In many stories, letters and comments, the authors refer to a “constitutional right to vote,” usually in the context of voter ID or some similar obstacle thrown in the way of certain classes. It is a noble sentiment, but there is one small problem — there is no constitutional right to vote.

Article IV, Section 4 of the U.S Constitution requires each state to have a republican form of government, which implies voting — technically — within the states. That’s it.

In the amendments, the 10th Amendment, the last of the Bill of Rights, confirms that voting is a state issue, since it is not explicitly mentioned elsewhere. Later amendments require the states not to restrict voting due to race, gender, or failure to pay some tax.

Every one of those amendments begins with the words “The right of citizens of the United States to vote …” For ideological reasons, some today shorten that to “The right to vote …”

It is disappointing that, after all these years, the most frequent reference to our most important founding document is to something that is not in it.

Mike LeBlanc, East Wilton