How has the Supreme Court interpreted the right of citizens to vote under the Fifteenth Amendment?

The Fifteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits the federal and state government from denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. The Supreme Court has interpreted the Fifteenth Amendment to require states to allow all citizens to register and vote without unconstitutional barriers. In Rhode Island, the Supreme Court ruled that literacy tests should not be used to deny citizens the right to vote. The court held that literacy tests violated the Fifteenth Amendment because such tests were disproportionately used to deny minority rights to vote. Similarly, the Supreme Court found that having different residency and voter registration requirements for primary and general elections violated the Fifteenth Amendment. The court reasoned that the requirement to register twice in the same year, and with different requirements for each registration, burdened the right to vote for minority voters. By striking down literacy tests and separate residency requirements, the Supreme Court has interpreted the Fifteenth Amendment to protect all citizens’ right to register and vote without unconstitutional barriers. This interpretation ensures that all citizens in Rhode Island are able to equally exercise their right to vote, regardless of race, color, or condition of servitude.

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How has the Supreme Court interpreted the right of citizens to vote under the Fifteenth Amendment?

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