CITIZENSHIP & ELECTIONS
THE IMPORTANCE OF A BALLOT
INTRODUCTION
A Brief Timeline of Voting Rights in the U.S.
Voting rights have been an
important issue throughout our
country’s history. At first, who
could vote was left up to individual
states, and most allowed only
white men who owned property to
do so. Over time, different groups
argued and fought for the
privilege. The issue is still
debated today, and will likely
continue to be discussed by
citizens and their representatives
in government for a long time to
come.
How New York City residents
have exercised their right to vote
has changed over time, as well. In
this lesson you’ll examine
documents, hear audio, and see
visual sources that help plot the
course of some of those changes.
1776
Property owners – who were mostly white and
male ­­ are the only ones allowed to vote.
1856
The last state removes property ownership
requirements; now nearly all white men can vote.
1870
15th Amendment to the Constitution passes, giving
former slaves the right to vote. 1872
Susan B. Anthony and 11 other women are
arrested for voting in Rochester, NY.
1876
Native Americans are “not citizens,” according to a
ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court; now they cannot
vote. 1890
Wyoming joins the union, and is the first state to
allow women to vote.
1917
Women win the right to vote in New York State.
1920
19th Amendment passes, granting women the right
to vote in the U.S.
1965
Voting Rights Act passes, barring racial
discrimination in voting.
1971
26th Amendment passes, lowering the voting age
to 18.
1993
National Voter Registration Act passes, allowing
people to register to vote at the Department of
Motor Vehicles.
2002
Help America Vote Act passes, aims to streamline
and improve the voting process.
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DOCUMENT
This is a page from a 1918 New York voter registration ledger for the 20th Election
District, 4th Assembly District. At the time, voters had to register in person. The
names shown include Sarah Pearsky and Sadie Pearsky, who both lived at 164
Broome Street. CITIZENSHIP & ELECTIONS: THE IMPORTANCE OF A BALLOT
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DOCUMENT
Continuation of the previous page from a 1918 New York voter registration ledger
for the 20th Election District, 4th Assembly District. CITIZENSHIP & ELECTIONS: THE IMPORTANCE OF A BALLOT
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DOCUMENT
Image via NYC Board of Elections
This is a form voters use to register in New York today. Voters can mail it or deliver
it in person to the Board of Elections. They can also register online through the
Department of Motor Vehicles.
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AUDIO
goo.gl/kYHpqh
This is a portion of audio from a segment that aired on local radio station WNYC
on October 8, 1946. The recording covers an event at City Hall where speakers
encouraged people to register to vote.
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QUESTIONS
1. What are some of the differences between registering to vote in the past and
registering to vote today?
2. Why do you think changes have been made to the process?
3; What is important about how women’s names are included in the 1918 registration
ledger?
4. Why do you think women were being encouraged to vote in 1946?
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DOCUMENT
This article was published in the New York Journal­American on October 4, 1933,
about one month before the 1933 mayoral election. Fiorello LaGuardia, who won
the race, saved this clipping in a scrapbook.
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DOCUMENT
This article was published in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle on November 8, 1933, the
day after the mayoral election. It's another clipping from one of the scrapbooks
of Fiorello LaGuardia, who won the race and served as mayor for 12 years.
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DOCUMENT
This photograph shows the inside of a voting booth during the 1933 mayoral
election. People cast their vote by moving a mechanical lever, and the number of
times each lever was moved was kept track of mechanically, as well. This
technology promised to speed up the voting process and cut down on the chances
of dishonest vote counts.
In 1933, 2.2 million votes were cast in the mayoral election. A few years before,
the 1930 census reported the population of New York City to be 6.9 million people
(which includes both registered and non­registered voters).
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DOCUMENT
Image via NYC Board of Elections
This is a photograph of the kind of paper ballot voters use today in New York.
People cast their vote by marking the ballot with a pen, and then they scan the
ballot in a machine that keeps track of the number of votes.
In 2013, 1.1 million votes were cast in the mayoral election. A few years before,
the 2010 census reported the population of New York City to be 8.2 million people
(which includes both registered and non­registered voters).
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QUESTIONS
1. What are some ways paper might be better than machines for casting a vote?
2. What are some ways machines might be better than paper for casting a vote?
3. Compare the number of votes cast in 1933 and in 2013: What is the difference?
4. Compare the population numbers in 1933 and in 2013: What is the difference?
5. What do you think some of the reasons are for those differences?
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DOCUMENT
This letter was delivered to New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia before the
1944 presidential election.
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DOCUMENT
This is Mayor LaGuardia’s reply to the letter shown on the previous page.
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QUESTIONS
1. According to these documents, how could a person cast their vote in New York
in 1944?
2. That rule for voting is still true today—mostly. In New York City, people cast
their votes in person on Election Day, but voters can instead cast an absentee
ballot before the election if they won’t be in the city on Election Day, if they’re in jail
(in some cases), or if they’re ill or disabled. Why do you think we use absentee
ballots?
3. How would you ask a politician a question like the one asked in the letter? By
mailing a letter, or some other way?
4. What do you think of the ways people can cast a vote in New York today? What
would you say in a message to the governor about the ways we might change the
process?
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BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS
1. Why do you think it’s important for people to have the right to vote?
2. What are some of the ways people vote have changed since the early 1900s?
3. What are some ways you think voting could (or should) change in the future?
4. The voting age is 18, but people younger than that can still get involved in an
election—some ways include volunteering, educating others, and making your
needs as a citizen heard. What are some specific ways you can get involved in an
election?
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ABOUT
Established in 1977, the Department of Records and Information Services
preserves and provides public access to historical and contemporary records and
information about New York City government through the Municipal Archives, the
Municipal Library, and the Visitor Center. The Archives includes more than 200,000
cubic feet of primary source materials, including:
• More than two million photographs, dating from the late 1800s to the present
• Manuscripts from the Dutch Colonial government
• Criminal Court case files dating from 1790
• Maps and architectural renderings
• Moving images and audio files
The lesson presented here is offered to give an idea of the range of materials
available in the Archives’ collections. Lessons align with New York State Common
Core State Standards, English Language Arts & Literacy Learning Standards, and
the Social Studies Framework, with an emphasis on research skills, primary and
secondary source analysis, and reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language
development. We offer:
• Tours • Hands­On Workshops • Curated Lessons • And More!
For more information about how the Department of Records and Information
Services can work with your school, please contact us:
@ Mary Bakija, [email protected]
records.nyc & nyc.gov/records
@nycrecords
@nycrecords
@nycarchives
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