Abstract
The Civic Debate Consortium is an intercollegiate debate conference dedicated to serving as a “hub of inspiration, innovation, education and civic engagement” (Civic Debate Consortium, n.d.) through productive dialogue. The Social Justice Debates are one of the consortium's competitive series, focused on discussing the distribution of wealth and resources in U.S. society. For the 2025-2026 debate season, debaters researched for or against the motion: “The United States should Constitutionalize the Right to Vote.” First affirmative speeches begin by defining the terms of the round, listing contentions to the argument, and then providing analysis to support the contentions. This paper serves as the first affirmative speech in a debate round on this topic, illustrating the need to amend the right to vote in the U.S. Constitution through historical context and highlighting the root issues underlying the lack thereof.
Faculty Advisor
Professor Abigail Smith
Recommended Citation
Yang, Hanmo
(2026)
"Constitutionalization of the Right to Vote: The Necessity for Democracy,"
Pepperdine Journal of Communication Research: Vol. 14, Article 4.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/pjcr/vol14/iss1/4
