1. American Government
Chapter 6 Notes

2. When the Constitution went into effect, the right to vote in the U. S
When the Constitution went into effect, the right to vote in the U.S. was restricted to white, male property owners
The 19th amendment prohibited the denial of the right to vote because of gender – it was ratified in 1920
It was not until the 1960s that racial equality in voting was achieved

3. Amendments related to voting
The 24th amendment, ratified in 1964, eliminated the poll tax as a condition for voting
The 26th amendment, approved in 1971, set the age for voting at 18 – a state could choose to set the age lower than 18, but not greater than 18
To be eligible to vote, you must meet 3 universal requirements: 1) citizenship, 2) residence, and 3) age
Georgia was the 1st state to lower the age of voting from 21 to 18
Amendments related to voting

4. The poll tax was collected by all of the southern states
Florida was the first state to use a poll tax in 1889 – it was used to discourage voting by African Americans
Convicted felons and individuals in mental institutions are not permitted to vote

5. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 finally made the 15th Amendment truly effective
Originally, the act was going to be in effect for 5 years. It is still in effect.
The act outlawed any kind of poll tax, it suspended the use of literacy testing as a condition of voting, and outlined conditions for registering voters
Voting rights act of 1965

6. Voter turnout is lower in off-year elections than in presidential election years
People are much less likely to vote in just local or state level elections than federal level elections
Factors that effect voter turnout: bad weather, long lines, long ballots, ‘time-zone fallout’, lack of interest
Voter turnout

7. Characteristics of voters
Characteristics of people more likely to vote:
Higher levels of income
Higher levels of education
Long-time residents in the community
Strong sense of party identification
Interest in politics
Married
Over the age of 35
Women are more likely to vote than men
Characteristics of voters

8. Will you vote democratic or republican?
People more likely to vote Republican
Higher income
College educated
Professional or business occupation
Men
Older voters
Protestant religion
Southern states
Will you vote democratic or republican?

9. Will you be more likely to vote democratic or republican?
You are more likely to vote Democratic if:
Lower income brackets
Manual labor occupation
High school graduates or those who have not graduated from high school
Women
Younger Americans
Catholics and Jews
Northeastern part of the U.S.
Will you be more likely to vote democratic or republican?