A study of the United States’ population has revealed that one in every four Americans is a member of an ethnic minority, be it Latino, African American, or Asian. Every indication points to the fact that these numbers are most likely to increase in the coming years. The increase in the number of minority communities makes it even more critical to study racial relations that exist in the country today and how to create a strong society with people who can be able to work harmoniously towards the creation of a more secure and prosperous country. One minority group that has been part of the United States’ history for hundreds of years is African Americans. Having arrived in the United States as slaves, they have gone through thick and thin to gain their freedom and recognition ( Krieger 1705 ). The journey towards liberty for African Americans has been, and it has involved various people and institutions. Various initiatives to achieve liberty and equality for everyone in the United States led to the death and incarceration of many activists in the United States. After years of activism, African Americans were finally allowed to exercise their rights as stipulated in the constitution. They were finally able to vote freely. Despite the freedom that is currently enjoyed by the majority of citizens in the United States, there have been cases where minority groups have been restricted from performing their fundamental rights such as voting. As part of the efforts to achieve real democracy in the United States, the Supreme Court ruled that every citizen who has attained the appropriate voting age has the right to vote. Despite the declaration, the courts did not follow through and apply the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments which would have cracked down on the obstacles that were adopted by different states aimed at stopping African Americans from voting. Some of the methods used by different states to restrict African American voters include poll tax, literacy tests, and white primaries ( Krieger 1705 ). Campaigns by various people and institutions against discrimination against African American voters resulted in positive changes as all the United States citizens can freely participate in elections. Despite the efforts to end discrimination in the United States, there are still other practices that are being used to prevent African Americans from voting. This research paper seeks to identify racial relations in the United States while paying close attention to some of the mechanisms that are still being employed to restrict African Americans from voting in the 21 st century.
History of Voter Discrimination in the United States
Racial discrimination has been part of American society for many years. Before equality was achieved in almost every area of American society, minority groups were always discriminated against and denied their fundamental rights. Many scholars have researched about racial relations in the United States, each coming up with their explanation of how various groups in the United States relate with each other and how racial differences have shaped the American society. A study of the ethnic relations in the United States reveals that for hundreds of years, the white majority have benefited from the system compared to other minority groups like African Americans or Latinos ( Romano 387) . For example, even though voting is a fundamental right of every United States’ citizen, African Americans were restricted from practicing their democratic rights through the numerous challenges that were erected. It was mandatory for African Americans to pass literacy tests for them to be allowed to vote ( Charles 1389 ). Such a requirement prevented most African Americans from voting since most of them did not have access to quality education. Voting exercises were also deliberately interrupted in the African American neighborhoods to lock out most of them from the voting exercise. In most cases, violence was used to prevent African Americans from accessing polling stations. As a result of sponsored violence in the African American neighborhood, most of the polling stations remained closed during the voting exercise. Additionally, poll taxes were introduced in a bid to lock out most African Americans since most of them were living in poverty and could not afford the taxes. The obstacles that were intentionally placed to deny African Americans their democratic rights prompted many people and institutions to denounce discrimination and advocate for a free and fair society. Several amendments to the law by the Supreme Court also made sure that both white and African Americans could freely participate in the voting process. In recent times, there have been concerns that there are other mechanisms that are still being used to further racial discrimination in voting. Various scholars have also come out to investigate these claims and identify specific devices that are being implemented to restrict African Americans from voting ( Charles 1390 ).
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Strategies used to discriminate against African-American Voters in the 21st Century
This research paper used appropriate literature that was acquired through the sampling of various reliable sources of information. The different authors and scholars that were sampled had done a comprehensive analysis of the topic of discussion, thus making sure that the information contained in the research paper is accurate and exhaustive of the subject. The information that was collected about racial discrimination in the American voting system was enough to identify and explain the systematic strategies employed to prevent minority groups in the United States from voting (Anderson). From the literature, it is evident that there are still different systematic strategies that are used to deny minority groups their right to vote.
Various methods are still implemented by different states to suppress African American votes. In the 2000 presidential elections, it was observed that the state of Florida deliberately ensured that Africa Americans’ votes were not counted or added to the state’s total tally. Faulty voting machines were also provided to polling stations which were located in African American neighborhoods. There were also reported cases of voter lists that were removed from the voting register. A closer look at the purged names revealed that most of them were from minority groups. Furthermore, there were several instances where voters showed up at polling centers only to find them closed or opened later than expected (Anderson).
North Carolina State was also discriminative against African American Voters (Wang). With the steady increase in the number of black voters, the state made deliberate efforts to ensure that African American voters were restricted from voting. After carrying out research and concluding that most African American voters did not possess personal identification cards, the state included the provision of identification cards as a requisite to voting. Such a requirement locked hundreds of African Americans from accessing their 15 th Amendment rights. Early voting sites were also reduced in Guilford County, which is home to many African Americans (Wang). The early voting sites were slashed from sixteen to one thus locking many people of color from the voting exercise. The reduction was made despite widespread criticism and attempts to maintain the number of voting sites in the country.
Wang suggests that there are many ways that African American votes are suppressed in the United States. Foremost, fake news has been used to change the mentality and perception of people in the United States about voting. Using false claims of increased voter fraud, many states managed to introduce new barriers that worked towards the prevention of African Americans from participating in the voting process. Different states are using the same cases of alleged voter fraud multiple times to make it seem that the situation is getting out of hand and initiate reforms that lead to voter suppression. For example, claims of voter fraud have led to many states to demand government-issued identification for people to be allowed to vote.
It can also be argued that there are additional requirements that are needed by specific states before allowing people to vote. States such as Kansas passed laws that made it compulsory for first-time voters to provide proof of citizenship before they are allowed to vote. The state of Virginia came up with regulations that forced groups that were submitting more than 25 registration forms to register with the state. The state also reduced the period for presenting the forms to 10 days from 15. It is evident that the above reforms initiated by counties were aimed at suppressing voters, especially form minority groups (Lopez).
As Lemola stresses, some laws are aimed at stopping individuals from voting, and they affect the credibility and fairness of the voting exercise. Due to the changing of voting regulations from state to state, many states have resorted to laws that systematically deny the poor and the minority their right to vote. He further notes that the current voting laws are similar to those of the Jim Crow era because they lock out African Americans and other minority groups from exercising their democratic rights. Such rules include those that limit people who have served time and released for a felony conviction from participating in elections. With the high conviction rates among African Americans and other minority groups like the Latinos, most of them are prevented from voting.
According to Gumbel, one of the most common strategies used by various states and institutions to limit African Americans from exercising their right to vote is through the closure of polling stations. Most southern states resorted to closing down some polling stations after the Supreme Court did away with certain parts of the Voting Rights Act in 2013. It is estimated that a total of 868 polling stations have been closed since the Supreme Court ruling. Such closures make it difficult for minorities and the poor to access polling stations that are far from their neighborhoods. In the end, such rules discourage voters from participating in the exercise.
Furthermore, Tolson (379 ) notes that another systemic way of denying African Americans a chance to exercise their right to vote is through the limits on mail-in ballots. Currently, it is a felony to collect and present another person's mail-in ballot in Arizona, regardless of whether or not consent has been provided. Despite attempts to reverse the law, the Supreme Court stood in favor of the law. The law is a blow to the democratic efforts that have been carried out in the country for hundreds of years. Such a law puts many obstacles for African Americans as it limits their freedom and the avenues that they can use to cast their votes.
Finally, Garland et al. noted that blame games among the republicans and democrats have led to the denying of African Americans their rights to participate in elections. Both Republicans and Democrats blame each other for electoral fraud instead of focusing on issues that will improve the quality of lives of Americans and their liberties. In their constant state of disagreements, both parties watch as different states enact laws that further violate the rights of their citizens to engage in free and credible elections. One of the basic requirements of parties is to ensure that the rights of citizens together with their interests are well preserved. The techniques and strategies used by various institutions in the United States have made it difficult for African-Americans to exercise their democratic rights to vote. Unfortunately, the practices are still used to suppress African American votes in the 21 st Century.
Discussions and Recommendations
Based on the research, it is evident that the practices and processes that were employed during the Jim Crow era to deny African Americans their constitutional rights are still being practiced today. While during the Jim Crow era discrimination was open and widespread, the methods used today are subtle and involve the use of institutions such as the Supreme Court to deny African Americans their right to vote. Some of the methods implemented today to prevent the majority of African Americans from participating in the voting process included the enactment and passing of discriminative laws. The fact that most states have passed laws that require the presentation of national identification cards means that most African Americans will be locked out of future elections. Most states have also resorted to the early closure of polling stations especially in areas that are dominated by minority groups. The lack of polling stations made it almost impossible for African Americans to cast their votes ( Charles 1393 ).
With the rising cases of racial discrimination during the voting process in the United States, several countermeasures must be used to ensure that the rights of every American are protected. It is essential for the Supreme Court to be firm and thwart any attempt to introduce legislation that goes against what is provided in the constitution. A look at some of the discriminative legislation reveals a pattern by the Supreme Court to turn a blind eye on such laws and allow them to be enforced. Additionally, activists and the people, in general, need to work together and speak up against such discrimination. Organizing peaceful demonstrations and fighting discriminative legislation in courts of law may work in their favor and result in a free and democratic process. The country needs to invest in civic education to educate people on their constitutional rights to equip them with the right tools to fight any form of oppression. Of uttermost importance, people need to realize that they are all equal despite the physical differences that they have. With the dedication of the American people and the relevant institutions, it is possible that the country will at some point achieve true equality and discrimination against minority groups will cease.
Conclusion
In summation, many mechanisms are still being implemented to prevent African Americans from exercising their democratic right to vote. Since the Jim Crow era, it was observed that different states passed laws that were aimed at violating the rights of African Americans to vote. All African Americans were required to pass literacy tests, pay poll taxes, and provide proof of citizenship. Literacy tests prevented African Americans from voting since most of them did not have access to education. Poll taxes also contributed to the suppression of African American votes as the majority of them could not afford to pay the taxes. The same practices are still being carried out in the 21 st century but subtly. For example, after carrying out research and concluding that most African American voters did not possess personal identification cards, the state of North Carolina included the provision of identification cards as a requisite to voting. Different states also closed polling stations earlier than it was expected. Other states have also gone ahead to close down some polling stations, majorly in African American neighborhood thus inconveniencing millions of African Americans who are willing to participate in the voting exercise. It is vital for various people and organizations to come together to fight discrimination through multiple means like peaceful demonstrations and legal means. The Supreme Court must also be firm and stop any attempt to introduce discriminative legislation. Due to the adverse effects of discrimination on any society, it is essential for every person must be involved to create a free and fair society.
Works Cited
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Lopez, German. “7 specific ways states made it harder for Americans to vote in 2016.” Vox, 7 November 2016, https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/7/13545718/voter- suppression-early-voting-2016. Accessed 11 February 2019.
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Tolson, Franita. "The constitutional structure of voting rights enforcement." Washington Law Review , vol. 89, no. 2, 2014, pp. 379-439
Wang, Tova. “9 ways voting is suppressed in America.” The Century Foundation , 17 August 2012, https://tcf.org/content/commentary/9-ways-voting-is-suppressed-in- america/?agreed=1. Accessed 11 February 2019
