Drawing the Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Voting in America

 Jenkins, Tommy. Illustrated by Kati Lacker. Drawing the Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Voting in America. 2020. 198p. ISBN 978-1-4197-3998-9. Available at 324.6 JEN on the library shelves.

The right to vote is enshrined in the United States Constitution, but this right has been severely limited for many people over time. When the Constitution was adopted, only White men who owned property could vote. The franchise was expanded to all White men in the 1800s. Women could not vote until the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was passed in 1920. Though the Civil War freed all the slaves, States continued to prevent them from voting. African Americans were effectively disenfranchised until 1965 when the Voting Act was passed, guaranteeing them access to the ballot box.

Even so, many challenges remain that prevent people from voting. In Drawing the Vote, Jenkins and illustrator Lacker present a history of voting in the United States and the struggles that surrounded providing and enforcing the right the vote for different constituencies. The back and white illustrations are crisp and convey appropriate emotion and information. Drawing the Vote does not mince words when it comes time to assign blame for voter suppression, and point out how the culprits achieved their goals of denying the franchise to certain people.

Fans of history will appreciate the thoroughness in which the history of voting is presented, and will have a better understanding of how our voting system works.