The United States’ Gap in Election Rights

The United States’ Gap in Election Rights

Despite the United States’ perception as a beacon of democracy around the world, the U.S. Constitution possesses no affirmative right to vote. With a constitution void of statements providing the right to vote to every citizen, the United States braces for yet another contentious and contested election cycle in 2024. This Opinion piece from the New York Times discusses how the U.S. created this perplexing problem for itself as the nation’s history led to a distancing in election rights compared to other advanced democracies and what this now means for the recently unpopular Supreme Court. In What to Watch 2024 – Part 1, ACS breaks down how threats to democracy, such as the limited extension of voting rights, impact the functions of a stable democratic system.