In the United States today, many people take for granted the right to vote in political elections. But the right to vote, known as “suffrage,” has never been fully inclusive. In fact, in the early years of our nation, voting was restricted to only a small portion of the population, and while changes in our laws and our Constitution have expanded rights over the centuries, sometimes new restrictions were introduced instead. 

This online exhibition looks at moments in American voting history as experienced by Staten Islanders, ranging from elections for county officials to participation in elections of national importance. Some issues, such as the 1993 vote for Staten Island to secede from New York City, are intensely local, while matters such as women’s suffrage and presidential campaigns link Staten Island residents to the rest of the country. Election returns, campaign buttons and posters, ballots, and other artifacts and documents from Historic Richmond Town’s collection help us understand the history of suffrage as experienced by Staten Islanders.