"Voting is not a privilege, it's a right, and I'm tired of people treating it like a privilege, it's a right,"

[LeftInTX]

12. Who knows what a "right" is these days?

One right we do have is the right to remain silent when accussed of a crime. That one is a pretty hard one to take away.
Now you can be penalized for it, but you are not supposed to. You do not retain the same right in a civil suit.

But free speech and firearms are rights, but have limitations. Free speech is harder to limit than firearms.

Voting is subject to citizenship, registration, residency and age.


Sadly the constitution itself does very little to protect voting rights. Yes, age, race, gender and senate races are now protected in in the constitution. But if you look at original elections 200 years ago, much of it was about "white male delegates".

1789: The U.S. constitution did not establish any specific voting rights, instead states were given the power to regulate voting laws. As a result, most states limited voting to white male landowners.

Representatives were elected by the people, Senators were selected by state legislatures, and the President was elected by state legislature appointed electors.

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

1913: The 17th Amendment gives the power of selecting Senators to the (male) people. Prior to the 17th Amendment Senators were selected by state legislatures.

1920: The 19th Amendment gives women the right to vote.

1971: The 26th Amendment made the minimum voting age 18, previously the minimum voting age was 21.

These are the only things protected in the US constitution.
Also many states interpret voting rights within the constitution applicable to federal elections.
For instance in Texas, the Overseas Voting Act only applies to federal elections. Some states allow overseas citizens to vote in all elections. Some states allow non-citizens to vote in local elections.

Hell, a state could challenge voting in presidential elections and guess what, this Supreme Court would agree. "The constitution says: "State legislature appointed electors". I don't think it says anything about voting for president.


https://guides.library.unt.edu/voting/history-of-voting-America