Voter registration has played a significant role in Black history, particularly in the United States. From the Reconstruction era following the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, the right to vote and efforts to register Black voters have been central to the struggle for racial equality.

During Reconstruction, following the passage of the 15th Amendment which granted African American men the right to vote, Black voters faced many obstacles in attempting to register and cast their ballots. Voter suppression tactics such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and violence were commonly used to disenfranchise Black voters.

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s saw a renewed focus on voter registration as a key strategy for achieving equal rights for African Americans. Organizations like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) led voter registration drives in Southern states where Black voters were systematically excluded from the electoral process.

One of the most famous voter registration efforts of this era was the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965. These marches were organized to protest the denial of voting rights to African Americans in Alabama and ultimately led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which aimed to eliminate discriminatory voting practices.

Despite the progress made through the efforts of the Civil Rights Movement, voter suppression continues to be a challenge for Black voters today. Efforts to restrict voting rights, such as voter ID laws and voter purges, disproportionately affect minority communities and highlight the ongoing struggle for equal access to the ballot box.