Which amendment guarantees the right to vote regardless of race or color?

The 15th Amendment is crucial in the context of voting rights in the United States. Ratified in 1870, it explicitly prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." This amendment was a significant step forward in the Civil Rights movement, as it was designed to ensure that citizens of African descent, who had been systematically disenfranchised, would be recognized as having the right to participate in the electoral process.

Understanding the historical context is also important. The 15th Amendment was part of the Reconstruction Amendments, which were aimed at establishing rights for formerly enslaved individuals and addressing the inequalities that had persisted in the nation. While other amendments address different aspects of voting rights—such as the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, and the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age—the 15th specifically addresses racial discrimination in voting, making it the correct answer in this context.