Chapter 6: Voters and Voter Behavior

The History of Voting Rights Constitution purposely left the power to each State. Suffrage means the right to vote. (Franchise) Electorate is all of the people entitled to vote. Initially, only white male property owners could vote.

History (Continued) Framers and Suffrage America’s Electorate The American electorate is greater than 200 million people. Five Stages of Suffrage . . .

Five Stages of Suffrage Early 1800s – religious, property, and tax payment were eliminated. 15th Amendment (1870) – end race-based voting requirements. 19th Amendment (1920) – suffrage for women. Voting Rights Act of 1965 – guaranteed voting rights for minorities. 23rd Amendment (1961) – District of Columbia vote for presidents. The 24th Amendment (1964) – eliminated the poll tax. The 26th Amendment (1971) – voting age to 18.

Power to Set Voting Qualifications Constitution and States No federal power to set suffrage qualifications. Five Restrictions All voters vote in all elections. 15th Amendment 19th Amendment 24th Amendment 26th Amendment

Voter Qualifications Universal Requirements Citizenship Residence Age Registration Not Required Literacy Tax Payment Persons Denied the Vote

Suffrage and Civil Rights Fifteenth Amendment (1870) cannot be denied to any citizen of the U.S. because of race, color, or previous servitude. Smith v Allwright Outlawed White Primary Gomillion v Lightfoot Outlawed Gerrymandering Civil Rights Act 1957 Created Civil Rights Commission to investigated and reported voter discrimination Attorney General had power to require federal courts to issue orders to prevent any interference with a person’s right to vote

Civil Rights Act of 1964 Discrimination Voting Rights Injunctions Court orders that either force or restrain specific acts. Selma, Alabama Violent response of civilians and police and state troopers showed that the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960 and 1964 were still not enough to ensure voter equality.

Voting Rights Act of 1965 15th Amendment Applied to All Elections 5 Years; Extended 3x -Provisions of Voting Rights Act of 1965 -Led to the abolishment of the poll tax -Outlawed the use of any kind of literacy test -Mandated preclearance -Later amendments added a language-minority provision

Voter Behavior Non-Voters “Cannot Voters” Apathy Idiots??? 80 Million in 2004 “Cannot Voters” 12.5% are Resident Aliens Apathy “Time Zone Fallout” Do not believe that their vote will make a difference

Voter Influence Income, Occupation Education Gender or Age Religion Geography Family Party ID Candidates