Ramtin Arablui

But it's easy to see how that might not go according to plan.

An imposter could pretend to be the proxy.

A commanding officer might intimidate soldiers into voting for a certain person or keep them from mailing their ballots.

Amidst the bloody war, with all the messiness and drama that came with the election, democracy managed to preserve its most fundamental pillar, voting.

Thousands of soldiers had voted for the first time.

The 1864 election laid the groundwork for expanding voting rights.

That's it for this week's episode of America in Pursuit.

If you want to hear the full-length through-line episode, check out How We Vote.

And be sure to join us next Tuesday when we talk about what came after the Civil War and emancipation.

We'll bring you the story of the 14th Amendment and the debate over who is an American and what rights come with that.

That's next time.

This episode was produced by Kiana Moradam and edited by Christina Kim, with help from the Thuline production team.

Music, as always, by me, Ramtin Arablui, and my band, Drop Electric.

Special thanks to Julie Kane, Irene Noguchi, Beth Donovan, Casey Miner, and Lindsay McKenna.

We're your hosts, Ramtin Arablui.

In 1903, a reporter named Pulteney Bigelow stumbled across a story in upstate New York.

A rural town in Franklin County called Malone, where he starts talking with locals.

Like, why is that a pathway?

Is it easier to get into Canada at that time?

That takes us back to the reporter, Pulteney Bigelow, who starts asking around.