What does the 15th Amendment prohibit with regard to voting?

• A. Neither federal nor state governments can prohibit voting on basis of race; private action is not restricted
• B. Federal government can prohibit voting on basis of race; states can
• C. States can prohibit voting on basis of race; federal cannot
• D. Private actors cannot vote

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that a constitutional amendment limits government action, not private conduct. The 15th Amendment says that the right of citizens to vote cannot be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. In other words, both the federal government and each state are prohibited from using race as a basis to exclude someone from voting.

This is why private discrimination in voting isn’t addressed by the amendment itself; it targets government action. To counter private voting discrimination, other laws and constitutional provisions come into play (for example, later civil rights statutes and the Voting Rights Act).

Historically, the amendment was a response to post‑Civil War issues and aimed specifically at protecting Black men's suffrage, paving the way for ongoing federal and state enforcement of voting rights.