Also on this date: In 1870, the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting Black American men the right to vote, was ratified. In 1913, the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, providing for a federal income tax, was ratified. In 1917, the United States broke off diplomatic relations with Germany, the same day an American cargo ship, the SS Housatonic, was sunk by a U-boat off Britain (after the crew was allowed to board lifeboats).
The vote is carefully managed from start to finish so that only one outcome is possible: a longer lease on power for el-Sisi. It is difficult to overstate the importance of Egypt's ongoing House of Representatives elections. The voting results will not only decide the composition of the next parliament but will also determine whether, and for how long, the rule of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will be extended.