What was the criteria set by the framers of the Constitution for citizenship and the right to vote?
A. There is no explicit definition of citizenship in the Constitution. See the Citizenship Page for more information. Voting rights are also not mentioned in the original Constitution. The 14th Amendment basically set the standard at all males 21 and over. The 15th guarantees voting regardless of race. The 19th guarantees voting to women. The 23rd gives citizens of Washington D.C. the right to vote for president. The 24th prohibits poll taxes in the voting for federal representatives. The 26th lowers the age to 18.
