See Student View
 
 
Menu
Sign-in
Home > > November 2026 > Voting in the United States

STANDARDS

NCSS: Time, Continuity, and Change • Civic Ideals and Practices

Social Studies/ELA: Analyze visuals

Standards

Article Options

Presentation View
Teaching Resources

Photo 12/Alamy Stock Photo 

U.S. HISTORY | CIVICS

Just the Facts

Voting in the United States

George Washington was unanimously selected as the first U.S. president on February 4, 1789. Here’s a look at how elections have changed since then.

In 1845, the U.S. Congress established a nationwide Election Day—the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Why Tuesday? Many people voted far from home and didn’t want to travel on Sundays for religious reasons. Choosing Tuesday instead of Monday gave them an extra day to make the trip.

Why “after the first Monday”? This ensured that Election Day wouldn’t fall on November 1. Businesses used that day to check inventory and calculate financial records for the previous month.

Why November? In the 1800s, many Americans farmed for a living. November was after the fall harvest but before winter weather made traveling difficult.

Who Can Vote?

1789

Most states limit voting to White men ages 21 and older who own land. In 1856, land ownership stops being a requirement.

1870

The 15th Amendment gives voting rights to Black men. In response, some states add poll taxes and literacy tests to make it hard for them to cast ballots.

Underwood Archives/Getty Images

1920

The 19th Amendment guarantees suffrage to women across the U.S. 

1965

The Voting Rights Act outlaws poll taxes and other discriminatory practices that interfere with voting. 

MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 1986, Photo by Tom Barlet, Image originally black & white, colorized by Gluekit for Upfront

1971

The 26th Amendment lowers the voting age to 18.

Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

“I voted” stickers date back to the 1980s. Voters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, got their paws on this one in 2024.

National Museum of American History via Wikimedia Commons

This ballot box from 1880 helped stop people from voting more than once in the same election. Its lever mechanism accepted only one ballot per voter. It also counted the ballots so officials could compare the total to their voter list. 

Shutterstock.com

No gravity? No problem! In 1997, Texas passed a law letting U.S. astronauts cast their ballots electronically from space. NASA astronaut David Wolf became the first to do so that same year.

History
U.S. History
Skills Sheets (2)
Skills Sheets (2)
Lesson Plan (1)
Text-to-Speech