Expanding Democracy. Law Day focuses on 19th Amendment centennial, voting rights

• Author: Judy Perry Martinez
• Pages: 06-06

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Twitter @ABAPresident or email

abapresident@americanbar.org.

Expanding

Democracy

Law Day focuses on

19th Amendment centennial,

voting rights

BY JUDY PERRY MARTINEZ

The right to vote is a founda-

tion of our democracy that

gives individuals a voice

in charting the course of

our nation.

The ability to exercise this right is a

fundamental initial step on the path to

equality for all.

President Lyndon B. Johnson said

that the right to vote “is the basic right

without which all others are meaning-

less. It gives people, people as individu-

als, control over their own destinies.”

Yet when the nation’s founders

drafted the Constitution, they left vot-

ing rights up to individual state legisla-

tures and did not provide the right to

vote to more than half the population—

including women, people of color and

nonlandowners.

Since then, many have worked hard

to secure the right to vote. In 1870, the

15th Amendment guaranteed voting

could not be denied due to “race, color,

or previous condition of servitude.”

Women, pointedly, were not included in

this landmark for voting rights.

Fifty years later, the 19th Amend-

ment was ratied, guaranteeing wom-

en the right to vote and marking the

largest expansion of democracy in the

history of the United States.

This year’s 19th Amendment centen-

nial provides the perfect opportunity to

promote the critical importance of the

vote. It is also a tting time to examine

the removal of barriers to the full exer-

cise of the right to vote. Polling places

and ballots must be fully accessible to

people with disabilities. Homeless peo-

ple and others who do not have a street

address should be able to register and

vote. A voter should not have to travel

hours to register or wait in line more

than 30 minutes to cast a ballot. Felons

who have served their sentences should

have the right to vote.

And after the U.S. Supreme Court’s

2013 ruling in Shelby County v. Holder,

we need legislation to reinstate the

Voting Rights Act’s remedies against

racially discriminatory voting laws.

To underscore the importance of

voting and the signicance that the 19th

Amendment holds today, the 2020 Law

Day theme is “Your Vote, Your Voice,

Our Democracy: The 19th Amend-

ment at 100.”

This year’s Law Day gives law

students, lawyers, judges and educa-

tors—as well as state, local and afnity

bar associations—the opportunity

to educate the public about the 19th

Amendment and the importance of

promoting the exercise of the right to

vote. Having it and exercising it are two

different things, however.

In the 1920 election, it is estimated

that 36% of eligible women voted. It

was not until 1980 that women voted

in equal percentages to men. Since then,

women have participated at a higher

rate than men. In 2016, about 63%

of eligible women voted, according

to the Center for American Women

and Politics.

Still, the numbers—particularly for

young voters—are too low for such an

important task. Possessing the right to

vote is essential; exercising the right to

vote so that you have a voice in our

democracy is where one person can

make a difference.

The ABA Commission on the 19th

Amendment has developed a range of

resources for all to celebrate and learn

about the history of the amendment

and its impact in our society. Among

the features on its website, you will

nd digital toolkits to help support

public and student programming; free

streaming videos that can be used for

commemoration events; and informa-

tion on displaying the ABA Standing

Committee on the Law Library of

Congress’ traveling exhibit on the 19th

Amendment.

To gauge citizens’ knowledge of their

rights and responsibilities and to shine a

light on the importance of civic engage-

ment, the ABA conducts an annual

Survey of Civic Literacy. This year, the

survey results will

be released as part

of Law Day and

include ques-

tions on the 19th

Amendment.

As ABA mem-

bers, we can do

a great deal to

encourage people

to register and

vote, no matter

their party, beliefs

or afliations.

Join me in celebrating the 19th

Amendment centennial and bringing

greater awareness to the importance of

each person’s vote. Q

We need

legislation

to reinstate the

Voting Rights

Act’s remedies

against racially

discriminatory

voting laws.

Photo © Zach Smith

ABA JOURNAL | APRIL–MAY 2020

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