disenfranchising
dis-in-FRAN-chy-zing
Definition
The act of depriving someone of the right to vote or other fundamental legal rights.
Etymology
Derived from the prefix 'dis-' (meaning 'away') and 'enfranchise', which comes from the Old French 'enfranchir' meaning 'to set free' or 'to admit to citizenship'. It entered English in the late 16th century to describe the removal of rights or privileges.
In the news
The article uses this word to describe the history of discriminatory voting practices that the Voting Rights Act was designed to stop. It highlights how certain states or counties used such tactics to prevent minority groups from exercising their political rights.
Attacks on the Voting Rights Act have meant falling Latino representation in local office
Read the full article ↗The London School of Economics and Political Science