1. Voters and Voter Behavior
-The Right to Vote
-Voter Qualifications
-Suffrage & Civil Rights
-Voter Behavior

2. The Right to Vote
Section 1

3. The history of voting Rights
Framers of the Constitution left the power to set suffrage qualifications to each States
Suffrage: rights to vote
Franchise: synonym for the right to vote

4. Expansion of the Electorate
Electorate: the potential voting population
More than 230 million people qualify to vote
Two long term trends in American suffrage since 1789:
Gradual elimination of several restrictions on the right to vote
The Federal Government has assumed more power over the right to vote from the States powers

5. Extending Suffrage
There are 5 stages of expanding voting rights in U.S. history
Early 1800s – religious, property, and tax qualifications begin to disappear
1870 – 15th Amendment prohibits voting restrictions based on color and race
1920 – 19th Amendment removes voting restrictions based on sex
1965 – The Voting Rights Act of 1965 enforces racial equality at polling places
1971 – 26th Amendment sets the minimum voting age at 18

6. The Power to Set Voting Qualifications
Each state must allow a person to vote in all elections in the state, including the House and the Senate
No State can ban a person from voting based on their race, color, or previous status of servitude (being a former slave) [15th Amendment]
No State can ban any person the right to vote based on their sex [19th Amendment]
No State can require a payment or tax in order to vote in any election [24th Amendment]
No State can ban any person who is at least 18 years old from voting [26th Amendment]

7. Voter Qualifications
Section 2

8. Universal Requirements
Three factors to be eligible to vote:
Citizenship
States decide native born & naturalized citizens
Aliens have generally been denied the right to vote, but nothing in the Constitution says they cannot vote and a State could allow them to vote if they chose

9. Universal Requirements
Three factors to be eligible to vote:
Residence
A person must be a legal resident of the State in which they wish to vote in
In most States a person must have lived in the State for a certain period of time before they can vote
Almost every State prohibits transients (person who lives in a State for only a short amount of time) from gaining legal status in the State

10. Universal Requirements
Three factors to be eligible to vote:
Age
The 26th Amendment sets the minimum age for voting at 18.
“Old enough to fight, old enough to vote” during the Vietnam War
Any State can set the age at less than 18 if they choose

11. Registration
Registration: procedure of voter identification to prevent fraudulent voting
Gives election officials a list of persons qualified to vote
Several States use registration list as a means to identify political party affiliation – used specifically for closed primary elections

12. Registration Requirements
49 States, except North Dakota, require voters to be registered to cast a ballot in an election
Registration cutoff dates vary per State
Typically a prospective voter must register their name, age, place of birth, present address, and length of residence
Remain registered unless or until you move, die, convicted of a serious crime, or committed to a mental institution

13. Controversies
Should the registration requirement be abolished everywhere?
Should you need a Voter ID to vote?

14. Literacy and Tax Payments
Suffrage qualifications based on literacy aand tax payments were once fairly common among States
No longer allowed in any State

15. Suffrage and Civil Rights
Section 3

16. The 15th Amendment Ratified in 1870
Declares the right to vote cannot be denied to any citizen of the United States because of race, color, or previous condition of servitude
It was a general principle without providing the means of enforcement
It did not protect against loopholes to keep African Americans from voting [ex: poll taxes, “white primaries”, gerrymandering, etc.
1944: The Supreme Court outlawed the white primaries in the Texas case Smith v. Allwright
1960: The Supreme Court outlawed gerrymandering used for racial discrimination in Gomillion v. Lightfoot

17. The 15th Amendment
Civil Rights Act of 1957 created the the U.S. Commissions on Civil Rights to inquire into claims of voter discrimination
Civil Rights Act of 1960 provided appointments of federal voting referees to serve anywhere a federal court found voter discrimination and helped qualified persons register to vote
Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed the discrimination based on several factors including race or color. It also outlawed literacy tests

18. Voting Rights ACT OF 1965
Made the 15th Amendment an effective piece of the Constitution
Applied to ALL elections held in the U.S.
Outlawed poll taxes and literacy tests
No new election laws or changes to existing election laws can go into effect without the approval of the Department of Justice

19. Voter Behaviors
Section 4

20. What Are Your Options?
How many choices does a candidate have in a two-candidate race in the U.S.?

21. The Right to Vote Your five options as U.S. voters:
Vote FOR candidate A
Vote FOR candidate B
Vote AGAINST candidate A
Vote AGAINST candidate B
Don’t vote for either candidate

22. 2008 Election Turnout Stats
228 million people were of voting age
131 million voted in the presidential election [60%]
121 million voted in the congressional election [53%]

23. Nonvoting
Off-year elections (congressional elections between presidential elections) have even lower voter turnout than even-numbered years
Ballot fatigue – the further down a ballot an officials office is the more likely the voter loses patience and/or knowledge
More people vote in general elections than in primary or special elections

24. Why People Do Not Vote Cannot-Voters Ex: Resident Aliens
Ill or physically disabled
Mental illness
Traveling unexpectedly
Imprisoned
Religious beliefs - idolatry

25. Why People Do Not Vote Nonvoters Convinced it makes little difference
No matter the election outcome it will be okay
Feel alienated – don’t trust the political process
Political efficacy – believe the government is ineffective
Inconvenience of registration requirements
Time-zone fallout

26. Studying Voting Behavior
Results of particular elections
Field of survey research
Gallop Organization
Pew Research Center
Studies of political socialization
Process in which people gain their political attitudes and opinions

27. Factors That Influence Voters
A voter’s personal characteristics
A voter’s group affiliation
Age
Family
Race
Co-workers
Income
Friends
Occupation
Education
Religion

28. Sociological Factors
***Each voter possesses not just one factor, but several factors***
Income and Occupation
Education
Gender & Age
Religion & Ethnic Background
Geography
Family and Other Groups

29. Psychological Factors
Party Identification = the loyalty of people to a particular political party
Most significant predictor of how a person will vote
Straight ticket voting: voting for only one party in an election
Split ticket voting: voting for candidates of more than one party – has increased over the years
Independents: individuals who do not identify with a single political party

30. Psychological Factors
Candidates and Issues
Impression of the candidate
Candidates personality, character, style, past record, appearance, etc.
Emotional content of issues
Voter’s awareness of issues
The candidates opinion/stance on certain issues