If you think about the history of voting in America, you may picture the Civil Rights era, the women’s suffrage movement, and the Constitutional amendments that grant people’s right to vote. But the story is not just about laws and protests.
How Technology Has Changed Voting and Elections
The methods used to vote and to count ballots have changed over the years. From the wooden ballot box, to the curtained-off voting machine, to the modern touch-screen, advances in technology have played a big role in voting. And since states run elections, procedures vary from place to place.
You can learn how voting methods have changed in the U.S. in Vote: The Machinery of Democracy, an online interactive exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.
Americans’ Voting Habits
Demographics play a huge part in how America votes. The U.S. Census Bureau collects and releases information on who votes in Congressional and Presidential elections.
- The interactive voting and registration map shows a breakdown of statistics by state for even-numbered years going back to 1996. Statistics include the age, race, gender, and education level of voters.
- The Who Votes? report (PDF, Download Adobe Reader) (PDF, Download Adobe Reader) provides in-depth voter characteristics dating back to 1978.
Credit: www.usa.gov