It wasn't just the late 1950s, but some years afterward. When I registered to vote in my hometown (Gloucester, VA) in the summer of 1960, I was faced with a blank sheet of paper. However, the local chapter of the NAACP had circulated numerous copies of the information required, and so ironically this white, brand-new college graduate relied on that cheat-sheet to register. Legally the registrar was not supposed to assist anyone, but he was a neighbor who lived up the street, and he produced a copy for me so that I could register to vote. I don't know whether the VA General Assembly ever repealed that law, or whether the federal Voting Rights Act trumped it. I suspect it was the latter. John Hopewell -----Original Message----- From: James Hershman [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2003 2:46 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: (voting registration) Probably a publication of Luther Porter Jackson who was engaged in registration efforts in the late 1940s. It really got tough for a short period in the late 1950s when the General Assembly passed the "blank sheet" registration law. Not only did the person registering have to know the answer--they had to know the questions! Jim Hershman To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html