With the municipal election just a few days away, campaign signs can be seen in residents’ yards or lining streets throughout Lehigh County.

About a dozen campaign signs asking residents to vote for certain candidates line one street leading into Allentown.

According to the 15th amendment to the Constitution, “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.”

However, there are some who have the opinion voting is not a right.

Voting is a tangible, which requires registration such as a driver’s license or marriage license. These are privileges granted by the government.

According to theatlantic.com, in voter cases across the country, courts are considering the proper level of “scrutiny” to apply to “burdens” on the right to cast a ballot.

“Scholars and courts often note the Constitution nowhere says, ‘all individuals have the right to vote.’ It simply rules out specific limitations on ‘the right to vote,’” the website says.

As history shows, not all citizens were allowed to vote in elections.

According to archives.gov, at the time of the first presidential election in 1789, only 6 percent of the population– white, male property owners– were eligible to vote.

When Susan B. Anthony, who devoted more than 50 years of her life to the cause of women suffrage, cast her ballet in the 1872 election in her hometown of Rochester, N.Y., she was arrested, indicted, tried and convicted for illegal voting.

Anthony then took full advantage of the high-profile case to promote the cause of woman suffrage.

In a speech delivered repeatedly in 1872–1873, she exhorted her listeners to “fight our battle for the ballot– all peaceably, but nevertheless persistently through to complete triumph, when all United States citizens shall be recognized as equals before the law.”

It wasn’t until Congress passed the 19th Amendment June 4, 1919 and enacted it Aug. 18, 1920, women gained the right to vote in elections.

Today, all men and women as young as 18 years are allowed to make their voices heard and vote in elections.

Voting is important because it allows citizens:

The right to have their voices heard;

To choose a candidate they believe is the right person to lead a government office;

The right to voice their opinions on current issues facing elected officials;

To show they care about the direction their government will take; and

To be a voice for children too young to vote.

By casting your vote in elections, you are helping shape the world for future generations.

Every vote counts. Make your voice heard and vote Nov. 3.

Susan Bryant

editorial assistant

Parkland Press

Northwestern Press