79-250 Voting Rights: An Introduction

9 units, Carnegie Mellon University

Did you know that American citizens have no right to vote? None. The United States is one of the only constitutional democracies in the world that does not enshrine this right in its founding charter. Not only did the nation's founders punt on creating one, social movements have also never succeeded in creating one. What, then, have voting rights activists won over the centuries? And how and why has an affirmative right to vote never been achieved? Starting with the U.S. Constitution and working forward to the present, this course will help you make sense of all the accusations swirling in the news about voter fraud, voter suppression, voter theft, voting rights, and all the other things no one ever taught you about the world's oldest democracy. This course is open to all students.

Prerequisites: none listed

Offered: Spring 2026

Courseweave needs JavaScript to show sections, workloads and planning tools.