I recently read The Accessible Federalist by Adam Seagrave (a great resource to avoid archaic English).
In the Federalist 57, I came upon something interesting. James Madison appears to have been advertising that anyone would be able to vote in the new republic! Perhaps it was implied that slaves would not get this privilege - however, I was always told that only white landowners could vote? This seems to include more that just that.
Here's the quote. Keep in mind that this version of the papers is a translation into modern English. I do believe Seagrave to be a credible scholar - there's no political bend to the translation as far as I can tell.
Who are to be the electors of the federal representatives? Not the rich any more than the poor, not the educated any more than the uneducated, not the members of prominent families any more than the common man. The electors are to be the great body of the people of the United States. They are to be the same people who exercise the right of electing the corresponding branch of the legislature in their state.
Seagrave, S. Adam. The Accessible Federalist (p. 47). Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
Any thoughts? It's my understanding that early voting rights were mostly at the discretion of the states. Still, the Federalist Papers were published to convince Americans to agree to the Constitution. You would think that folks would be pretty disappointed if this bit of incentive didn't pan out.
thanks!