1. Voting Objectives: Bell Ringer:
Identify how amendments have extended the right to vote.
Analyze the influences of voter turnout.
Bell Ringer:
Using the information in the chapter, make a time line of the federal laws (including constitutional amendments) that were designed to ensure the suffrage of African Americans and women. Which, in your opinion, was the most important law? Why?
Agenda:
Voting in the United States
Homework:
Read Chapter 6 Section 4
Complete Assessment questions 1-6

2. Voting Suffrage: the legal right to vote (also known as franchise)
Electorate: potential voting population

3. Requirements for Voting
Citizenship:
Only citizens of the United States are eligible to vote in elections.
Residence:
A citizen must be a legal resident of the state he/she wishes to vote in.
Voting Rights Act of 1970 – Congress banned requirements of any longer than thirty days for voting in a presidential election.
Dunn v. Blumstein (1972) Supreme Court decision said that Tennessee’s requirement of one year state residency and ninety days in a particular county before being allowed to vote was unconstitutional.
Age:
26th Amendment gave eighteen year olds the right to vote.

4. Voter Registration Registration:
the procedure of voter identification intended to prevent
fraudulent voting.
In most states potential voters must verify their right to vote by providing evidence of their identity. Such information includes: name, date and place of birth, address, and length of residence.
Some states use voter registration information to identify voters’ party preference.

5. Voter Registration
Motor Voter Act: passed in 1993, requires states to permit people to register to vote when they apply for their driver’s license

6. Voting The Constitution does not give the federal gov’t
the power to set suffrage qualifications. That power
belongs to the states.

7. Restrictions on the states
If one is allowed to vote for state legislature, they must also be allowed to vote for representatives and senators.
Cannot overrule the 15th Amendment
Cannot overrule the 19th Amendment
Cannot require payment of a tax as a condition for taking part in the nomination or election of a federal office-holder.
Cannot keep eighteen year olds from fighting.

8. History of Suffrage in the U.S.
1789 – only white male property owners allowed to vote After the Civil War ended, the definition of who could vote was extended
15th Amendment
Ensures the right to vote regardless of race.

9. Obstacles to Voting
For many years the 15th amendment was just words on paper that were not necessarily enforced. Would be voters were discouraged from voting by many methods including: arrest, job loss, violent beatings, and murder. In addition people were subject to completing additional steps to be able to vote.

10. Voting Rights Amendment of 1970 outlawed this practice
Obstacles to Voting
Literacy tests: used to deny or discourage groups from voting. Potential voters had to interpret passages of the Constitution or answer other questions that the majority of citizens would not know the answer to.
Voting Rights Amendment of 1970 outlawed this practice

11. The 24th Amendment outlawed the use of poll taxes
Obstacles to Voting
Poll tax: potential voters had to pay a special property tax as a condition of voting.
The 24th Amendment outlawed the use of poll taxes

12. Obstacles to Voting
Gerrymandering: practice of drawing electoral district lines to limit the voting strength of a particular group or party. District lines were drawn so that people (usually blacks) that were living outside of a certain area were not allowed to vote in any primaries.

13. Remedies For Voters

14. Civil Rights Acts
Civil Rights Acts of 1960, 1964, and 1970 helped remedy racial voter discrimination.
Provide federal voting referees to investigate claims of voter discrimination.
Forbade the use of literacy requirements that were used in an unfair or discriminatory manner.
Relied on judicial action to overcome racial barriers and allowed for the use of injunctions:
Court order that forces or limits the performance of some act by a private individual or a public official. Violation is punishable by fine or imprisonment.

15. Voting Rights Act of 1965 Applies the same rules to all elections.
New election laws had to go through a preclearance process where the Department of Justice checked to make sure new or revised laws did not “dilute” voting rights of minority groups.
Harper v Virginia Board of Elections (1966): Supreme Court decision that formally made literacy tests and poll taxes unconstitutional.

16. Allows for the direct election of senators
17th Amendment
Passed in 1913
Allows for the direct election of senators
This was a change from Article I Section III of the Constitution that gave the power of voting for Senators to the individual state legislatures.

17. 19th Amendment
Passed in 1920
The right to vote cannot be abridged by the U.S. or a state because of gender.
This amendment faced similar, but less intense problems as the 15th Amendment.

18. 23rd Amendment
Passed in 1961
Voters in the District of Columbia can vote for president and vice president. They cannot have more votes than the least populous state.
DC is not a state and therefore even now, does not have the right to have representation in Congress.

19. Lowered the voting age to 18 years old.
26th Amendment
Passed in 1971
Lowered the voting age to 18 years old.
States can allow citizens under age of 18 to vote.
Vietnam era “old enough to fight, old enough to vote”

20. Today, many Americans CHOOSE not to vote.
Voter Behavior
Today, many Americans CHOOSE not to vote.
More citizens will vote in presidential elections than in other national, state, and local contests, but the percentage of Americans voting in presidential elections is declining.

21. Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice

22. How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions

23. Influences on Voter Turnout
Campaign Issues
No issues they feel passionately about
Do not like the campaign process (mudslinging, media blitz)

24. Influences on Voter Turnout
Candidates
Don’t feel candidates represent their views
Don’t identify with any of the candidates
Feel all politicians are dishonest or self serving
Distrust politicians

25. Influences on Voter Turnout
Voter Attitude Toward Government
Voter efficacy: lack any sense of their influence or effectiveness in politics
Believe their vote does not make a difference
Some satisfied with the country’s direction and feel things will be okay no matter who wins

26. How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions
Candidate Evaluations: How Americans See the Candidate
Candidates want a good visual image.
Especially on dimensions of integrity, reliability, and competence
Personality plays a role in vote choice, especially if a candidate is perceived to be incompetent or dishonest.

27. How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions
Policy Voting
Basing your vote choice on issue preferences and where the candidates stand on policy issues
Policy voting may occur if :
Voters know where they and the candidates stand on issues and see differences between candidates
Unlikely to occur because:
Candidates can be ambiguous on the issues.
Media tend to focus on the “horse race” not issues.
Today candidates are forced to take a clear stand in the party primaries increasing chances for policy voting.

28. Influences on Voter Turnout
Voter Loyalty to Political Parties
If one belongs or very strongly identifies with a particular party, they are more likely to vote

29. Factors That Influence Voting
Education: the higher one’s education the more likely they are to vote. Typically those with advanced and professional degrees vote Democratic.

30. Factors That Influence Voting
Age: the older one is, more likely they are to vote.
(Age, sickness, and health issues start to bring down their numbers)

31. Factors That Influence Voting
Income: the more money one makes, the more likely they are to vote.

32. Voters v. Nonvoters More likely to vote: Women Married people
Union members
High sense of political efficacy
Nonvoters likely to be:
younger than 35
unmarried
Unskilled
Voter apathy, dissatisfaction, and the failure to meet voting requirements contribute to the decline in voting.

33. Reasons Given For Not Voting
Did not register 42%
Do not like the candidates 17%
No particular reason 10%
Are sick or disabled 8%
Are not U.S. citizens 5%
Are not interested in politics 5%
Are new residents in the area 4%
Are away from home 3%
Cannot leave job 3%
Cannot get to the polls 1%

34. Conclusions from the 2004 Election
Non-Hispanic whites constitute most of the voting-age citizen population
Native citizens are more likely to register and vote than naturalized citizens
Women are more likely to vote
The peak age group for voting was between years of age
Married people are more likely to vote
People with more education, higher incomes and jobs are more likely to vote
Homeowners and longtime residents are more likely to vote
People in the Midwest are most likely to register and vote
Most people vote in person instead of using absentee ballots
Voting rates are higher in states with same-day registration