What is democracy?

This article examines the history of the 19th Amendment, which secured the right to vote for women. It examines women's participation at the polls since then and considers the possibility and impact of greater numbers of women in public office.

In this transcript, Fanny Lou Hamer describes the way in which she was forced to leave the plantation where she worked as as sharecropper for 18 years, was arrested and was beaten--all on account of trying to register to vote.

Are voter ID laws meant to prevent voter fraud or suppress voter turnout among eligible minority groups? Prior to the 2012 presidential election, a majority of states considered such laws. In this article, Patricia Smith explores the two viewpoints.