Photo by Frank Q Brown, courtesy of University of California, Department of Special Collections

The Struggle for Voting Rights at Colleges

This Network Collaborative Course uses the 26th Amendment as a prism through which to examine the history of disenfranchisement and the fight for voting rights in the United States, as well as the role of college communities in that process. The four institutions involved in developing the course offer unique insights into the role of colleges in the fight for voting rights, particularly the fight against discrimination based on race and age. 

The Struggle for Voting Rights at Colleges was co-designed by faculty from Bard College, North Carolina A&T, Prairie View A&M University, and Tuskegee University, where each institution has been the site of voting rights struggles. By the end of the course, students will have developed an understanding of the history of the struggle for student voting rights and the challenges to those rights that are being faced today.

This course is an Open Educational Resource and includes short video lectures on many of the issues addressed in the course, from experiences at Bard, Tuskegee, Prairie View A&M and North Carolina A&T, to discussions about the importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. All the materials are free to use for non-commercial purposes.

Indivisible: The College Campus that Refused to be Split

Founded in 1891 in Greensboro, North Carolina, in the era of segregated higher education that followed the Morrill Acts, North Carolina A&T State University has stood as both a refuge for Black scholarship and a crucible for social change. From the catalytic Greensboro Four sit-ins of 1960 to present-day battles against racial gerrymandering and voter suppression, A&T students have never shied from confronting injustice head-on. This film traces the university’s intertwined legacy of civil rights leadership and voting rights advocacy, revealing how generations of Aggies have mobilized to protect the power of the ballot—on their campus, in their community, and across the nation.

A Poll To Call Our Own – The Bard College Story

In a saga spanning nearly three decades, Bard students, staff, and administrators have fought tooth and nail to protect students' constitutional right to vote in democratic elections. Entrenched in ongoing disputes with local election officials over everything from student voter registration to the location and conditions of their district's polling place, Bard College has undertaken four separate lawsuits. "A Poll To Call Our Own – The Bard College Story" documents this journey.

Read the written case study
  • Panthers Vote: The Civic Legacy of Prairie View A&M University

    On the grounds of the former Alta Vista Slave Plantation, in the gulf plains of Texas, sits the mighty Prairie View A&M University. Embedded in the culture of the Prairie View Panthers is the idea that every student has the power and the right to help shape the future of their campus, their community, and the world. Since the wrongful indictment of 19 Prairie View student voters in the early 1990s, the university has been among the most significant contributors to the area of student voting rights. “Panthers Vote” documents the fierce political battles that have defined their legacy.

  • United We Stand: The Tuskegee Institute’s Democratic Legacy

    Through its fraught history enduring racial violence, political attacks, and the infamous syphilis study, the Tuskegee community has sought refuge on the grounds of Tuskegee University, a now elite HBCU dedicated to producing the best and brightest educators and practitioners across a litany of disciplines. Tuskegee University’s story, though painful at times, is one of great triumph and persistence. “United We Stand” explores how Tuskegee students, staff, and faculty set the stage for an expansion of voter enfranchisement, a battle that wages on more than a century after the first reconstruction.

The Struggle for Voting Rights at Colleges video lectures

I. Case Studies: Youth Voting Rights and US Colleges and Universities

I. Case Studies: Youth Voting Rights and US Colleges and Universities

  • Gomillion vs. Lightfoot

    TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
    Lisa Bratton    , Assistant Professor of History at Tuskegee University, tells the history of the 1960 U.S. Supreme Court‘s landmark decision, Gomillion v. Lightfoot, in which the court ruled that gerrymandering of municipal boundaries of the city of Tuskegee violated the 15th Amendment. Dr. Bratton provides insight into the case, as well as into the life of the main plaintiff, Charles Gomillion, a teacher and administrator at Tuskegee, and his work on voting rights advocacy and leadership of a boycott of white-owned businesses, known as “Trade with Your Friends.”

  • Symm v. United States

    PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY
    Melanye Price    , Professor of Political Science at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), discusses the only Supreme Court case that addresses the 26th Amendment, 1979’s Symm v. United States, which centered on PVAMU students and residency requirements related to student voting. Residency was a critical question after the passage of the 26th Amendment. Dr. Price explores the historical role of the PVAMU campus and its students in the legal battle to exercise the right to vote.

  • Ongoing Efforts to Support Student Voting Rights

    PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY
    Melanye Price    , Professor of Political Science at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), discusses the ongoing legal battle between Waller County and Prairie View A&M University over students' right to vote. Professor Price provides the historical context in which this fight takes place, as well as how political conflicts fuel civic participation. Other important cases involving PVAMU, such as Smith v. Allwright and Shelby v. Holder, as well as recent developments in access to voting in Allen v. Waller County, are spotlighted.

  • History of Gerrymandering at North Carolina A&T

    NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL AND TECHNICAL STATE UNIVERSITY
    Jelani M. Favors    , the Henry E. Frye Distinguished Professor of History and the Director of the Center for Excellence and Social Justice at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, talks about the threats that HBCUs face for their robust political engagement. Gerrymandering was a common practice designed to marginalize Black voters in the South. This case study investigates racial politics in North Carolina and the case of gerrymandering that took place in the biggest HBCU in the nation, North Carolina A&T.

  • The Fight for Vote and Polling Place at Bard College

    BARD COLLEGE
    Jonathan Becker    , Professor of Political Studies, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and the Director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Bard College, discusses Bard College's four phases in the fight to uphold student voting rights. Learn why Bard's case is important and how organizing, advocacy, and litigation have played an essential role in achieving student voting rights in New York State.

  • The Anatomy of The Fight to Promote Student Voting

    BARD COLLEGE
    Jonathan Becker    , Professor of Political Studies, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and the Director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Bard College, discusses effective strategies to achieve voting rights victories. Learn about the so-called “information warfare” social media campaigns, and the use of tools of government that Bard leveraged to advocate for a polling site on its campus. Also, learn about the challenges Bard encountered throughout this process and the enforcement mechanisms it employed as a response.

II. Background: 26th Amendment and Voting Rights

  • The Twenty-Sixth Amendment: What, When, & How

    Yael Bromberg, a constitutional rights attorney who practices election law and voting rights across the country, and a leading expert on the 26th Amendment, talks about the legislative history of the Amendment that defines the constitutional class of voters. Learn about the historical milestones in the evolution of the federal right to vote, such as second and third reconstructions.

  • Youth Voting Rights: Youth Voters as a Protected Class And Youth Voter Infringements Today

    Yael Bromberg, a constitutional rights attorney who practices election law and voting rights across the country, and a leading expert on the 26th Amendment, examines the role of the 26th Amendment in the context of youth voter infringement today, specifically in imposing special burdens on young voters. You will learn the meaning of ‘protected classifications,’ as well as the specificities of age as a protected class given the language of the 26th Amendment.

  • The Story of America: Youth Leaders as Democracy Practitioners and the Bridge Between the 26th and the Civil Rights Movement

    Yael Bromberg, a constitutional rights attorney who practices election law and voting rights across the US  and who is a leading expert on the 26th Amendment, addresses the role of young people as democratic practitioners and leaders. Learn what makes the youth population important actors in US politics and a promising voting group. This lecture also asks whether these dynamic changes suggest we are experiencing a third reconstruction today. 

III. History of Institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities

  • The Second Curriculum at HBCUs and Connection to Student Activism

    NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL AND TECHNICAL STATE UNIVERSITY
    Jelani M. Favors    , the Henry E. Frye Distinguished Professor of History and the Director of the Center for Excellence and Social Justice at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, explores the distinctive pedagogical approach developed in the HBCUs and the role these institutions played in the struggle for Black liberation and empowerment. Learn about the specifics of Black scholarship and the power of these havens in social and communal organization.

  • Legacy of HBCUs/Origins

    NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL AND TECHNICAL STATE UNIVERSITY
    Jelani M. Favors    , the Henry E. Frye Distinguished Professor of History and the Director of the Center for Excellence and Social Justice at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, explores the historical background in which HBCUs developed and the pernicious role of the Western Academy in the creation of race as a social construct. The second half of the lecture covers the impact that HBCUs had on galvanizing Black leadership, their contribution to social justice and national industry, and the unique culture associated with these institutions.

  • The Tuskegee Airmen

    TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
    Lisa Bratton    , Assistant Professor of History at Tuskegee University, tells the fascinating story of the African American pilots who played a key role in the history of racial segregation in the US Army. Learn about the historical injustices committed against African Americans, evidenced by the historical document of the Army War College “The Use of Negro Manpower.” Also learn about other exemplars of African American excellence, historically obscured, such as Sojourner Truth, Booker T. Washington, Maggie Lena Walker, as well as fascinating histories of the nation’s first female pilots. 

IV. Trainings

  • From Voter Registration to Voter Engagement

    BARD COLLEGE
    Erin Cannan    , Vice President for Civic Engagement at Bard College, discusses the vital steps that can be taken to support and encourage student voting. From getting students registered to promoting voter education, Cannan discusses the challenges along the way, including inequity in voters' backgrounds and ineffective mobilization. Also, learn about what motivates young people to vote.

  • Oral History

    BARD COLLEGE
    Lisa Bratton    , Assistant Professor of History at Tuskegee University, discusses the origins of oral history in the African griot tradition, its use, collection, and relevance in historical research. Also, learn about the difference between primary and secondary sources, and find out how to be more effective in shaping different and more personal narratives around historical events. This lecture also contains examples of oral history projects conducted by Dr. Bratton.