1965 Law Gave All the Right to Vote

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 protects every American's right to vote. This law also protects the voting rights of many people who cannot speak English well. It means that everyone's vote is equal. Race or language cannot be used to prevent any of us from voting for our leaders.

The Voting Rights Act bans racial bias in voting. Many states once had laws on their books to keep minorities from voting. Some of these laws forced people to pass a reading test to vote. Others forced people to read and explain something from the Constitution in order to vote.

Some old laws forced people who wanted to sign up to vote to bring someone already registered to say the person was of "good character." The Voting Rights Act of 1965 made these types of discrimination illegal. It gave citizens the right to sue the government in federal court to stop them.

Federal and state laws also require voting places (polls) and voting systems to offer easy access for people with disabilities. Polling places must have at least one voting machine for people with disabilities to use.