Voter Behavior and Trends US Government Chapter 6

2008 Exit Polls Review Chart What changes in trends do you predict for the 2008 presidential election? Review the report from the US Census Bureau. What major changes do you see in this most recent election?

The Right to Vote During the last two hundred years, Americans have broadened the right to vote by eliminating barriers based on religious belief, property ownership, tax payment, race, and sex. At the same time, the Federal Government has assumed a greater role in deciding who can vote and how elections should be run.

The Right to Vote The framers of the Constitution left the subject of suffrage, or the right to vote, to each state. In the first decades after ratification of the Constitution, some States denied voting rights to people based on their religious beliefs. Until recently, the largest group of disfranchised citizens, citizens that cannot vote, in the United States was African Americans.

Civil Rights The 15 th Amendment was intended to give African Americans the right to vote, but it was not enforced. –It was ratified in Gerrymandering was also used to disenfranchise African Americans. Gerrymandering is the practice of drawing electoral district lines in order to limit the voting strength of a particular group or party.

Civil Rights Civil Rights Act of set up the United States Civil Rights Commission to inquire into claims of voter discrimination. Civil Rights Act of added the additional safeguard of appointing federal voting referees. They were given the power to help qualified persons to register and vote in federal elections.

The Right to Vote The 15 th Amendment was intended to protect any citizen from being denied the right to vote because of color. –The Voting Rights of 1965 was an effort to ensure voting rights for African Americans. The 19 th Amendment prohibited the denial of the right to vote due to sex. (Women’s suffrage) The 23 rd Amendment allowed residents of the District of Columbia to vote in presidential elections. The 26 th Amendment set the voting age at 18 years old.

Women’s Suffrage 19 th Amendment

Voter Qualifications Citizenship- You must be a resident of the United States to vote. Residence- You must be a legal resident of the state in which you cast your ballot. –Transients, people who live in a state for only a short period of time before moving to another state, are prohibited from gaining legal residence. (traveling agents, military, college student) Age- All states require eligible voters to be of 18 years of age. 26 th Amendment

Voter Qualifications Registration- Procedure of voter identification intended to prevent fraudulent voting. –Poll Books are used to keep track of all registered voters in a district. –Purging is necessary to keep them current by eliminating people who moved away or died. Literacy- Literacy stipulations is based on each state. Some states require voters to prove that they can read, some that voters can read and write, and others that voters can read, write, and comprehend what they read. Tax Payment- Before 1964, some states charged voters a poll tax as a condition for voting. –Only wealthier people could afford the poll tax. It served to discourage African Americans from voting. –In Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections, 1966, the court found that the poll tax was in conflict with the 14 th Amendment and there was no reasonable relationship between the act of voting on the one hand and the payment of a tax on the other. –The 24 th Amendment prohibited the poll tax.

Voter Qualifications Motor Voter Law The Motor Voter Law allows citizens to register to vote by mail or when they renew a driver’s license, and provides that forms be available at local government offices. Its purpose is to encourage citizens to vote.

Voter Qualifications Persons denied the opportunity to vote: –People in mental institutions –People found mentally incompetent –Criminals of a serious crime (State by state choice) –Dishonorable discharged military (only a few states enforce this)

Voter Behavior In the first democracy, nonvoters were called idiotes, or idiots. Presidential elections have the highest voter turnout.

Voter Behavior What is known about voter behavior comes from three sources: –The results of particular elections. –The field of survey research. –The study of political socialization- the process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions.

Why People Do Not Vote Ballot Fatigue- Voters lose their patience and/or knowledge as they work their way down a ballot. Cannot Voters- Residents that are legally unable to vote. The largest group of cannot voters is resident aliens. Political Efficacy- People who lack any feeling of influence or effectiveness in politics. Time Zone Fallout- In presidential elections, polls in states in the Eastern and Central time zones close before polls in states in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. Lack of Interest

Sociological Factors in Voting Income/Occupation Education Gender/Age Religious/Ethnic Background Geography Family and Other Social Groups Those who vote Democrat are typically younger, with lower incomes, and with less education than those who vote Republican.

Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice Who Votes? –Education: More education = more likely to vote. Most important factor. –Age: Older = more likely to vote. –Race: Caucasian = more likely to vote. BUT, other ethnicities are higher with comparable education. –Gender: Female = more likely to vote.

Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice Who Votes? (continued) –Marital Status: Married = more likely to vote. –Union Membership: Union member = more likely to vote. –Traits are cumulative - possessing several adds up.

Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice

Psychological Factors in Voting Party Identification- the loyalty of people to a particular political party –Straight-ticket voting- the practice of voting for candidates of only one party in an election. –Split-ticket voting- the practice of voting for the candidates of more than one party in an election. –Independents- No major party affiliation. Party Identification develops as a result of social and psychological factors. It usually predicts how people will vote, though recently it has lost some impact.

Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice Deciding Whether to Vote –U.S. typically has low voter turnouts. –Some argue it is a rational choice to not vote. –Political Efficacy: The belief that one’s political participation really matters. –Civic Duty: The belief the in order to support democratic government, a citizen should always vote.

Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice The Decline of Turnout: (Figure 10.2)