Voters & Voter Behaviors

1. Voters & Voter Behaviors Chapter 6

2. The Right to Vote • Framers of the Constitution purposely left the power to set voting qualifications to the state.

3. Terms to Know • Suffrage and Franchise both mean the right to vote.

4. The 5-Stages of Expanding Suffrage • Early 1800’s- No more religious qualifications put on voting rights. • Property ownership and tax paying qualifications also disappeared around this time. • By the mid 1800’s nearly all adult white males could vote in each state.

5. The 5-Stages of Expanding Suffrage 2. 15th Amendment- (1870…following the Civil War) was intended to give any male citizen the right to vote regardless of race or color. • STILL for many years African Americans were regularly prevented from voting. • African American were the largest group of disenfranchised citizens in our history

6. The 5-Stages of Expanding Suffrage 3. 19th Amendment (1920)- Women can vote. • Several states were already allowing women to vote, but with the 19th Amendment, all states must give women the right to vote. • Wyoming was the first state to give women that right.

7. The 5-Stages of Expanding Suffrage 4. 1960’s- Civil Rights movement led to legislation that focused on securing African Americans full voting rights. (Basically, trying to exercise the rights they were given after the Civil War). • Voting Rights Act of 1965

8. The 5-Stages of Expanding Suffrage 5. 26th Amendment 1971- Voting age lowered to 18, from 21. • Direct result of the Vietnam War protests, soldiers didn’t like being sent off to War to die for our country at 18, while they weren’t able to vote for the person sending them away until they were 21. Good point.

9. Voter Qualifications • Citizenship- illegal aliens are generally denied the right to vote in the US (but the constitution does not specify that one must be a citizen to vote). • Residence-you must be a legal resident of the state in which you vote. • Age-18 years (26th Amendment) • Registration-voter identification (anti-fraud)

10. Previous Qualifications • Literacy • Poll Tax • Both of these requirements, which have now been outlawed, were put in place to keep Freedmen from voting after the Civil War.

11. Persons Denied the Right to Vote • People in mental institutions. • People found to be legally mentally incompetent to vote. • Those convicted of serious crimes. • Some states don’t allow those who have been dishonorably discharged from the military.

12. Gerrymandering-a form of redistricting in which electoral district boundaries are manipulated for electoral advantage. • 15th amendment outlawed gerrymandering.

13. Voter Behavior

14. “Cannot-Voters” • Illegal aliens (approximately 6 million) • Sick or physically disabled (between 5 and 6 million) • Elderly • Religious beliefs (around 100,000)

15. The Non-Voter • Deliberately choose not to go to the polls. • Distrust of politicians. • No political efficacy (do not think that they have any effectiveness or influence in politics).

16. Factors that Influence Voter Turn-out • Registration requirements (often inconvenient). • Long Ballots-take too much time. • Time zone fallout-a lot of times, the winner is already projected before the West coast closes it’s polls. • Lack of interest.

17. Factors that Influence Voters Income/Occupation Education Gender Age Religion Ethnic Background Geography Family

18. Assignment • On a sheet of your own paper answer the following… • For each of the following factors, explain in your own opinion how and why that factor might influence a voter?? • Will these influence the way YOU vote? • Income/Occupation • Education • Gender • Age • Religion • Ethnic Background • Geography • Family