Which historical voting restriction limited suffrage to individuals whose grandfathers had voted before 1865?

Which historical voting restriction limited suffrage to individuals whose grandfathers had voted before 1865?

• A. Equal protection clause
• B. Grandfather clause
• C. De jure segregation
• D. Due process clause

Answer: (B)

Grandfather clauses were a discriminatory voting rule that tied eligibility to whether one’s grandfather had the right to vote before a certain year. This device was used in the post–Reconstruction era to bypass the 15th Amendment while preserving white voters’ access to the ballot. Because most Black citizens’ grandfathers could not vote before 1865, the clause effectively excluded them, even if they met other requirements, thereby limiting suffrage along racial lines. The other options describe broad constitutional protections or general forms of segregation, not a specific mechanism that restricted who could vote based on ancestry.

Grandfather clauses were a discriminatory voting rule that tied eligibility to whether one’s grandfather had the right to vote before a certain year. This device was used in the post–Reconstruction era to bypass the 15th Amendment while preserving white voters’ access to the ballot. Because most Black citizens’ grandfathers could not vote before 1865, the clause effectively excluded them, even if they met other requirements, thereby limiting suffrage along racial lines.

The other options describe broad constitutional protections or general forms of segregation, not a specific mechanism that restricted who could vote based on ancestry.