Voting

The eligibility of an individual for voting is set out in the constitution and also regulated at state level. The constitution states that suffrage cannot be denied on grounds of race or color ( Fifteenth Amendment ), sex (Nineteenth Amendment ) or age for citizens eighteen years or older ( Twenty-sixth Amendment ). Beyond these basic qualifications, it is the responsibility of statutes of state legislatures to regulate voter eligibility. Some states debar convicted criminals, especially felons, from voting for a fixed period of time or indefinitely.

Registering to vote is the responsibility of individuals in the United States, since voters are not automatically registered to vote once they reach the age of 18. Every state except North Dakota requires that citizens who wish to vote be registered. Some states allow citizens to register to vote on the same day of the election, see below. Traditionally, voters had to register at state offices to vote, but in the mid-1990s efforts were made by the federal government to make registering easier, in an attempt to increase turnout.