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Florida Atlantic University Undergraduate Law Journal

College

College of Arts and Letters

Keywords

Voting accessibility, Marginalized communities, United States, Voting Rights Act of 1965, Systemic barriers, Minority participation, Elections, Political representation, Institutional practices, Policies, Equal access, Resources, Rights, Opportunities, Disproportionate impact, Minority groups, U.S. Supreme Court, Legislative policies, Modern obstacles, Gerrymandering, Voter identification laws, Discriminatory burdens, Poll taxes, Post-Reconstruction era, Federal oversight, Election laws, Minority voting rights, Systemic inequalities, Democratic principles, Political participation, Manipulating representation, Legal reforms, Policy reforms, Non-discriminatory access, Constitutional right to vote

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Since 1870, the struggle for voting accessibility has been an ongoing challenge for marginalized communities in the United States. Despite the Voting Rights Act of 1965, systemic barriers limit minority participation in elections and influence their political representation. Modern systemic barriers refer to institutional practices and policies that hinder equal access to resources, rights, and opportunities. These barriers typically disproportionately impact minority groups. Furthermore, recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions and legislative policies have led to an examination of how modern obstacles—such as gerrymandering and voter identification laws—lead to discriminatory burdens on marginalized groups. These practices differ from tactics such as poll taxes used post-Reconstruction era, but have equally detrimental effects. The decision to weaken federal oversight of election laws has increased concerns about weakened minority voting rights. It is argued that these barriers maintain systemic inequalities and threaten democratic principles that the U.S. was founded on by reducing political participation and manipulating representation. Highlighting these challenges and acknowledging the need to advocate for legal and policy reforms is essential to address these enduring challenges for marginalized communities and ensure non-discriminatory access to the executing one's constitutional right to vote.

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