Voter suppression has been a longstanding issue in Black history, dating back to the aftermath of the Civil War during Reconstruction in the late 19th century. After the 15th Amendment granted Black men the right to vote in 1870, southern states implemented various tactics to disenfranchise Black voters, including literacy tests, poll taxes, and violence and intimidation at the polls.

During the Jim Crow era in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, discriminatory voting practices such as grandfather clauses and white primaries effectively denied Black Americans the right to vote. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s saw a renewed push to end voter suppression, culminating in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

However, voter suppression continues to be a problem in the present day, with tactics such as voter ID laws, voter roll purges, and reduced access to polling places disproportionately affecting Black voters. Efforts to combat voter suppression and protect the right to vote are ongoing, as advocates work to ensure that all citizens have equal access to the ballot box.