Voter Suppression Module

Photo by Laina G. Stebbins / Michigan Advance

What is voter suppression?

Voter suppression is, by definition, any effort – legal or otherwise – to reduce an individual’s ability to vote, register to vote, or otherwise participate in the democratic process. Looking at the history of the United States, the overwhelming majority of voter suppression has targeted Black voters. While that remains the case, there are many different ways in which the right to vote continues to be suppressed in 2023, with each suppressive tactic impacting different groups of voters in different ways.

Module Content

This module covers the history and present state of voting rights challenges and includes opportunities to address voter suppression. Content is provided as a long-form document, customizable slide decks, and interactive activities. This was designed to be scaled and modified based on the instructor’s needs. If more content is needed, each section provides sources to dive deeper into concepts.

This module is part of the Periclean Voter Activation Modules and can be used in conjunction with the Project Pericles Deliberative Dialogue Module.

This comprehensive document contains all content related to the voter suppression module:

History of voter suppression from Reconstruction to Allen v. Milligan
Current challenges to voting rights:
- Polling locations, felony disenfranchisement, gerrymandering and redistricting, voter ID requirements, mis- and disinformation, voter intimidation, purging voter rolls, primary elections, accessibility for voters with disabilities, and non-English/Limited English speakers
Action steps to address present-day voter suppression
Activities to deepen engagement with concepts

If more content is needed, each section provides sources to dive deeper into concepts.

Ideas for ways that faculty and staff can use these resources:

The history of voter suppression can be incorporated into courses that cover: American studies, African studies, Asian American studies, history, Indigenous people’s history, political science and theory, race and inequality, women and gender studies.
Gerrymandering and redistricting concepts can be integrated into data, math, and quantitative analytic courses. See our database of examples for ideas of how faculty have integrated this concept into their courses.
Staff can use this content with any civically focused student group on campus. In particular, the “student voting challenge” activity has been successfully used in state voting summits and other extra-curricular settings.

Faculty Guide

This faculty overview offers examples and recommendations for ways to teach about the issue across academic disciplines in accessible, interactive ways.

Voter Suppression Presentation Slides

The slide decks present the content of the voter suppression module in a flexible format for presentations with engaging visuals and multiple customizable slides for instructors to cover how voter suppression is unfolding in their local communities.

Sections can be shortened and rearranged to best suit instructors’ goals. When cutting slides, please consider any introductory concepts and corresponding sources that are removed.

Presentation Slides Part One: History of Voter Suppression

This presentation provides an understanding of how the right to vote has changed throughout the history of the United States, from Reconstruction in the late-18th century to Allen v. Milligan in 2023.

Presentation Part Two: Voter Suppression Today and in the Future

This presentation provides a more in-depth look into ways that the right to vote is suppressed today including real examples, the impacts on voters, resources to learn more, and actions that can empower participants to address these issues and support people in their local communities to access their right to vote.

There are customizable slides that contain detailed instructions on how to tailor content for covering voter suppression tactics in a specific local/state context.

The eleven “Add-On Slides” allow instructors to add more information about various “Voter Suppression Tactics” to supplement the base presentation, based on the instructor’s context. These topics include (but are not limited to) Felony Disenfranchisement, Gerrymandering and Redistricting, and Voter ID Requirements.

Interactive Activities

Student Voting Challenge: This activity simulates the experiences of different students registering to vote across the country and the challenges they face when doing so. This activity will require about 30 minutes.
Redistricting Challenge: This activity simulates the redistricting of a community following the census and the challenges they face when doing so. This activity will require about 45 minutes.
Contacting Your Representative: This activity supports participants to identify and research an issue in their community, identify any solutions to the issue that they would like to see, and write a letter to one of their elected officials asking for their support. This activity requires about one hour or can be done over multiple days.
Voting Rights Timeline: The following activity is intended to expand upon the History of Voter Suppression presentation by diving deeper into the suppression and expansion of voting rights throughout the history of the United States. This activity requires 45 to 90 minutes.
Voting Rights Case Studies: The following activity is intended to challenge participants to identify and research ways in which people, communities, and elected officials have successfully combated voter suppression, paving the way for a healthier democracy. This activity requires 45 to 90 minutes.
Discussion Board Prompts: The following discussion board prompts are intended to offer asynchronous opportunities for engagement between faculty and students, reinforcing concepts of voter activation and broader civic engagement that can also be easily adapted for in-person learning environments. Discussion board prompts require 10 to 20 minutes.
Journaling Exercises: The following journaling exercises are intended to offer asynchronous opportunities for engagement between faculty and students, reinforcing concepts of voter activation and broader civic engagement that can also be easily adapted for in-person learning environments. Journaling exercises require 20 to 45 minutes, more than your typical discussion board prompt.

Add Periclean Civic Engagement Resources to Your Drive

You can also access all of Project Pericles’ original civic engagement resources on Google Drive. When downloading the Google Drive folder, all files will be saved in Microsoft Office friendly formats, such as Word Documents and Powerpoint presentations.

Please contact arielle@projectpericles.org if you have any questions or suggestions about our civic engagement resources.