Voting Rights and Elections – The UncommonWealth

Archives

Finding Peter Crippen’s People

Back in January, we made a new connection with the Huntington African American Museum (HAAM) in New York. Head curator Tiarra Brown reached out to…

Lydia NeurothApril 29, 2026

Manuscripts & Special Collections The Stacks

Newly-Available Archival Accessions, July 1- September 30, 2025

The Library of Virginia maintains the most comprehensive collection of information about Virginia’s history, culture, and government. We hold more than 200 million manuscript items,…

Trenton HizerDecember 12, 2025

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

Political Life in Virginia

Editor’s Note: This blog post contains information from a previous Library of Virginia exhibition, "A full vote, a fair ballot, and a free count": Political Life…

Library of VirginiaNovember 3, 2025

Archives

Are You Smarter than a Literacy Test?

In 1920, Cora Cottman joined scores of other American women applying to vote for the very first time following the ratification of the 19th Amendment.…

McKenzie LongSeptember 23, 2024

Archives

Spirits, Freeholders, and Aliens: Contested Elections in 18th Century Virginia

I recently came across the records of Contested Elections, and with the 2024 elections right around the corner, my interest was piqued. The cases span…

Dawn TinnellSeptember 2, 2024

Digital Projects Education & Programming

Civic Season 2022

The Library of Virginia is excited to partner with Made by Us, a coalition of history museums, archives, historical societies, and civic education organizations, in…

Library of VirginiaJune 15, 2022

Education & Programming The Stacks Virginia Authors

Placing Pupils on Common Ground

Charlene Butts Ligon’s book Fearless: How a Poor Virginia seamstress took on Jim Crow, beat the poll tax and changed her city forever focuses on…

Library of VirginiaOctober 22, 2021

Archives Education & Programming

“Her prospects of election”: Virginia Women Run for Office

"The political woman will be a menace," warned anti-suffragists during the campaign for women's voting rights. Not only would women in politics threaten the family…

Mari JulienneMarch 3, 2021

Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

Unfinished Business: How Young is Too Young to Vote?

The 26th Amendment, the last in a series of amendments which expanded constitutional protection for voting rights, provided that “the right of citizens of the…

Catherine Fitzgerald WyattNovember 9, 2020

Archives

Election Daze: How Long Do Our Elections Really Take?

In this year's election, nearly 2.8 million of the commonwealth’s approximately 5.9 million registered voters voted early or by mail-in ballot. Having voted before the…

Vince BrooksNovember 6, 2020

Education & Programming

Unfinished Business: Indigenous Voters in Virginia

This blog post is being written on the lands of Virginia’s Indigenous people, Cheroenhaka (Nottoway), Chickahominy, East Chickahominy, Mattaponi, Monacan, Nansemond, Nottoway, Pamunkey, Patawomeck, Upper…

Ashley CraigNovember 4, 2020

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

“A day of triumph and dignity”: Virginia Women Vote in 1920

Virginia women went to the polls for the first time on 2 November 1920, a cool and cloudy day across the commonwealth. After the Nineteenth…

Mari JulienneNovember 2, 2020

Education & Programming

Unfinished Business: Disenfranchisement of People Currently or Formerly Incarcerated in Virginia

CONTENT WARNING: Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and…

Emma ItoOctober 30, 2020

Archives

What’s Your Excuse? : 1793 Mecklenburg County Election Excuses

With election season upon us, a recent find in Local Records seems particularly timely. While exploring a box of unprocessed Mecklenburg County records, archivists noticed…

Tracy HarterOctober 29, 2020

Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

“On the list of those who will vote for Woman Suffrage”: Virginia Women Lobby the General Assembly

Visitors to the Library of Virginia's exhibition, We Demand: Women's Suffrage in Virginia, have been drawn to a large display of index cards filled with…

Brent TarterSeptember 30, 2020