Describe how the amendments to the U.S. Constitution do not necessarily represent triumphs of national over state powers to control elections

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

An ideal response would be:
Amendments to the U.S. Constitution do not necessarily represent triumphs of national over state powers to control elections because national action was often a culmination of state influence and innovation. For instance, the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920 came after a half-century of women voting at the subnational level in some states, which eventually forced national action. In 1869–1870, the Wyoming territory gave women the rights to vote and hold office, rights that continued after Wyoming became a state 20 years later. Soon afterward, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho also gave women equal political rights. Between 1910 and 1914, seven more states in the West and Midwest gave women full voting rights, followed by large states such as New York in 1917 and Michigan in 1918 . By the end of 1918, women had full voting rights in 15 states and partial rights (that is, they were eligible to vote in presidential elections only) in a dozen others. Thus, when Congress considered the proposed Nineteenth Amendment, many members were reluctant to vote against it as they would then have to justify why females in their own districts were unqualified to participate in the nation's politics.