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<div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Provision in which existing cases are exempt from a new rule which will apply to future cases</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">"Grandfathered" redirects here. For the TV series, see <a href="/wiki/Grandfathered_(TV_series)" title="Grandfathered (TV series)">Grandfathered (TV series)</a>.</div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Not to be confused with the <a href="/wiki/Grandfather_rule" title="Grandfather rule">Grandfather rule</a> or the <a href="/wiki/Citizenship_of_the_United_States#Pathways_to_citizenship" title="Citizenship of the United States">Grandparent rule</a>.</div> <p> A <b>grandfather clause</b>, also known as <b>grandfather policy</b>, <b>grandfathering</b>, or being <b>grandfathered in</b>, is a provision in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations while a new rule will apply to all future cases. Those exempt from the new rule are said to have grandfather rights or acquired rights, or to have been grandfathered in. Frequently, the exemption is limited, as it may extend for a set time, or it may be lost under certain circumstances; for example, a grandfathered <a href="/wiki/Power_station" title="Power station">power plant</a> might be exempt from new, more restrictive pollution laws, but the exception may be revoked and the new rules would apply if the plant were expanded. Often, such a provision is used as a <a href="/wiki/Compromise" title="Compromise">compromise</a> or out of practicality, to allow new rules to be enacted without upsetting a well-established logistical or political situation. This extends the idea of a rule not being <a href="/wiki/Ex_post_facto" class="mw-redirect" title="Ex post facto">retroactively applied</a>. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Origin">Origin</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Grandfather_clause&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Origin"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Southern_United_States">Southern United States</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Grandfather_clause&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Southern United States"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The term originated in late 19th-century legislation and constitutional amendments passed by a number of <a href="/wiki/Southern_U.S." class="mw-redirect" title="Southern U.S.">Southern U.S.</a> states, which created new requirements for <a href="/wiki/Literacy_test" title="Literacy test">literacy tests</a>, payment of <a href="/wiki/Poll_tax_(United_States)" class="mw-redirect" title="Poll tax (United States)">poll taxes</a> and residency and property restrictions to register to vote. States in some cases exempted those whose ancestors (e.g., <a href="/wiki/Grandfathers" class="mw-redirect" title="Grandfathers">grandfathers</a>) had the right to vote before the <a href="/wiki/American_Civil_War" title="American Civil War">American Civil War</a> or as of a particular date from such requirements. The intent and effect of such rules was to prevent former <a href="/wiki/African-American" class="mw-redirect" title="African-American">African-American</a> <a href="/wiki/Slavery_in_the_United_States" title="Slavery in the United States">slaves</a> and their descendants from voting but without denying poor and illiterate whites the right to vote.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Although these original grandfather clauses were eventually ruled unconstitutional, the terms <i>grandfather clause</i> and <i>grandfather</i> have been adapted to other uses. </p><p>The original grandfather clauses were contained in new <a href="/wiki/State_constitution_(United_States)" class="mw-redirect" title="State constitution (United States)">state constitutions</a> and <a href="/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws" title="Jim Crow laws">Jim Crow laws</a> passed between 1890 and 1908 by white-dominated <a href="/wiki/State_legislature_(United_States)" title="State legislature (United States)">state legislatures</a> including <a href="/wiki/Alabama" title="Alabama">Alabama</a>, <a href="/wiki/Georgia_(U.S._state)" title="Georgia (U.S. state)">Georgia</a>, <a href="/wiki/Louisiana" title="Louisiana">Louisiana</a>, <a href="/wiki/North_Carolina" title="North Carolina">North Carolina</a>, <a href="/wiki/Oklahoma" title="Oklahoma">Oklahoma</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Virginia" title="Virginia">Virginia</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> They restricted <a href="/wiki/Voter_registration_in_the_United_States" title="Voter registration in the United States">voter registration</a>, effectively preventing African Americans from voting.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Racial restrictions on voting in place before 1870 were invalidated by the <a href="/wiki/Fifteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution">Fifteenth Amendment</a>. </p><p>After <a href="/wiki/Democratic_Party_(United_States)" title="Democratic Party (United States)">Democrats</a> took control of state legislatures again, especially after the <a href="/wiki/Compromise_of_1877" title="Compromise of 1877">Compromise of 1877</a>, they began to work to restrict the ability of black people to vote. <a href="/wiki/Paramilitary" title="Paramilitary">Paramilitary</a> groups such as the <a href="/wiki/White_League" title="White League">White League</a>, <a href="/wiki/Red_Shirts_(Southern_United_States)" class="mw-redirect" title="Red Shirts (Southern United States)">Red Shirts</a>, and rifle clubs had intimidated black people or barred them from the polls in numerous elections before what they called the <a href="/wiki/Redemption_(United_States_history)" class="mw-redirect" title="Redemption (United States history)">Redemption</a> (restoration of <a href="/wiki/White_supremacy" title="White supremacy">white supremacy</a>). Nonetheless, a coalition of <a href="/wiki/Populist_Party_(United_States)" class="mw-redirect" title="Populist Party (United States)">Populists</a> and <a href="/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_States)" title="Republican Party (United States)">Republicans</a> in <a href="/wiki/Electoral_fusion" class="mw-redirect" title="Electoral fusion">fusion tickets</a> in the 1880s and 1890s gained some seats and won some governor positions. To prevent such coalitions in the future, the Democrats wanted to exclude freedmen and other black people from voting; in some states they also restricted poor whites to avoid biracial coalitions. </p><p>White Democrats developed statutes and passed new constitutions creating restrictive voter registration rules. Examples included imposition of <a href="/wiki/Poll_tax_(United_States)" class="mw-redirect" title="Poll tax (United States)">poll taxes</a> and residency and <a href="/wiki/Literacy_tests" class="mw-redirect" title="Literacy tests">literacy tests</a>. An exemption to such requirements was made for all persons allowed to vote before the <a href="/wiki/American_Civil_War" title="American Civil War">American Civil War</a>, and any of their descendants. The term <i>grandfather clause</i> arose from the fact that the laws tied the then-current generation's voting rights to those of their grandfathers. According to Black's <i>Law Dictionary</i>, some Southern states adopted constitutional provisions exempting from the literacy requirements descendants of those who fought in the army or navy of the United States or of the Confederate States during a time of war. </p><p>After the <a href="/wiki/U.S._Supreme_Court" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. Supreme Court">U.S. Supreme Court</a> found such provisions unconstitutional in <i><a href="/wiki/Guinn_v._United_States" title="Guinn v. United States">Guinn v. United States</a></i> (1915), states were forced to stop using the grandfather clauses to provide exemption to literacy tests. Without the grandfather clauses, tens of thousands of poor Southern whites were <a href="/wiki/Disenfranchisement_after_the_Reconstruction_Era" class="mw-redirect" title="Disenfranchisement after the Reconstruction Era">disenfranchised</a> in the early 20th century. As decades passed, Southern states tended to expand the franchise for poor whites, but most black people could not vote until after passage of the 1965 <a href="/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act" class="mw-redirect" title="Voting Rights Act">Voting Rights Act</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Ratification in 1964 of the <a href="/wiki/Twenty-fourth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution">Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution</a> prohibited the use of poll taxes in federal elections, but some states continued to use them in state elections. </p><p>The 1965 <a href="/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act" class="mw-redirect" title="Voting Rights Act">Voting Rights Act</a> had provisions to protect voter registration and access to elections, with federal enforcement and supervision where necessary. In 1966, the Supreme Court ruled in <i><a href="/wiki/Harper_v._Virginia_Board_of_Elections" class="mw-redirect" title="Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections">Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections</a></i> that poll taxes could not be used in any elections. This secured the franchise for most citizens, and voter registration and turnout climbed dramatically in Southern states. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Other_contexts">Other contexts</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Grandfather_clause&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Other contexts"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>There is also a rather different, older type of <i>grandfather clause</i>, perhaps more properly a <i>grandfather principle</i> in which a government blots out transactions of the recent past, usually those of a predecessor government. The modern analogue may be repudiating public debt, but the original was <a href="/wiki/Henry_II_of_England" title="Henry II of England">Henry II</a>'s principle, preserved in many of his judgments, "Let it be as it was on the day of <a href="/wiki/Henry_I_of_England" title="Henry I of England">my grandfather</a>'s death", a principle by which he repudiated all the royal grants that had been made in the previous 19 years under <a href="/wiki/Stephen_of_Blois" class="mw-redirect" title="Stephen of Blois">King Stephen</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Modern_examples">Modern examples</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Grandfather_clause&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Modern examples"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/List_of_grandfather_clauses" title="List of grandfather clauses">List of grandfather clauses</a></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Grandfather_clause&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Generally_recognized_as_safe" title="Generally recognized as safe">Generally recognized as safe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Generally_recognized_as_safe_and_effective" title="Generally recognized as safe and effective">Generally recognized as safe and effective</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Grace_period" title="Grace period">Grace period</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nonconforming_use" title="Nonconforming use">Nonconforming use</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sunset_provision" title="Sunset provision">Sunset provision</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Williams_v._Mississippi" title="Williams v. Mississippi">Williams v. Mississippi</a></i></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Grandfather_clause&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width" style="column-width: 30em;"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFGreenblatt2013" class="citation web cs1">Greenblatt, Alan (October 22, 2013). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/10/21/239081586/the-racial-history-of-the-grandfather-clause">"The Racial History Of The 'Grandfather Clause'<span class="cs1-kern-right"></span>"</a>. <i>Code Switch</i>. NPR<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">June 8,</span> 2020</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Code+Switch&rft.atitle=The+Racial+History+Of+The+%27Grandfather+Clause%27&rft.date=2013-10-22&rft.aulast=Greenblatt&rft.aufirst=Alan&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Fsections%2Fcodeswitch%2F2013%2F10%2F21%2F239081586%2Fthe-racial-history-of-the-grandfather-clause&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGrandfather+clause" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFValelly2004" class="citation book cs1">Valelly, Richard M. (2004). <i>The Two Reconstructions: The Struggle for Black Enfranchisement</i>. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 141. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-226-84528-1" title="Special:BookSources/0-226-84528-1"><bdi>0-226-84528-1</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Two+Reconstructions%3A+The+Struggle+for+Black+Enfranchisement&rft.place=Chicago&rft.pages=141&rft.pub=University+of+Chicago+Press&rft.date=2004&rft.isbn=0-226-84528-1&rft.aulast=Valelly&rft.aufirst=Richard+M.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGrandfather+clause" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1B1-365960.html">"Grandfather clause"</a>. Concise Encyclopædia Britannica. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090112110404/http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1B1-365960.html">Archived</a> from the original on January 12, 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">September 6,</span> 2009</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Grandfather+clause&rft.pub=Concise+Encyclop%C3%A6dia+Britannica&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.encyclopedia.com%2Fdoc%2F1B1-365960.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGrandfather+clause" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFFeldman2004" class="citation book cs1">Feldman, Glenn (2004). <i>The Disfranchisement Myth: Poor Whites and Suffrage Restriction in Alabama</i>. Auburn: University of Georgia Press. p. 136. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8203-2615-1" title="Special:BookSources/0-8203-2615-1"><bdi>0-8203-2615-1</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Disfranchisement+Myth%3A+Poor+Whites+and+Suffrage+Restriction+in+Alabama&rft.place=Auburn&rft.pages=136&rft.pub=University+of+Georgia+Press&rft.date=2004&rft.isbn=0-8203-2615-1&rft.aulast=Feldman&rft.aufirst=Glenn&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGrandfather+clause" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFWarren1973" class="citation book cs1">Warren, Wilfred Lewis (1973). <i>Henry II</i>. Univ of Calif Press. p. 219.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Henry+II&rft.pages=219&rft.pub=Univ+of+Calif+Press&rft.date=1973&rft.aulast=Warren&rft.aufirst=Wilfred+Lewis&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGrandfather+clause" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Further_reading">Further reading</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Grandfather_clause&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Further reading"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFRiser2006" class="citation journal cs1">Riser, R. Volney (2006). "Disfranchisement, the U.S. Constitution, and the Federal Courts: Alabama's 1901 Constitutional Convention Debates the Grandfather Clause". <i>American Journal of Legal History</i>. <b>48</b> (3): <span class="nowrap">237–</span>279. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.2307%2F25434804">10.2307/25434804</a>. <a href="/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="JSTOR (identifier)">JSTOR</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/25434804">25434804</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=American+Journal+of+Legal+History&rft.atitle=Disfranchisement%2C+the+U.S.+Constitution%2C+and+the+Federal+Courts%3A+Alabama%27s+1901+Constitutional+Convention+Debates+the+Grandfather+Clause&rft.volume=48&rft.issue=3&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E237-%3C%2Fspan%3E279&rft.date=2006&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.2307%2F25434804&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F25434804%23id-name%3DJSTOR&rft.aulast=Riser&rft.aufirst=R.+Volney&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGrandfather+clause" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/fromjim_kla_2004_00_2378/page/70">Grandfather Clause in <i>From Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality</i></a></li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist 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abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Voting_rights_in_the_United_States" title="Template:Voting rights in the United States"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Voting_rights_in_the_United_States" title="Template talk:Voting rights in the United States"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Voting_rights_in_the_United_States" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Voting rights in the United States"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Voting_rights_in_the_United_States127" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Voting_rights_in_the_United_States" title="Voting rights in the United States">Voting rights in the United States</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Constitutional<br />provisions</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Article_One_of_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Article One of the United States Constitution">Article I</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Article_One_of_the_United_States_Constitution#Clause_1:_Composition_and_election_of_Members" title="Article One of the United States Constitution">House Electors Qualifications Clause</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Article_One_of_the_United_States_Constitution#Clause_1:_Time,_place,_and_manner_of_holding" title="Article One of the United States Constitution">Congressional Elections Clause</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="First Amendment to the United States Constitution">1st Amendment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fourteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution">14th Amendment</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Equal_Protection_Clause" title="Equal Protection Clause">Equal Protection Clause</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Privileges_or_Immunities_Clause" title="Privileges or Immunities Clause">Privileges or Immunities Clause</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fifteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution">15th Amendment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Seventeenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution">17th Amendment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nineteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution">19th Amendment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Twenty-third_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution">23rd Amendment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Twenty-fourth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution">24th Amendment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Twenty-sixth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution" title="Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution">26th Amendment</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Federal laws<br />and agencies</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Justice" title="United States Department of Justice">U.S. Department of Justice</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Enforcement_Acts" title="Enforcement Acts">Enforcement Acts</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Enforcement_Act_of_1870" title="Enforcement Act of 1870">Enforcement Act of 1870</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Second_Enforcement_Act" title="Second Enforcement Act">Second Enforcement Act</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ku_Klux_Klan_Act" title="Ku Klux Klan Act">Ku Klux Klan Act</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1957" title="Civil Rights Act of 1957">Civil Rights Act of 1957</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/United_States_Commission_on_Civil_Rights" title="United States Commission on Civil Rights">U.S. Commission on Civil Rights</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Justice_Civil_Rights_Division" title="United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division">U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1960" title="Civil Rights Act of 1960">Civil Rights Act of 1960</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964" title="Civil Rights Act of 1964">Title I of the Civil Rights Act of 1964</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965" title="Voting Rights Act of 1965">Voting Rights Act of 1965</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Amendments_to_the_Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965" title="Amendments to the Voting Rights Act of 1965">amendments</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_jurisdictions_subject_to_the_special_provisions_of_the_Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965" title="List of jurisdictions subject to the special provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965">covered jurisdictions</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voting_Accessibility_for_the_Elderly_and_Handicapped_Act" title="Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act">Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Uniformed_and_Overseas_Citizens_Absentee_Voting_Act" title="Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act">Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Federal_Voting_Assistance_Program" title="Federal Voting Assistance Program">Federal Voting Assistance Program</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Military_and_Overseas_Voter_Empowerment_Act" title="Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act">Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/National_Voter_Registration_Act_of_1993" title="National Voter Registration Act of 1993">National Voter Registration Act of 1993</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Illegal_Immigration_Reform_and_Immigrant_Responsibility_Act_of_1996" title="Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996">Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Help_America_Vote_Act" title="Help America Vote Act">Help America Vote Act of 2002</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Election_Assistance_Commission" title="Election Assistance Commission">Election Assistance Commission</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">State laws</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Voter access</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Absentee_ballot" title="Absentee ballot">Absentee ballot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Early_voting" title="Early voting">Early voting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Initiatives_and_referendums_in_the_United_States" title="Initiatives and referendums in the United States">Initiatives and referendums</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Postal_voting_in_the_United_States" title="Postal voting in the United States">Postal voting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Provisional_ballot" title="Provisional ballot">Provisional ballot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Recall_election" title="Recall election">Recall election</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voter_registration_in_the_United_States" title="Voter registration in the United States">Voter registration in the U.S.</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voting_in_space#United_States" title="Voting in space">Voting in space</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Vote denial</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Electoral_fraud_in_the_United_States" title="Electoral fraud in the United States">Electoral fraud</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Grandfather clause</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Literacy_test" title="Literacy test">Literacy test</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Poll_taxes_in_the_United_States" title="Poll taxes in the United States">Poll tax</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voter_caging" title="Voter caging">Voter caging</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voter_identification_laws_in_the_United_States" title="Voter identification laws in the United States">Voter ID laws</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voter_suppression_in_the_United_States" title="Voter suppression in the United States">Voter suppression</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Vote dilution</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/First-past-the-post_voting" title="First-past-the-post voting">First-past-the-post voting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gerrymandering_in_the_United_States" title="Gerrymandering in the United States">Gerrymandering</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Multiple_non-transferable_vote" class="mw-redirect" title="Multiple non-transferable vote">Multiple non-transferable vote</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/One_man,_one_vote" title="One man, one vote">One man, one vote</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">By group</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Universal_manhood_suffrage" title="Universal manhood suffrage">Men</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage_in_the_United_States" title="Women's suffrage in the United States">Women</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Felony_disenfranchisement_in_the_United_States" title="Felony disenfranchisement in the United States">Felons</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Non-citizen_suffrage_in_the_United_States" title="Non-citizen suffrage in the United States">Foreigners</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Transgender_disenfranchisement_in_the_United_States" title="Transgender disenfranchisement in the United States">Transgender people</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Youth_suffrage#United_States" title="Youth suffrage">Young adults</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Black_suffrage_in_the_United_States" title="Black suffrage in the United States">African Americans</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Native_American_voting_rights" class="mw-redirect" title="Native American voting rights">Native Americans</a></li></ul> </div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th id="Residents_of_non-states23" scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Residents of non-states</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Elections_in_American_Samoa" title="Elections in American Samoa">American Samoa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/District_of_Columbia_federal_voting_rights" title="District of Columbia federal voting rights">District of Columbia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voting_in_Guam" title="Voting in Guam">Guam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Northern_Mariana_Islands%27_at-large_congressional_district" title="Northern Mariana Islands' at-large congressional district">Northern Mariana Islands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Federal_voting_rights_in_Puerto_Rico" title="Federal voting rights in Puerto Rico">Puerto Rico</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_States_Virgin_Islands%27_at-large_congressional_district" title="United States Virgin Islands' at-large congressional district">United States Virgin Islands</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">History</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_voting_rights_in_the_United_States" title="Timeline of voting rights in the United States">Timeline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Disfranchisement_after_the_Reconstruction_era" title="Disfranchisement after the Reconstruction era">Disfranchisement after the Reconstruction era</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_women%27s_suffrage_in_the_United_States" title="Timeline of women's suffrage in the United States">Timeline of women's suffrage</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Suffrage_Hikes" title="Suffrage Hikes">Suffrage Hikes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Woman_Suffrage_Procession" title="Woman Suffrage Procession">Woman Suffrage Procession</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Silent_Sentinels" title="Silent Sentinels">Silent Sentinels</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_suffragists_and_suffragettes#American_(United_States)" title="List of suffragists and suffragettes">U.S. suffragists</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_suffragists_and_suffragettes#Major_suffrage_publications" title="List of suffragists and suffragettes">Publications</a></li></ul></li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Give_Us_the_Ballot" title="Give Us the Ballot">Give Us the Ballot</a>"</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Freedom_Summer" title="Freedom Summer">Freedom Summer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Selma_to_Montgomery_marches" title="Selma to Montgomery marches">Selma to Montgomery marches</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Women%27s_poll_tax_repeal_movement" title="Women's poll tax repeal movement">Women's poll tax repeal movement</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_direct_democracy_in_the_United_States" title="History of direct democracy in the United States">History of direct democracy</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Related</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Ballot_access" title="Ballot access">Ballot access</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Campaign_finance_in_the_United_States" title="Campaign finance in the United States">Campaign finance</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Citizenship_of_the_United_States" title="Citizenship of the United States">Citizenship</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Indian_Citizenship_Act" title="Indian Citizenship Act">Native Americans</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Democratic_backsliding_in_the_United_States" title="Democratic backsliding in the United States">Democratic backsliding in the United States</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Disfranchisement" title="Disfranchisement">Disfranchisement</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Election" title="Election">Election</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Election_law" title="Election law">Election law</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Elections_in_the_United_States" title="Elections in the United States">Elections in the U.S.</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_States_Electoral_College" title="United States Electoral College">Electoral College</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Electoral_reform_in_the_United_States" title="Electoral reform in the United States">Electoral reform</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Electoral_system" title="Electoral system">Electoral system</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ranked-choice_voting_in_the_United_States" title="Ranked-choice voting in the United States">Ranked-choice voting in the U.S.</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/National_Voting_Rights_Museum" title="National Voting Rights Museum">National Voting Rights Museum</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Redistricting" title="Redistricting">Redistricting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Secret_ballot" title="Secret ballot">Secret ballot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Suffrage" title="Suffrage">Suffrage</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voter_registration" title="Voter registration">Voter registration</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voting" title="Voting">Voting</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374" /><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235" /></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox authority-control" aria-label="Navbox390" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" 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