Get Prescribed By Secretary Of State (09-12) CHALLENGE OF RIGHT OF PERSON TO VOTE R - Sos State Oh

Suffrage is the right to vote.

The right to vote (also called suffrage or enfranchisement) means that Americans have the right to be heard.

The Fifteenth Amendment is specifically dedicated to protecting the right of all citizens to vote, regardless of race.

The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, gave American women the right to vote. The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, eliminated poll taxes. The tax had been used in some states to keep African Americans from voting in federal elections. The 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971, lowered the voting age for all elections to 18.

The qualifications for holding office (with the exception of certain minimum age requirements for specified public offices) are, and always have been, the same as those for voting. That is, only an elector could hold office.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed under the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The Secretary of State is the chief election officer for the state, appointing members of the 88 county boards of elections and ensuring the integrity of the Ohio voting process. The Secretary is also charged with safely keeping the laws and resolutions passed by the Ohio General Assembly.

Section 12(d) of the Act authorizes the Attorney General to file suit to enjoin violations of Section 5. A private right of action to seek injunctive relief against a Section 5 violation was recognized by the Supreme Court in Allen v. State Board of Elections, 393 U.S. 544, 554-57 (1969).