Quiz: Bizarre Facts About Voting in the U.S.
Is voter fraud really a problem? Why do we cast our ballots on a Tuesday?

1. True or False?

1. False.
Only 20 states offer online registration as of June 2014, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
(Photo: Hyoung Chang/Denver Post/Getty Images)

2. True or False?

2. False.
When Justin Levitt, a professor at the Loyola University Law School, looked into all allegations of fraud anywhere in the U.S. in 2000, he only found 31 credible cases out of 1 billion ballots cast. Some were prosecuted, but many haven’t been investigated. Levitt thinks that a number of the 31 cases can simply be blamed on data entry mistakes and a person filling out a form incorrectly. “The truth is, the kind of fraud strict photo ID laws target—in-person impersonation fraud—is very rare,” said Clark. “It’s important to stop fraud of all kinds. That includes laws that make it harder for millions of eligible Americans to participate in our democracy.”
(Photo: CSA/Getty Images)

3. True or False?

3. True.
When 96-year-old Dorothy Cooper tried to get a voter ID in Chattanooga, Tenn., in 2011, she brought her birth certificate, her voter registration card, a copy of her lease, and a receipt of her rent. The clerk at the Cherokee Boulevard Driver Service Center denied her a voter ID—because her birth certificate had her maiden name, Dorothy Alexander. “But I didn’t have my marriage certificate,” Cooper told the Chattanooga Times Free Press. She was eventually allowed to vote with an absentee ballot after Charline Kilpatrick, who was helping people get free IDs, called the state twice.
(Photo: Petrified Collection/Getty Images)

4. True or False?

4. False.
This was true until 1966, when the federal government declared the poll tax—which required residents of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia to pay a fee to register to vote—unconstitutional. If it wasn’t paid, the tax added up every year. This made voting impossible for many sharecroppers in the South, who lived on credit and could go an entire year without
cash. People who supported the tax argued that removing it would “‘allow’ minorities to ‘flood’ the polls,’” according to a 1963 article in The Dallas Times Herald.
(Photo: Library of Congress)

5. True or False?

5. True.
In 1845, Congress had to select a day to hold the vote. The U.S. was largely agrarian, and people got around by horse and buggy. To vote, farmers needed a day to travel to the county seat, a day to cast their ballot, and a day to return. Because religious obligations were observed during the weekend and Wednesday was market day, Congress selected Tuesday. It implemented the voting day for House elections in 1875 and Senate elections in 1914.
(Photo: English School/Getty Images)

The Genius of Sarah Silverman and 8 Other Pop Culture Crusaders for Equal Pay
Nationwide, women make about 78 cents to every dollar men do for salaried work. When you compare pay by hourly rates, which some feel is a more accurate measure, women still only make 86 cents to the dollar. Comedian Sarah Silverman and other hilarious allies, such as John Oliver and Aziz Ansari, are mobilizing support for equal pay in an entertaining way. It turns out there’s a long tradition of Hollywood players aiming to change hearts and minds on the issue. Here are some of our favorite pop culture moments that have tackled equal pay.