How did African Americans reaffirm and protect their constitutional right to vote? The 14th Amendment to the Constitution is one of the nation's most important laws relating to citizenship and civil rights.Civil rights act, civil rights movement, martin Luther king jr. , Selma, Alabama, president Johnson, lyndon B. Johnson. Residency is rarely challenged at the time a person registers to vote. The United States is out of step with the rest of the world in disenfranchising large numbers of citizens based on criminal convictions. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 contained provisions barring discrimination and segregation in education, public facilities, jobs, and housing. If the Court won't impose Section 3 restrictions in favor of "letting the voters decide," will they let a presidential candidate vie for a third term? The right to vote in US elections has seen massive change. The original Constitution left voting rights to the states for a range of reasons.