A visual history of voting from Flickr Commons

Get out the vote!

November 5 is Election Day in the United States. People from every US state will cast their votes for offices ranging from President of the United States to small-town Justices of the Peace and Sheriffs. Campaigning is ubiquitous. People document their political choices with their vote and we’ve been so fortunate that they’ve often documented this action with photography. The laws and rules of voting vary dramatically from place to place—how you register to vote, where you need to go on Election Day, what you need to bring with you—and people’s rights to vote have also changed over time. Take a look through these photos from Flickr Commons organizations, documenting election days and campaigns over the years. 

Ready to vote (LOC)

Ready to vote (LOC), taken March 1918

The Library of Congress

 

N_74_4_86

Suffragists, including Gertrude Weil, taken c. 1920

State Archives of North Carolina

 

African American and white voters voting together in 1956 - Tallahassee

African American and white voters voting together in Tallahassee, taken 1956

Florida Memory

Voting access

Some people vote using voting machines, some people vote using paper ballots, some people vote with the assistance of trained poll workers. Access to the vote continues to be a work in progress. Whether someone opts to mail in their ballot early or show up on election day, voters have continued to use the ballot to represent their voice in any given election. 

Eleanor Roosevelt votes in Hyde Park, New York, 11/03/1936

Eleanor Roosevelt votes in Hyde Park, New York, taken November 1936 

National Archives (US)

Voting

Voting in New South Wales, taken August 1973

State Library of New South Wales

 

Woman assisting voter - Tallahassee, Florida

Woman assisting voter – Tallahassee, Florida, taken November 6, 2000

Florida Memory

Campaign central

Historically, candidates have had a lot of original ideas for getting their names, positions, and likenesses in front of potential voters, even before the days of social media. With examples from commemorative coins, to branded banners, handkerchiefs and sashes, there has been no lack of creativity in making sure the public has the opportunity to learn a candidates name before heading to the polls on Election Day. 

Van Buren Campaign and Commemorative Items

Van Buren Campaign and Commemorative Items, ca. 1840-1900

Cornell University Library

 

McKinley-Theodore Roosevelt "Our Candidates" Glass Flask, ca. 1900

McKinley-Theodore Roosevelt “Our Candidates” Glass Flask, ca. 1900

Cornell University Library

 

Blaine-Logan Portrait Handkerchief, 1884

Blaine-Logan Portrait Handkerchief, 1884

Cornell University Library

 

suffrage_sash

Suffrage Sash, 1914

Schlesinger Library

 

Child holding suffrage placard

Child Holding Suffrage Placard

LSE Library

 

It's more important than life and death

Alice Park’s collection of Suffragette badges, c 1920’s-1930s

National Library of Ireland

 

 

For president, Abram Lincoln. For vice president, Hannibal Hamlin (LOC)

For president, Abram Lincoln. For vice president, Hannibal Hamlin, c. 1860

Library of Congress

Voices heard all over the world

Voting is an important tool to make our voices heard and it’s just the starting point for civic and political engagement that can help shape your community’s future. From Ghana, to Turkey, Japan to Australia, voting day is a day we can all come together and help choose a path that reflects our vision for the future. 

CO 1069-53-74

Kungungu Polling Station in the Northern Territories, Ghana, taken 1957

National Archives UK

 

1924 Elections in Turkey

Elections in Turkey, c. 1924

SALT Research

 

Jap. [Japan] -- women vote (LOC)

Women vote in Japan, c 1925

Library of Congress

 

Vrouwenkiesrecht / Votes for women

Dutch women going to the polls for the first time, taken 1921

Nationaal Archief

 

Nurses voting on Election Day, Brisbane, 1938

Nurses voting on Election Day, Brisbane, taken 1938

State Library of Queensland

 

Election advertising in Wondai, 1906

Election advertising in Wondai, Queensland, taken 1906

State Library of Queensland

We hope you enjoy this walk through past voting days. Remember to leave your own mark on history by participating tomorrow and on election days to come!

History preserved

The Flickr Foundation wants to help everyone share the important moments in their cultural history and keep them accessible for 100 years. We’re doing the work to make that happen. Read about our Data Lifeboat project or dive into our Commons Explorer to see all of the great curated images from over 100 cultural heritage institutions around the world.