbia can vote for the President and Vice-President.

24th Amendment (1964): "The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax."

26th Amendment (1971): "The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age."

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Well, those don't make voting an absolute right. They just outline specific conditions where it can't be deprived.

I'm against the idea of a Constitutional amendment to make voting an absolute right in all conditions though.

CanadaJohn said:

For those who don't think voting should be a right, remember the principle of no taxation without representation. If the government has the right to determine how much of your wages it can steal, then you should have the right to determine who is in government.

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Felons aren't taxed. Illegal immigrants aren't taxed. Therefore, the Missouri Compromise argument falls through that crack.

Hell, if we can figure out how to strip away that privilege to the 47%...

Dapper Andy said:

Well, those don't make voting an absolute right. They just outline specific conditions where it can't be deprived.

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I never said it was an absolute right. Because each one those amendments lists what may not be used to infringe on someone's right to vote.

I'm against the idea of a Constitutional amendment to make voting an absolute right in all conditions though.

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I actually agree with that. Voting should be limited only to citizens 18 years or older and they must prove that they are a citizen with a state issued ID or driver's license or military ID and prove they live in the district of their polling place. I would also restrict voting to be in person only at their district's polling place or a designated polling place for colleges, over seas and military bases for absentee , no early voting and make a national holiday so that no one has an excuse to not vote.I would also ban party affiliations on ballots and polling places but instead on the ballots have a small list of issues the candidate claims to support and past votes that back up or contradict what that candidate says they are for or against and on the voting both walls have a more comprehensive list of what the candidate says they believe and past votes to confirm or contradict what that candidate says.

MoSurveyor said:

We vote every other year whether to keep the current judges or not. They may not be elected but it takes the agreement of the people for them to stay in office.

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Since when? Judges have never been on our local ballets. If you get to vote for your judges, that's unusual.

CanadaJohn said:

For those who don't think voting should be a right, remember the principle of no taxation without representation. If the government has the right to determine how much of your wages it can steal, then you should have the right to determine who is in government.

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Voting IS A RIGHT.
We don't need an amendment to make it so.

Amendment IX in Bill of Rights

"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

This acknowledges we have MANY rights, not mentioned in the Constitution.
The Constitution limits the power of government to powers assigned by Constitution. It does NOT limit rights of the people.

As an example of silence in the Constitution that alters nothing,

Do you know what is the official language of the United States? If you answered English, guess again. But don’t feel bad, the vast majority of people would answer that English is the official language of the United States of America. English is the de facto language since, at this point, it is the most widely spoken language in the nation. But Spanish is catching up with over forty million Hispanics speaking their native language at home, at work, and on their daily lives. This brings another point: Why is the U.S., an English-speaking country (or so you think), catering not only to the Spanish language, but to many others that you don’t even know about? Because the U.S. as a nation has never declared an official language.

The Official Language of the U.S. and its Impact on the Translation Industry

Cardinal said:

Losing your ability to participate in the system that you live in, even after you've served your time, can be argued to be cruel and unusual, excessive at the very least. In any case it's an emotional argument and therefore shouldn't be considered valid as reason for permanently disenfranchising someone.

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So you ARE in favor of restoring all of their constitutionally protected rights then...including gun ownership.

jamesrage said:

I never said it was an absolute right. Because each one those amendments lists what may not be used to infringe on someone's right to vote.


I actually agree with that. Voting should be limited only to citizens 18 years or older and they must prove that they are a citizen with a state issued ID or driver's license or military ID and prove they live in the district of their polling place. I would also restrict voting to be in person only at their district's polling place or a designated polling place for colleges, over seas and military bases for absentee , no early voting and make a national holiday so that no one has an excuse to not vote.I would also ban party affiliations on ballots and polling places but instead on the ballots have a small list of issues the candidate claims to support and past votes that back up or contradict what that candidate says they are for or against and on the voting both walls have a more comprehensive list of what the candidate says they believe and past votes to confirm or contradict what that candidate says.

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I don't see any reason for the national holiday. Presidential elections are every four years while Congressional are every two years. A federal holiday will have little impact for those who can't figure out a plan of attack in two years. Candidates spend a fortune letting everyone in the universe know there is an election coming up months in advance even if you've never heard of Election Day before.

I think it should be more exclusive. A person should have to pay something toward income tax after standard deductions.

yobarnacle said:

Voting IS A RIGHT.
We don't need an amendment to make it so.

Amendment IX in Bill of Rights

"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

This acknowledges we have MANY rights, not mentioned in the Constitution.
The Constitution limits the power of government to powers assigned by Constitution. It does NOT limit rights of the people.

As an example of silence in the Constitution that alters nothing,

Do you know what is the official language of the United States? If you answered English, guess again. But don’t feel bad, the vast majority of people would answer that English is the official language of the United States of America. English is the de facto language since, at this point, it is the most widely spoken language in the nation. But Spanish is catching up with over forty million Hispanics speaking their native language at home, at work, and on their daily lives. This brings another point: Why is the U.S., an English-speaking country (or so you think), catering not only to the Spanish language, but to many others that you don’t even know about? Because the U.S. as a nation has never declared an official language.

The Official Language of the U.S. and its Impact on the Translation Industry

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One problem - while you are correct that the Bill of Rights exists as a document that tells government what they cannot do as opposed to what people can do, voting is a government institution, which means that it's not applicable to infinite privilege. If you believe that voting is a right that "cannot be infringed", then that means you endorse 5 year olds, felons, and the mentally ill owning firearms without limitation.

Parameters exist for a reason - to enforce the bare minimums of security.

Dapper Andy said:

...I'm against the idea of a Constitutional amendment to make voting an absolute right in all conditions though.

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Here Here! You know what, the constitution was written by a bunch of bleeding heart liberal pansies. What Madison and the few others with balls really wanted was a way to protect the opulent minority from the poor majority. They had it right in saying the mob shouldn't have a vote in anything that really matters. Only those with capital matter, and only those with capital should be allowed to vote.

kenc said:

Here Here! You know what, the constitution was written by a bunch of bleeding heart liberal pansies. What Madison and the few others with balls really wanted was a way to protect the opulent minority from the poor majority. They had it right in saying the mob shouldn't have a vote in anything that really matters. Only those with capital matter, and only those with capital should be allowed to vote.

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Shouldn't you be in Intro to Political Science right about now?

Dapper Andy said:

Shouldn't you be in Intro to Political Science right about now?

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Why would I bother with Political Science? Finance. Its all about capital. Law, economics, politics, it all revolves around capital and those that have it. Anyone who doesn't realize that probably studied Political Science.

kenc said:

Why would I bother with Political Science? Finance. Its all about capital. Law, economics, politics, it all revolves around capital and those that have it. Anyone who doesn't realize that probably studied Political Science.

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Ah! High school.

Carry on.

Gipper said:

Felons aren't taxed. Illegal immigrants aren't taxed. Therefore, the Missouri Compromise argument falls through that crack.

Hell, if we can figure out how to strip away that privilege to the 47%...

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Convicts aren't taxed (I think). Ex-convicts are taxed (I know) so there: taxation without representation in the case where there is felony disenfranchisement. Illegal immigrants are also taxed in some places.

TurtleDude said:

I guess you aren't able to fathom the fact that many liberals support restoring rights when the restoration helps the deems

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Can you back up that fact?

From what the OP states it seems these Dem legislators are trying to make it constitutional that anyone who shows up at the polls regardless of citizenship status will get a vote.

I know the old and infirmed folks that live out in the sticks, who have no family, friends, or contact with the outside world will be soooooo disenfranchised should this "right" be denied but....

I wonder who will be following the illegal migration trends that spike exponentially every November...

Absolutely 100% would support an amendment to making voting a right. It should absolutely be a right of any citizen of this country to vote who is 18 or above, not mentally impaired, and is not a felon.

TheDemSocialist said:

Absolutely 100% would support an amendment to making voting a right. It should absolutely be a right of any citizen of this country to vote who is 18 or above, not mentally impaired, and is not a felon.

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Please do not include me in your "100%". States still set the requirements to vote within their boundaries and are only restricted by amendments to the Constitution as to who cannot be disenfranchised and or requiring some sort of payment to vote...

Jerry said:

Since when? Judges have never been on our local ballets. If you get to vote for your judges, that's unusual.

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Don't know what to tell ya' - it's been that way at least since the 70's when I started voting ...