The head of state was not elected by the voters but by a minimal number of so-called electors, who were often not bound by any obligations to vote for a particular candidate. The Electoral College consists of United States citizens elected in the primary general election for the sole purpose of ensuring the election of the President and Vice President of the United States. The United States Constitution provides that the candidate who receives an absolute majority of the electoral votes, i.e., at least 270 votes, is considered elected. Decisions of the Supreme Court in the late nineteenth century interpreted the amendment very narrowly. Most black voters in the South were barred from voting because of new constitutions and laws that included barriers to vote, such as election taxes and discriminatory literacy tests, from which white voters were exempt.
The Bill of Rights was able to allay the anti-federalist fears of an uncontrolled and too distant central government. The amendments specified in the Bill of Rights guarantee fundamental rights and civil liberties, such as the right to freedom of speech and the right to bear arms, and leave rights to the people and States (Eight basic facts about the bill of rights, 2019). On the other hand, although the Bill limited the center’s actions somehow, the fulfilled promise provided the new government with broader support, and the first difficult test in domestic politics was successfully overcome. Later, several amendments were adopted, one of which regulates the right to vote.
Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government and each state from rejecting residents’ right to vote based on the color of the voter’s skin, race, or previous condition of slavery. Pildes & Smith state that added to the Constitution in 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment was the final of the three constitutional amendments enacted during Reconstruction in the aftermath of the Civil War. This amendment went through a difficult path of ratification but still became part of the Constitution in 1870. In addition, this amendment guarantees all United States citizens over the age of eighteen a protected individual right to vote.
Voting should be as simple as possible, but the state authorities often complicate the election process with unnecessary requirements. Different states provide different voter registration conditions and pay excessive attention to the cars that these voters use. Each state and county develops its ballot and has almost complete authority over the conduct of the voting procedure. Because of this, there is a loss of votes, and many voters get the answer that they cannot vote.
All this greatly complicates the voting procedure and makes it less fair. The states regulate voting, and the national government cannot change or control it in any way. Specific standards have been developed to handle voting, such as pre-voting. Until one particular protected right to vote of every citizen is created, there will be no unambiguously correct vote counting.
This amendment is intended to regulate discrimination based on race. However, due to many states, counties, and districts, it does not have the proper effect. It is likely that if stricter control over the conduct of elections in the United States is introduced, discrimination and violation of voters’ rights are excluded. All votes will be counted fairly and will not be lost in the voting.
References
Eight basic facts about the bill of rights.(2019). Web.
Pildes, R.H. & Smith, B.A. (n.d). The fifteenth amendment. Web.