1. Voter Qualifications
Chapter 6-Section 2

2. Universal Requirements
Today, anyone who wants to vote must satisfy the qualifications regarding three factors:
Citizenship
Residence
Age

3. Universal Requirements-Citizenship
Alien-Foreign born residents who have not yet become citizens and are generally denied the right to vote
States can draw distinctions between native born and naturalized citizens with regard to suffrage.
Pennsylvania Constitution states that a potential voter must be a citizen for one month before you can vote

4. Universal Requirements-Residence
Must be a legal resident of the state in which he or she wished to vote
Must live in the state for a certain period of time

5. Universal Requirements-Residence
The States have adopted residency requirements for two distinct reasons:
1.) keep political machine from brining in outsiders to influence election
2.) too allow new voters at least some time to become familiar with the candidates and the issues
Typical sixty to ninety days in the country and thirty days local
However, most states only require thirty days total

6. Universal Requirements-Residence
Voting Rights Act of 1970-
Banned any requirement over 30 days
Supreme Court said it conflicted with 14th Amendment “equal protection clause”
Supreme Court said “30 days appears to be ample period of time.

7. Universal Requirements-Residence
Transient-A person who plans to live in a state for only a short time are usually prevented from gaining legal residence status there.
Nearly every state prohibits transients from voting in a state their not a resident.
This can include:
Soldiers
College students
One can not vote in a state when they are only temporary residences

8. Universal Requirements-Age
Age- 26th amendment- right of 18 year old to vote
No state can have a minimum age higher than eighteen
Extends suffrage to those at least eighteen
State can make the voting age less than eighteen if it chooses to

9. Universal Requirements-Age
Until the 26th Amendment passed the voting age was 21
Georgia first to allow 18 year old to vote (1943)
Kentucky-18, 1955
Alaska-19, 1959
Hawaii-20, 1959

10. Registration
Registration- Procedure of voter identification intended to prevent fraudulent voting
Gives elected officials a list of qualified voters

11. Registration Requirements-
In forty-nine of the fifty states (North Dakota being the exception) you must be registered in order to vote
Became common in 1900’s
In most states you must register days before the election
Voter Registration- A prospective voter must usually register their name, age, place of birth, present address and length of residence

12. Registration Other Issues with Voting-
Purged-Every four years if you do not vote you are removed or purged
Poll Books-Official list of qualified voters in each precinct

13. Literacy Tests and Tax Payments
Literacy Tests and Tax Payment (Poll Taxes)-
Literacy- A person’s ability to read and write
Today no state has suffrage based on voter literacy
Connecticut and Massachusetts had literacy tests in designed to limit the Irish Catholic immigrants coming into New England
In the south literacy tests often asked whites to read something simple while African Americans were asked to read something complex

14. Literacy Tests and Tax Payments
Congress banned literacy qualification in 1970
Tax Payments- (also known as poll taxes) proved ownership of property and met common suffrage qualifications.
Some states demanded a poll tax to vote
Their purpose was meant to discourage African American voters
The 24th Amendment outlawed Poll Taxes as a requirement for voting

15. Persons Denied the Vote
Even today for various reasons every State still purposely denies the right to vote to some of it’s residents-
These people include:
People found mentally incompetent
Those convicted of serious crimes (felonies)
However, some previous felons can regain the right to vote
Those convicted of bribery and ballot-box stuffing
Some states do not allow those dishonorably discharged from the military to vote