1. The Citizen in Government Electing Leaders ~~~~~ The Right to Vote
Chapter Ten
The Citizen in Government
Electing Leaders
~~~~~
The Right to Vote

3. Voting one of the most important rights held by U.S. citizens
means through which citizens can most directly affect the actions of government
at the age of 18, all U.S. citizens become eligible to vote in national, state, and local elections
voter qualifications
decided by each state
registering to vote and voting in state elections
registration in most states
person must be 18
within a certain time period before the next election
by the time of the next election

4. Voting in the U.S. constitutional provisions Voting Rights Act - 1965
forbids any state to deny a citizen the right to vote on the basis of race, color, or sex
15th Amendment, 19th Amendment, 26th Amendment
must be followed by all states
Voting Rights Act
outlawed discriminatory voting practices
literacy tests
expanded in 1970, 1975, and 1982
disqualifications – loss of voting rights
certain people lose the right to vote or are not allowed to vote
prison inmates and people convicted of felonies
conditionally or permanently denied
mentally incompetent persons
institutionalized
election-law violators
persons with no established residence
homeless

5. Qualified Voters registration types of registration
places a voter's name on the official roll of eligible voters
most states require voters to register before the day of election
people give their name, address, date of birth
other information is sometimes required
may be given cards showing that they are registered voters
types of registration
permanent
voters need to register only once
periodic
voters must register before each election or at regular intervals
re-registration needed
when voters do not vote in a certain number of elections
when voters change their address
move to a new precinct
when voters change their name
women get married

6. Party Affiliation
citizens may be asked to register as a member of a political party when registering to vote
party membership may be changed later by registering again
citizens may also register as independent voters
if a person does not register as a member of a political party, they may not be allowed to vote in primary elections in some states
Independent Voters = Voters who are
not members of a political party.

7. Primary Elections primary elections closed primary open primary
usually held in the late spring or early summer
voters choose the candidates from each party who will run in the November general election
closed primary
only those voters who are registered with the party can vote to choose the party's candidates
only registered Democrats can vote for Democratic candidates
only registered Republicans can vote for Republican candidates
people registered as independent voters cannot vote
used by most states
open primary
voters may vote for the candidates of either major party, whether or not the voters belong to that party

8. Primary Elections winning a primary nominating conventions
in most states, the candidate who receives the highest number of votes is the winner
the winning candidate does not have to receive a majority - more than 50 percent
in some states, the winner must receive a majority of the votes
if no candidate receives a majority, a runoff election between the two leading candidates decides the winner
the winning candidate in the primary election then becomes the party's candidate in the general election
nominating conventions
in some states political parties choose their candidates at special conventions
delegates to the convention are elected by the various committees in the state's political organization
state convention - county and city committees select the delegates
national convention - state committees select the delegates

9. Independent Candidates
not affiliated with a major political party
does not have to participate in primary elections
getting on the general election ballot
supporters sign a petition
candidate can have his or her name printed on ballot
write-in vote
voters may write in the name of an unofficial candidate
grassroots support
support from many individuals at the local level rather than from national parties and other large organizations
not elected as often as major-party candidates
do win some elections, mostly for local offices

10. General Elections voters choose the leaders who will take office
held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November
the president and members of Congress are elected in even-numbered years
presidential elections take place every four years
congressional elections occur every two years
most general elections for state officials are also held in November
some states elect their state officials in odd-numbered years
the timing of state elections varies from state to state
voter resources
nonpartisan organizations like the League of Women Voters provide information about national and local election issues
read newspapers and magazines and find information about candidates on the Internet
listen to the candidates on the radio and on television and can discuss the candidates with other people

11. Voting in America poll watchers early 1800s 1888
people acting as inspectors at polling places
each party has them to ensure that elections are conducted fairly
early 1800s
voice vote
voters announced aloud to the election official their choice of candidate
easy to pressure a person to vote a certain way
1888
secret ballots
paper ballots contain the names of the candidates and a place for the voter to mark a choice
ballot marked in secret to guarantee that a person's vote remains private
helps make elections fair and honest

12. Voting Today voting mechanisms straight ticket split ticket
mechanical lever machines
large curtained booths with rows of levers with the name of a candidate or issue near the lever
punchcards
use a hole punch to indicate what candidate or issue they support
marksense or optical scan system
requires voters to fill in little black circles or arrows with a pencil
a special machine called an optical scanner then counts the votes
direct recording electronic (DRE) systems
voters select their candidates by touching the person's name on a computer screen
straight ticket
vote for all of the candidates of one party
split ticket
choosing candidates of more than one political party
polling places
usually open from early in the morning until evening
by law employers must give time off to employees to vote