This year’s election will determine the state of the union for years and will shape both the future of the country and the world. Forgien policy, economy, laws, taxes, and several more issues. The election has always been important in the United States and after 242 years the election has seen many changes made from who can vote to how we vote. 

   The first ever presidential election was held in 1788 with George Washington the only man running for president. The third election however was much different. The third U.S. election was between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, but this election is special because this was the first time political parties got involved. In 1796 the first political parties in the United States, the Federalist with John Adams and the Democratic-Republican with Thomas Jefferson ran against each other and tried to sway voters to their side. What also made the election more strenuous for voters was how they voted. Back in the infancy of the U.S. voters had to declare their vote in front of everyone at voting carnivals. Publicly voicing your vote made voting a more stressful experience with voters of the early U.S. 

   As the number of voters in the U.S. expanded by 1850 the way we vote had changed yet again. Voicing your vote had become less viable due to the massive increase in voters so the election ballot was introduced. However, the ballot isn’t the way it is now. The election ballot was printed by specific parties with only that party’s local and national officials on it. These ballots were also color coded showing you who was voting for which party. This ballot prevented people from voting outside of a specific party and still put pressure on the voters who wanted to keep their party alignments secret. To combat this, a blanket ballot was introduced in 1888. The blanket ballot was printed on white paper and had all candidates marked on the ballot. Mail in voting was also introduced during the 19th century. During the Civil War, mail in voting was introduced to U.S. soldiers, allowing Union soldiers to vote from the front. 

   As time progressed more and more people gained the right to vote. In 1870 the 15th Amendment was added allowing all male citizens to vote in the U.S. regardless of “race,color, or previous condition of servitude”. Even after the passing of the amendment Native Americans were still not considered U.S. citizens until 1924 when they were finally allowed citizenship. In 1920 women were finally allowed to vote despite much resistance from President Woodrow Wilson. 

   The U.S. election has become the framework for any democratic country in the world and is viewed as the essence of freedom. The election is the best way to exercise your civil rights as a citizen, and despite all the changes that have been made the election has remained the most important event in our country and will shape the future for all people. 

Sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2020/08/24/how-electoral-college-works/?arc404=true

#:~:text=The%20original%20system%20for%20electing,Thomas%20Jefferson%20and%20Aaron%20Burr.

https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/The_Senate_Elects_A_Vice_President.htm

https://ap.gilderlehrman.org/essays/contentious-election-1876?period=5

https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/how-congressional-elections-have-changed-since-1789

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-u-s-presidential-election