The Thrill of the Vote

This post first ran on election day in 2008.  My feelings on the subject haven’t changed: It’s election day in Chicago.  I just walked home from voting for a new mayor and a new alderman–and I miss my old neighborhood. For ten years I lived in South Shore:  a white graduate student/small business owner/writer in…

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From the Archives: You think one vote doesn’t matter? Hah!

I have told this story here on the Margins before.  But with the midterm elections only a few days away, I think it’s important to remember right now that in the end the 19th Amendment was ratified thanks to one man’s vote.   In August, 1920, 35 states had ratified the amendment; 36 states were…

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From the Archives: You Can’t Vote Because….

If you’ve been hanging around the Margins for a while, you’ve read this one before. I think it’s worth repeating. From sixth century Athens on, who has the vote and why has been a touchy and evolving subject in democracies. People who already have the vote have hesitated to extend it to others for two…

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