Did you vote? Count yourself privileged!

A SECOND OPINION

Did you vote last week? If you are a woman, religious or racial minority or a white man that rents his home, count yourself lucky. In fact, no matter who you are, you are very lucky to be living in a time and place in history where voting is a right extended to all adult American citizens.

Of course, these times are not perfect, but looking back at history or at other parts ofthe world, its pretty clear that things could always be worse. Much, much worse.

When the United States was founded, the British monarchical rule was replaced with a representative government. The American Revolution also caused a radical change in colonial society, which had favored wealthy families with ties to the king.

Despite these changes, inthe early part of our country’s history, only white men who owned property could vote in most states. While four states allowed free African American men to vote, white working men, women and most people of color were denied the right to vote.

Because the right to vote wasn’t guaranteed in the Constitution, states set their own standards for voting, with the exception of federal mandates that applied to all the states.

In some states, Catholics, Jews and Quakers were denied the right to vote during the early years of our country.

As early as the 1790s, states such as New Hampshirebegan eliminating property ownership requirements, but it would be years before they were completely done away with, and in many cases they were replaced by a poll tax to discourage the poor from voting.

It’s surprising that throughout the nineteenth century native-born Chinese Americans, Native Americans, Indian Americans and Mexican Americans were denied citizenship and voting rights even after they were granted to African Americans.

The origin of the term “grandfather clause” is very interesting. In the 1890s, Oklahoma and Louisiana adopted a “grandfather clause” which required voters to beliterate and own at least $300 in property. An illiterate man who did not own property could still vote - if he could prove his grandfather was allowed to vote before 1867. Of course, most black men’s grandfathers were slaves before 1865, so they were automatically disqualified.

It took women more than 75 years to win the right to vote. Women were allowed to vote in certain states and certain elections, such as school board elections, but it wasn’t until the Nineteenth Amendment was adopted by Congress on June 4, 1919, that women were given the right to vote. That is less than 100 years ago - within my grandmother’s lifetime!

Today, citizenship is granted to everyone born within our borders and can be obtained by legal immigrants. While some states limit voting for ex-felons, voting is a right for adult American citizens.

So while you may or may not be happy about the outcome of last week’s election, be thankful that you had the right to vote. And if you didn’t vote for some reason, next time get out and vote or stop complaining.

Janelle Jessen is a reporter for the Westside Eagle Observer and a longtime resident of the Decatur area. She may be contacted by email at jjessen@ nwaonline.com.

Opinion, Pages 6 on 11/14/2012