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1787
Establishment of the Electoral College
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1787
Establishment of the Electoral College
With the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, the three branches of government – the Congress, the Courts and the Presidency are established. Rather than being elected directly by the people, Article II of the Constitution specifies that the President is elected by representatives to the Electoral College. Not a really a “college,” the Electoral College is a group of people who are appointed from each of the states, through a process established by each state legislature. They assemble in January following the November Presidential election and vote for the Presidential candidate that won the majority of votes in their state. Each state gets the number of electors equal to the number of their Representatives and Senators in Congress. The creation of the Electoral College gives more power to the smaller states, rather than letting the people in the most populous states always control who becomes President. In the event of a tie vote in the Electoral College, then the House of Representatives chooses the President.
Read a letter from an elector in Virginia, 1789.
Source:Records of the U.S. Senate
1792
New Hampshire Eliminates Property Requirement
1804
12th Amendment to the Constitution is ratified
November 1824
Presidential Election of 1824
1856
Propery qualification for voting eliminated
1869
National Woman Suffrage Association and American Woman Suffrage Association founded
1869
Wyoming gives women the right to vote
1870
15th Amendment is ratified
November 1876
Presidential election of 1876
1883
Pendleton Act
1888
Louisville, Kentucky, adopts secret ballot
1910
Federal Corrupt Practices Act
1911
Congress sets number of House seats
1913
17th Amendment is ratified
1915
"Jim Crow" laws struck down
1920
19th Amendment is ratified
1920
League of Women Voters created
1921
Congressional campaign finance laws struck down
1935
Political parties can exclude racial minorities
1937
Section 315 of the Communications Act of 1937 requires equal time for candidates
1937
Poll taxes upheld as constitutional
1939
The Hatch Act
1940
Franklin Delano Roosevelt wins third term
1941
Supreme Court Says Congress Has Authority to Pass Campaign Finance Laws
1944
In another reversal, Supreme Court says political parties cannot discriminate because of race
1946
Uneven voting districts allowed
1955
The Federal Voting Assistance Act
1959
Literacy tests for voting struck down
1961
23rd Amendment ratified
1961
John F. Kennedy establishes Commission on Campaign Costs
1962
Legislative voting districts must be relatively equal in size
1964
Georgia's "county unit" voting system struck down
1964
24th Amendment is ratified
1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
1965
Voting Rights Act of 1965
1966
Poll taxes ruled unconstitutional
1970
McGovern-Fraser Commission created by Democratic Party
1970
Congress strengthens Voting Rights Act of 1965
1971
26th Amendment is ratified
1971
The Federal Election Campaign Act
1972
"Durational residency" rule found unconstitutional
1973
Texas redistricting found unconstitutional
1974
Convicted felons not allowed to vote
1974
Gerald Ford ascends to Presidency
1974
Equal time for candidates to respond to the press violates the First Amendment
1975
Federal Elections Commission established
1975
Congress again strengthens Voting Rights Act of 1965
1975
Overseas Citizen Voting Rights Act
1976
Court strikes down limits on campaign spending, but upholds limits on campaign contributions
1980
Challenging constitutionality of voting district lines must include discriminatory intent
1982
Congress again strengthens Voting Rights Act of 1965
1984
The Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act
1986
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act
1988
"Super Tuesday"
1990
Americans with Disabilities Act
1993
The National Voter Registration Act
1993
North Carolina redistricting plan called unconstitutional "racial gerrymandering"
1995
States cannot limit terms of federal candidates
1998
Oregon holds vote-by-mail election
2000
Presidential Election of 2000
2000
Contested election goes to the U.S. Supreme Court
2002
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
2002
Help America Vote Act of 2002
2003
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act challenged
2004
Record spending in the 2004 campaign
November 2004
Controversy in Washington
2006
Supreme Court finds limits to campaign contributions unconstitutional
2006
Congressional lines are at state's discretion
2008
Court Upholds Voter Photo ID Law
