
Before the adoption of the secret ballot in the late 19th century, voting was anything but a private matter, and often involved trickery, extortion, and large quantities of alcohol. And for decades after that, the right to vote continued to be limited to a minority of the American citizenry. In this excerpt from the fascinating public radio show, BackStory with the American History Guys, the hosts review how elections were handled as the country was formed.

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