hand sewing, cotton, letterpress printing

12" x 14"

Democracy is defined as rule by the people. "A system of government in which power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or through freely elected

representatives" (Britannica). Geo History of Democracy illustrates the legacy of the indelible layers of intentional voter suppression and laws in US history.

1789: US states are given the power to establish voting rights standards. The right to vote is reserved solely for property owning or tax paying white males.

1870: 15th Amendment was ratified giving Black men the right to vote. Barriers were quickly created to block that right; poll taxes, literacy tests, and other "Jim Crow" laws.

1920: 19th Amendment was ratified giving women the right to vote. States constructed other restrictions and discriminatory laws making this right to be acted only by white women.

1924: The Indian Citizenship Act was enacted giving Native Americans the right to vote. Though states continue to create barriers to disrupt casting ballots.

1943: Chinese Exclusion Act ends allowing for Asian immigrants and American-born families to receive citizenship and the right to vote.

1965: Voting Rights Act becomes law granting the right to vote to all US citizens by banning restrictions and other laws, enforcing the 15th Amendment on a federal level.

2024: Today we still see many barriers to the right to vote, especially for people of color, immigrants, and other non-white citizens. A few examples, but not limited to: gerrymandered districts, voter roll purges, lack of language access, polling place closures, ID requirements, and accessibility.