RootsTech 2025 - The Ayes Have It - Discovering Your Ancestors Through Voting Records

The Ayes Have It - Discovering Your Ancestors Through Voting Records - In 1870, 150 years ago, the 15th Amendment was passed prohibiting the exclusion of citizens from voting based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. In 1920, just 100 years ago, the 19th Amendment was passed granting women the right to vote. And, in 1965, 55 years ago, the Voting Rights Act was passed prohibiting racial discrimination in voting. Each of these pieces of legislation increased the opportunity of US citizens to exercise their right to vote. Voting records are not one of the record sets that you generally think of going to for your genealogy research but they could be a great resource if you are able to find them. Voting records are collected on a regular schedule and can be used as replacements for the 1890 US Census. They may contain a great variety of information and can help you discover naturalization, land, migration, and death records. They may contain information on family relationships and property ownership, or may even provide evidence of criminal convictions or mental states for your ancestors. Join me in this discussion and discover the rich resource that voter records can be.