Every Vote matters – celebrate your rights on Law Day Published May 2, 2014 By 2nd Lt. Ali Garced 71st Flying Training Wing Legal Office VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Every presidential election Americans are bombarded with advertisements and public service announcements encouraging people to get out and vote. But, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the highest percentage of voters for any national election in the past ten years was 63.8 percent. This was for the 2004 presidential race between George H. W. Bush and John Kerry. You may think, 63.8 percent is actually a pretty high turnout rate, but compare that to Iraq's 2010 parliamentary election, where 140 people were injured or killed while trying to vote. In that election, 62 percent of the population showed their thumbs, dyed blue with finger print ink, to the world, and they faced death to do so. Still think 63.8 percent is a good turnout for American voters? In 1961Congress designated May 1 as Law Day, and every year since the president has issued a Law Day proclamation. The 2014 Law Day theme, as designated by The American Bar Association, is "American Democracy and the Rule of Law: Why Every Vote Matters." The ABA defines Law Day as: "A national day set aside to celebrate the rule of law. Law Day underscores how law and the legal process have contributed to the freedoms that all Americans share." It is a special day celebrated by the American people in "appreciation of their liberties and re-dedication to the ideals of equality and justice under law." The right to vote in America has been hard fought. It is important for Airmen, to be grateful for the sacrifices others made to give us the right to select our leaders. To better understand this sacrifice, here is a brief history of voting rights in America: 1776 -- Only white males over the age of 21 who owned land could vote. 1848 -- Activists for ending slavery and women's rights join together. 1865 -- Voting was expanded to all white men. (North Carolina was the last state to remove the property ownership as a requirement.) 1868 -- Former slaves were granted citizenship, and voters were still defined as male. 1870--The 15th Amendment was passed and stated that voters cannot be denied solely because of race. States required literacy tests and voting taxes, and used violence and intimidation to restrict black votes. 1872 -- Susan B. Anthony was arrested and brought to trial in Rochester, New York, for attempting to vote. Sojourner Truth, a former slave and advocate for equality, demanded a ballot in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but was turned away. 1876 -- Supreme Court ruled Native Americans were not citizens as defined by the 14th Amendment and, thus, could not vote. Only those who gave up their tribal affiliations could vote. This was known as the Dawes Act. 1890 -- Wyoming was admitted to statehood and became the first state to legislate voting for women in its constitution. 1920 - The 19th Amendment was passed, giving women right to vote in state and federal elections. 1922 - The Supreme Court ruled that people of Japanese heritage and Asian Indians were ineligible to become naturalized citizens and, thus, could not vote. 1926 -- Black women were beaten by election officials for trying to vote in Birmingham, Alabama. 1952 - The McCarran-Walter Act granted all people of Asian ancestry the right to become citizens. 1965 - The Voting Rights Act was passed, forbidding states from imposing discriminatory restrictions on who can vote. 1971 - The voting age was lowered to 18 on the premise that people who were old enough to fight in the Vietnam War were old enough to vote. 1975 - Amendments to the Voting Rights Act required certain voting materials be printed in languages other than English, so people who could not read English could participate. The thought I would like you to take away from this is: Don't just vote every four years. Exercise your right to vote in more than just presidential elections. Get involved in your city election board and stay informed. Don't be one of those citizens who will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won't cross the street to vote for their leaders. For more information, visit www.canivote.org or contact the Legal Office at 213-7404.