Voting Rights

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Primo is the CT State Library catalog. Search for books, articles, and more!
Digital Collections - ContentDM
CSL Digital Collections - CTDA
Connecticut State Library (CSL) digital items in the Connecticut Digital Archive (CTDA)
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Other institutions' collections may be searched from CTDA home page.
CT State Archives Finding Aids

This page lists examples of resources suggested for previous History Day competitions. It does not reflect all voting rights topics, nor even a small portion of what is available.

Connecticut

“No Taxation Without Representation”: Black Voting in Connecticut
By Katherine J. Harris, Connecticut Explored Inc. Spring 2016
History of voting rights for African Americans in Connecticut

Federal

Recent Reports

Guidance Concerning Federal Statutes Affecting Methods of Voting (DOJ)
Published July 28, 2021
Download PDF from U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
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Document: "This document is meant to provide guidance regarding certain federal voting rights laws enforced by the Department of Justice. Citations are provided to assist the reader but are not intended to be comprehensive."

Congress

1965 Voting Rights Act
From U.S. House of Representatives, History, Art & Archives

Oversight of the Voting Rights Act : potential legislative reforms : hearing before the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties of the Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress,
Call Number: Online and Fed Docs Y 4.J 89/1:117-39
Publication Date: 2022

Elections (LOC)
Library of Congress (LOC) Classroom Materials collection. Includes The Presidential Election Process; The Right to Vote; Issues from Past Presidential Campaigns.
The Right to Vote (LOC)
Library of Congress (LOC) classroom materials - current and historic information on suffrage - the right to vote.
Documentary: Selma and the Voting Rights Act of 1965
U.S. House of Representatives documentary with downloadable transcript.
Republicans! Democrats! A word with you about negro suffrage ... [Signed] Oliver Ellsworth. [1869?] (LOC)
Library of Congress (LOC)
Leaflet regarding African Americans voting in Connecticut.

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)

History Of Federal Voting Rights Laws
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division.
Voting Section (DOJ)
Department of Justice (DOJ) : "The Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of the federal laws that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act and the Civil Rights Acts."
About Section 5 Of The Voting Rights Act (DOJ)
U.S.Department of Justice (DOJ) page with explanation and related court case

Census Bureau

Voting Rights Data Tabulations
U.S. Census Bureau tables
Voting and Registration (Census)
Census Bureau: "For every national election since 1964, we collected data on the characteristics of American voters. Find out how many citizens of voting age are registered, and how many vote, by age and sex, race and ethnicity, and more."

Databases

These are a few examples - see a full list at:

A-Z Databases
Lists databases (subscription and free) available through the Connecticut State Library (CSL). Some subscription databases have remote access which require a card from CSL.
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See the box of icons which explain access.

Civil Rights and Social Justice
This HeinOnline database covers civil rights in the United States as their legal protections and definitions are expanded to cover more and more Americans. Containing publications from the Commission on Civil Rights, legislative histories on landmark legislation, briefs from relevant U.S. Supreme Court cases, and more.

Court Cases

These are a few examples.

U.S. Supreme Court

Allen v. Milligan
U.S. Supreme Court decision. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the voting map for Alabama violated the Voting Rights Act.
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ALLEN, ALABAMA SECRETARY OF STATE, ET AL. v. MILLIGAN ET AL.
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA No. 21–1086. Argued October 4, 2022—Decided June 8, 2023

Other Institutions

Others

Voting Rights
Civil Rights Digital Library portal with links to many resources.
"Night of terror": The suffragists who were beaten and tortured for seeking the vote
From Washington Post. By Terence McArdle. November 10, 2017 at 7:00 a.m. EST

History Day - Civil Rights & Human Rights