1876 Connecticut Question 6

Referendum repealing requirement of being white to voteOctober 2, 1876 Connecticut 29,954 2,242 250px County results 250px Municipality results Yes #B6C8D9 50–60% #7D9CBB 60–70% #47729E 70–80% #28497C 80–90% #2B2457 90–100% No #DEDEBD 50–60% #BCBC83 60–70% No Vote #808080 Source:Connecticut State Archives, RG 6, Certified Voting Records, Vol. 58 https://electionhistory.ct.gov/eng/ballot_questions/get_source_documentation/25898/1 2 December 2025 CT.GOV That article eight of the amendments to the constitution be amended by erasing the word 'white' from the first line. 1876 Connecticut Question 6 was a successful amendment to the 1818 Constitution of the U.S. state of Connecticut that removed the requirement that voters be white. The ballot measure was approved with just over 93% of the vote in favor; all counties voted in favor, and only two municipalities voted against: Bethany and Bridgewater. Background In 1845, Connecticut voted on a constitutional amendment which provided that to vote, one had to be a white male citizen who was at least 21 years old, and had to have lived in the state for at least a year, and their town for at least six months, and had to have sustained good moral character. The amendment was approved in a 90.90% to 9.10% vote.Connecticut Question 1, Race, Age, and Residency Requirements to Become an Elector Amendment (1845) https://ballotpedia.org/Connecticut_Question_1,_Race,_Age,_and_Residency_Requirements_to_Become_an_Elector_Amendment_(1845) 2 December 2025 Ballotpedia In 1870, with the passage of the 15th amendment, it became unconstitutional in the United States to deny the right to vote to a citizen on the basis of their race, color, or previous condition of servitude.All Amendments to the United States Constitution http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/education/all_amendments_usconst.htm University of Minnesota Human Rights Library Connecticut ratified the amendment on May 19, 1869, becoming the 15th state to do so.The Constitution of the United States and Amendments Thereto Virginia Commission on Constitutional Government 1961 James J. Kilpatrick 46 The State House had voted on May 14 to ratify it, and did so in a 126 to 104 vote, with 7 legislators either absent or not voting. All Republicans besides one voted in favor, and all Democrats voted against.14 May 1869 Ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment by the Connecticut Legislature. https://www.nytimes.com/1869/05/14/archives/ratification-of-the-fifteenth-amendment-by-the-connecticut.html 7 December 2025 The New York Times Contents The ballot title was: "Erasing the word 'white' from electoral qualifications."1876 Oct 2 :: State of Connecticut :: Question 6 :: Constitutional Amendment https://electionhistory.ct.gov/eng/ballot_questions/view/25898#bq-question-summary-label 2 December 2025 CT.GOV The summary was: "That article eight of the amendments to the constitution be amended by erasing the word 'white' from the first line." Results The amendment was approved by 93% of voters. Individual counties' results ranged from 89.74% to 96.39% in favor.Connecticut State Archives, RG 6, Certified Voting Records, Vol. 58 https://electionhistory.ct.gov/eng/ballot_questions/get_source_documentation/25898/1 2 December 2025 CT.GOV CountyYesNo#%#%Fairfield4,45990.284809.72Hartford7,98696.392993.61Litchfield3,05492.412517.59Middlesex2,30694.901245.10New Haven5,04592.134317.87New London3,37191.213258.79Tolland1,65389.7418910.26Windham2,08093.571436.43Total29,95493.042,2426.96 See also Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution Black suffrage in the United States Timeline of voting rights in the United States References Category:1876 in Connecticut Category:Ballot measures in the United States Category:Race and law in the United States Category:History of African-American civil rights Category:Voting in the United States Category:History of voting rights in the United States Category:Politics and race in the United States