There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

Why this is the answer

Any one of the four is enough, and the clearest way to describe it is to say who gained the vote. The official answers are everyday versions of constitutional text, so knowing the amendment behind each one makes them easier to explain. The oldest, the 15th Amendment, was ratified in 1870, after the Civil War and the end of slavery. It forbids the federal government or any state to deny the vote because of race, color or previous condition of servitude, which USCIS boils down to “a male citizen of any race (can vote).” The word male is there for a reason: women would wait another half century. Their turn came in 1920 with the 19th Amendment, the victory of the women’s suffrage movement, which bans denying the vote on account of sex. Its official answer is “any citizen can vote (women and men can vote).” The third answer tells a story of resistance. After the 15th Amendment was passed, some southern leaders who were upset that African Americans could now vote created poll taxes, fees meant to keep them away from the ballot box. The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, outlawed charging a poll tax or any other tax as a condition for voting for President, Vice President, presidential electors or members of Congress. You can say it as “you don’t have to pay (a poll tax) to vote.” Last came the 26th Amendment in 1971, which moved the minimum age from 21 down to 18, the answer “citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote).” Giving only a number, such as “the 19th,” leaves the job half done, because the question asks you to describe the amendment. Saying “the right to vote” in general terms falls short for the same reason, because it does not describe any one of the four. Lined up by date, they show a steady widening of the vote: race in 1870, sex in 1920, money in 1964 and age in 1971. Pick whichever of those four words comes to mind first and build your sentence around it.