Ap u.s. government & politics Monday, October 30, 2017

Current events discussion 7 Minutes

Chapter 9 discussion

the law of voting: protections and limitations

History of voting discrimination

Poll Tax: Tax that was required to be paid in exchange for the privilege to vote. Officially race neutral, but Southern states planned the timing of the tax strategically in order to make it difficult/impossible for (mainly) black sharecroppers to pay it.

Literacy Tests and the Grandfather Clause: Requirement that (some) voters demonstrate a level of literacy

White Primary: (Democratic Party) Primary elections in which only whites were allowed to participate Grovey v. Townsend (1935) Smith v. Allwright (1941)

24th Amendment (1964): Poll Tax made Unconstitutional

Voting Rights Act of 1965: Extended federal protection to minorities’ rights to register and vote

Policies/laws seeking to increase voter turnout

1) “Motor Voter” Laws

2) Same Day Registration

3) Early Voting

There are other policies that could increase voter turnout, but which thus far have failed to gain momentum in the U.S. 1) Weekend Election Day 2) Election Day as a National Holiday 3) Mandated Time Off for Voting 4) Automatic Registration 5) Legally Mandated Voting Which of these do you agree with, and why? Which do you disagree with, and why?

Laws/policies that decrease voter turnout

1) Voter ID Requirements: Typically: Driver’s License, Passport, or other State-issued Photo ID

2) Decreasing Early Voting Periods 3) Elimination of Out-of-Precinct Voting

Why would a state institute polices designed to decrease voter turnout? Justification: Voter Fraud Is this a thing? Shelby County v. Holder (2013) Invalidated the portion of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that required pre-authorization of voting laws for states with a “history of discrimination”

Case Study: The North Carolina Voter ID Law Emails from Republican state legislators (2012-Spring 2013): "Is there any way to get a breakdown of the 2008 voter turnout, by race (white and black) and type of vote (early and Election Day)?" a staffer for the state's Republican-controlled legislature asked in January 2012. "Is there no category for 'Hispanic' voter?" a GOP lawmaker asked in March 2013 after requesting a range of data, including how many voters cast ballots outside their precinct. And in April 2013, a top aide to the Republican House speaker asked for "a breakdown, by race, of those registered voters in your database that do not have a driver's license number." June 2013: Shelby County v. Holder

The North Carolina Voter ID Law (Continued) Provisions of the Law: 1) Cut a week of early voting 2) Elimination of out-of-precinct voting 3) Strict ID requirement NAACP v. McCrory (4th Circuit, 2016): Law is struck down; Violation of Equal Protection “The new provisions target African Americans with almost surgical precision”  Supreme Court—deadlocked on appeal (4-4), meaning that the 4th Circuit decision stands

Exit Ticket: Practice MCQ Which of the following is a provision of federal election laws? a. A small fee must be paid by persons voting in federal elections. b. On--‐site registration to vote must be permitted on the day of any federal election. c. Electoral districts must be apportioned to equalize the numbers of Democratic and Republican voters wherever a historic imbalance exists. d. Citizens must be automatically registered to vote on their eighteenth birthday. e. In areas with significant populations of linguistic minorities, voting materials must be made available in the preferred languages of the population.

Homework Your Personal Political Platform Project is due This Friday!!!