History

History

How democracies came to vote in secret, who was kept out, and how participation between elections developed.

  • 11 pages
A nineteenth century sandstone municipal building with a corner tower.
Photo: Smallbones, CC0

Every page in History

11 pages

HistoryThe secret ballotWhy do modern elections keep the individual vote secret, and what did secrecy actually change?9 min read HistoryAthenian democracyWhat did Athenian democracy actually do, who took part, and what can a modern participation framework honestly learn from it?11 min read HistoryAccess and exclusionHow have voting systems excluded eligible people, and what does that history require of a new framework?9 min read HistoryParticipation historyWhat ways of taking part between elections already exist, and how much power did they actually give participants?8 min read HistoryWomen’s suffrageHow did women win the right to vote, why did it take so long, and what does the evidence say changed afterward?10 min read HistoryElection technologyHow has voting equipment changed, what went wrong, and why did security experts push elections back toward paper?9 min read HistoryPublic opinion pollingHow did polling become the standard measure of public opinion, how accurate is it, and what are its built-in limits?9 min read HistoryThe Australian ballot in AmericaWhen American states took over printing the ballot, what else did they take over, and what does that mean for anyone who designs a ballot today?10 min read HistoryThe census and apportionmentWho gets counted when power is divided among places, and who has decided the rules of the count?10 min read HistoryThe initiative and referendum movementWhy did American reformers give voters the power to propose and approve laws directly, and what has that power done in practice?10 min read HistoryThe Voting Rights Act and afterAfter the Voting Rights Act ended the most open barriers to voting, what legal questions replaced them, and how are they being decided now?10 min read