1876 Connecticut Question 6

1876 Connecticut Question 6

October 2, 1876
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 29,954 93.04% No 2,242 6.96%
County results Municipality results Yes   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   90–100% No   50–60%   60–70% No Vote
Source: [1]

1876 Connecticut Question 6 was a successful amendment to the 1818 Constitution of the U.S. state of Connecticut that removed the requirement that voters be white. The ballot measure was approved with just over 93% of the vote in favor; all counties voted in favor, and only two municipalities voted against: Bethany and Bridgewater.

Background

In 1845, Connecticut voted on a constitutional amendment which provided that to vote, one had to be a white male citizen who was at least 21 years old, and had to have lived in the state for at least a year, and their town for at least six months, and had to have sustained good moral character. The amendment was approved in a 90.90% to 9.10% vote. ^[2]

In 1870, with the passage of the 15th amendment, it became unconstitutional in the United States to deny the right to vote to a citizen on the basis of their race, color, or previous condition of servitude. ^[3] Connecticut ratified the amendment on May 19, 1869, becoming the 15th state to do so. ^[4] The State House had voted on May 14 to ratify it, and did so in a 126 to 104 vote, with 7 legislators either absent or not voting. All Republicans besides one voted in favor, and all Democrats voted against. ^[5]

Contents

The ballot title was: "Erasing the word 'white' from electoral qualifications." ^[6]

The summary was: "That article eight of the amendments to the constitution be amended by erasing the word 'white' from the first line." ^[6]

Results

The amendment was approved by 93% of voters. Individual counties' results ranged from 89.74% to 96.39% in favor. ^[1]

County	Yes		No
	#	%	#	%
Fairfield	4,459	90.28	480	9.72
Hartford	7,986	96.39	299	3.61
Litchfield	3,054	92.41	251	7.59
Middlesex	2,306	94.90	124	5.10
New Haven	5,045	92.13	431	7.87
New London	3,371	91.21	325	8.79
Tolland	1,653	89.74	189	10.26
Windham	2,080	93.57	143	6.43
Total	29,954	93.04	2,242	6.96 [1] [6]

See also

• Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
• Black suffrage in the United States
• Timeline of voting rights in the United States

References

1. "Connecticut State Archives, RG 6, Certified Voting Records, Vol. 58". CT.GOV. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
2. "Connecticut Question 1, Race, Age, and Residency Requirements to Become an Elector Amendment (1845)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
3. "All Amendments to the United States Constitution". University of Minnesota Human Rights Library.
4. James J. Kilpatrick, ed. (1961). The Constitution of the United States and Amendments Thereto. Virginia Commission on Constitutional Government. p. 46.
5. "Ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment by the Connecticut Legislature". The New York Times . 14 May 1869. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
6. "1876 Oct 2 :: State of Connecticut :: Question 6 :: Constitutional Amendment". CT.GOV. Retrieved 2 December 2025.