Voter registration has been a critical issue in Black history, as the right to vote has been a central theme in the ongoing struggle for civil rights and racial equality. Throughout U.S. history, Black Americans have faced numerous obstacles when trying to register to vote, including discriminatory laws, voter suppression tactics, and violence.

Following the Civil War and the passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870, which granted Black men the right to vote, many southern states enacted Jim Crow laws and other measures to disenfranchise Black voters. These included poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses that effectively prevented African Americans from registering to vote.

During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, voter registration became a key focus of activists working to secure full political rights for Black Americans. Organizations like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) launched massive voter registration drives in states like Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, where Black voter registration rates were especially low.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark piece of legislation that aimed to eliminate barriers to Black voter registration. It prohibited literacy tests and other discriminatory practices, and authorized federal oversight of elections in states with a history of voter suppression. Thanks to the efforts of civil rights activists and the protections provided by the Voting Rights Act, Black voter registration rates increased significantly in the years following its passage.

However, challenges to voter registration continue to this day, with ongoing debates over voter ID laws, gerrymandering, and other tactics that disproportionately impact minority voters. Voter registration remains a crucial issue in the fight for racial justice and equal representation in American democracy.