Engage with the history of voter registration processes, consider past actions to broaden or limit voter registration, and evaluate debates surrounding Same Day Voter Registration.
File: The County Election, Bingham, 1846.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
General Background
Maintaining the integrity of elections in democracies across the world has always been important to the principle that a people who are governed have a right to have their voices heard. This case study explores the history of systems to register eligible voters, how those systems have evolved to broaden (or, in some cases, limit) the registration of voters, and considers advances in processes and technologies used to register voters.
Map of Same-Day Voter Registration in the United States
Image sourced from Voter registration in the United States Facts for Kids
Primary Source Link
Art Analysis: The County Election by George Caleb Bingham, 1852 | Bill of Rights Institute
Primary Source Questions for Students
- How would you describe the people who have appeared at the polling place to cast a ballot?
- What types of people are not present in this image?
- What types of activities are happening in the image that are not associated with voting?
- Based on the clothing in the image, what types of work or occupation do you think the people in the image perform?
- Do you think checking voter registration was very formal during this time period?
- What might be a risk to voting, based on the environment of this image?