The American vote widened and narrowed by turns over 250 years: property tests fell for white men while racial bars went up, amendments promised the ballot, and state laws found ways around them. In 2025 and 2026 both sides of the fight over proof of citizenship, mail ballots and redistricting say they protect democracy. The founders also warned that a vote is only as good as what the voter knows.
Who's who
- James Madison+6 more episodesFourth president whose 1822 letter warned of government without popular information
- Thomas Jefferson+10 more episodesFounder to whom a popular educated-citizenry quote is falsely attributed
- Alexander KeyssarHistorian who argues the franchise widened and narrowed by turns
- Samuel Alito+3 more episodesJustice who wrote the Brnovich and Callais majority opinions
- Elena KaganJustice who dissented in Callais and on the Texas map
- Colleen Kollar-KotellyFederal judge who blocked the proof-of-citizenship directive
- Mike Lee+1 more episodeSenate supporter of the SAVE America Act
- John ThuneSenate majority leader who said votes lacked for the SAVE America Act
Where it happens
- Virginia+3 more episodesSupreme Court struck down a redistricting amendment in May 2026
- Texas+2 more episodesEnacted a new congressional map in August 2025
- California+30 more episodesVoters approved Proposition 50 in November 2025
Timeline
- 1822Madison writes to William T. Barry about popular information
- 1870Fifteenth Amendment bars denial of the vote by race
- 1965Voting Rights Act enacted
- 2013Shelby County v. Holder ends the preclearance coverage formula
- April 29, 2026Louisiana v. Callais decided
- November 3, 2026Election Day
Still debated
Supporters and critics read Shelby County, Brnovich and Callais in opposite ways, as restoring proper limits or dismantling a key protection. Estimates of noncitizen voting and of citizens lacking documents are disputed, as is the net effect of mid-decade redistricting. The six percent founding-era figure is only an estimate.
Connected episodes in other series
How Jefferson and Madison Wrote Religious Freedom Into American LawA Wall of Separation · Episode 2Also features James Madison, Thomas Jefferson
Marbury v. Madison: How the Court Gave Itself Its Greatest PowerThe Least Dangerous Branch? · Episode 3Also features James Madison, Thomas Jefferson
The Supremacy Clause: Why Every Nullification Theory Has Lost in Court for 200 YearsHomemade Sovereignty · Episode 7Also features James Madison
The Body: The Green Wave, Dobbs, and the Great ReversalA Woman's Place · Episode 11Also features Samuel Alito