Voter Rights and Qualifications

The Framers left the power to set voter qualifications to the States.

Suffrage- the right to vote franchise

The electorate, the potential voting age population totals 216 million.

Expansion of Suffrage 1. elimination of property qualification 2. The 15th amendment gives African American men the right to vote 3. The 19th amendment gives women the right to vote.

4. The Civil Rights movement and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 enfranchises African Americans. 5. The 26th amendment gives 18 year olds the right to vote.

Voter requirements 1. citizenship- either born in the US or naturalized no aliens 2. resident- must be a legal resident of the state. No transients 3. must be 18 26th amendment - Vietnam War “Old enough to fight old enough to vote”

Registration Voters must be identified in order to prevent fraud. The US is the only democracy in the world where registering to vote is a choice.

Literacy requirements were often used to keep minorities from voting. Poll tax

Denied 7 states deny Felons the Mentally ill