It’s a huge deal! Having the right to vote gives Americans a say in how the country, their states, and their towns are governed.
“Voting is at the very heart of American democracy,” says author and college professor Kim Wehle.
Many Americans faced a long struggle to win that right. When George Washington was elected in 1789, only about 6 percent of the population was allowed to vote. They were mostly White men who owned land.
Over time, Black people, women, and Indigenous groups gained the right to vote. But they were often kept from doing so. For example, racist laws in some states kept many Black people from voting for decades after they legally won the right.