Small Town News

Election history to be subject of talk

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'The Right to Vote'

With the midterm election races heating up, Charles Hitt will give a timely talk at the Gualala Art Center on Tuesday, Sept. 21,7 p.m., titled "The Right to Vote."

Hitt will trace the evolution of the vote from its origins based on property ownership and will review the franchise history for blacks and women.

He will conclude with some observations gained from firsthand experiences during the 2008 presidential election.

"Many will be surprised to learn how limited the franchise to vote has been in what is hailed as the world's leading democracy," says Gualala Arts.

"Hitt's research will surprise all but the most ardent history buffs and will confirm that truth is stranger than fiction."

"For instance," notes Hitt, "although the right of women to vote in federal elections did not occur in this country until after a hundred year struggle and a world war led to the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, each state and locality had widely different laws about women voting in local and state elections

The talk will include historical cartoons and photos to illustrate various aspects of voting rights.

Hitt will relate personal anecdotes from his work in North Carolina in November 2008 that offer a glimpse of how modern technology was used to curb voting abuses during that historic election.

After graduating from the University of Texas Law School, Hitt-practiced law for 11 years before opening his own firm in 1991.

In the 1980s and '90s he worked on a few Congressional campaigns in Texas. He retired, and with his wife Kathye, moved to Gualala in 1999 where both are active in many community projects.

Admission to the talk is $5.



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© 2011 Independent Coast Observer Gualala, California. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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