1. Chapter 6 Voters and Voter Behavior
American Government
Chapter 6
Voters and Voter Behavior

2. Section 1 The Right to Vote
Main Idea:
Democratic government can succeed only if its citizens are willing to vote. The history of the United States has been marked by a steady expansion of the electorate through the elimination of restrictions on voting qualifications.

3. Section 1 The Right to Vote
Voting
Suffrage/Franchise: The right to vote
1789: Only white, male, property owners may vote
1870s: 15th Amendment eliminated restrictions based on race
1920: 19th Amendment added women to the electorate
1971: 26th Amendment dropped voting age to 18
Today: The electorate (those eligible to vote) include nearly all citizens 18+ years of age

4. Section 2 Voter Qualifications
Main Idea:
All states have citizenship, residence, and age requirements for voting. Other voting qualifications differ from State to State. Some requirements – especially those that were used to disenfranchise certain groups – have been eliminated over time.

5. Section 2 Voter Qualifications
States determine voter qualifications
All require voters to be legal citizens and legal residents
Most forbid transients
Transient: Person living in a state for only a short time
Age requirement set by 26th Amendment
Must be 18

6. Section 2 Voter Qualifications
Registration
49 states require voter registration
Gives officials a list of registered voters, called poll books
Officials are to review these periodically and purge them
Purging: Removing names from those no longer eligible to vote

7. Section 2 Voter Qualifications
Restrictions?
No Literacy Test: Proof of ability to read or write
No Poll tax: A tax paid for voting
All states deny the right to vote to people in mental institutions
Most states deny the right to vote to people convicted of a serious crime

8. Section 3 Suffrage and Civil Rights
Main Idea:
The 15th Amendment declared that the right to vote cannot be denied on account of race. Nevertheless, a variety of tactics were used in Southern States to disenfranchise African Americans. The Supreme Court struck down a number of these efforts, and, beginning in the 1950s, Congress passed laws to protect minority voting rights.

9. Section 3 Suffrage and Civil Rights
Discrimination
1870, 15th Amendment said right to vote could not be denied based on race
Southern states used many tactics to deny African Americans the right to vote
Violence
Threats
Literacy tests
Gerrymandering: Drawing district lines that limits a particular group’s political strength

10. Section 3 Suffrage and Civil Rights
Discrimination (cont.)
Civil Rights Movement pressured Congress to ensure African American Voting rights
Civil Rights Act 1957
Set up a commission to investigate voter discrimination
Civil Rights Act 1960
Set up federal referees to help eligible voters register and vote in federal elections
Civil Rights Act 1964
Emphasized injunctions (orders from courts to do or stop doing something bad)

11. Section 4 Voter Behavior
Main Idea:
Low voter turnout is a serious problem in this country. Among those who do vote, sociological and psychological factors work together to influence voter behavior over time and in particular elections.

12. Section 4 Voter Behavior
Problems
Millions of Americans who are qualified to vote, don’t
Voter turn-out is low in presidential election years
Even lower in off-year elections (congressional elections held between presidential elections)

13. Section 4 Voter Behavior
Problems (cont.)
Those who choose not to vote lack a feeling of political efficacy
Efficacy: Feeling that their vote will make a difference
Political socialization
Process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions
Sociological factors influence each person’s voting choices
Include: income, occupation, education, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, region of residency, and family

14. Section 4 Voter Behavior
Problems (cont.)
Gender gap
Measurable differences between the electoral choices of men and women
Psychological factors also affect voter behavior
Party identification
Loyalty to a political party
Straight ticket voting
Voting only for members of your political party
Split-ticket voting
Voting for candidates of both major parties
Most often done by independents