1. VOTING Suffrage: the right to vote.
A Brief History of Suffrage in the United States:
Stage 1: Founding to Early 1800s.
At first, only white male landowners could vote
By the early 1800s all adult white males could vote.

2. VOTING Stage 2: Reconstruction.
15th Amendment is ratified, but African Americans remain disenfranchised.
“Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote
shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any
State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article
by appropriate legislation.”
Poll taxes, literacy tests used to prevent suffrage.

3. VOTING Stage 3: Early 1900s. 19th Amendment is ratified.
“Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
Stage 4: 1960s. Voting Rights Act 1965 (ends literacy test etc.), 23rd Amendment is ratified.
“Section 1. The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct: A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State “

4. VOTING 24th Amendment is ratified.
“Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay poll tax or other tax.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
Stage 5: th Amendment is ratified.
“Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”

7. Qualifications
The United States Constitution allows individual states to determine qualifications for voting.
The United States electorate is approximately 220 million people.

8. Qualifications Every state has the following qualifications:
Citizenship: nothing in the U.S. Constitution says aliens cannot vote, but
Residence: length differs between states, 0 to 30 days.
3. Age.
4. Registration (except ND), but it differs by state

9. Qualifications Minnesota Voting Qualifications: 18 years old.
U.S. Citizen.
MN resident for 20 days.
Not legally incompetent.
Not a convicted felon.

10. Are Minnesotans capable of voting?
Coleman vs. Franken has gone on for 6 months and is not over.
The current legal question is different standards for counting write-in ballots in different counties.
Also, election boards had to re-count every ticket and consider these questionable ballots.

11. Are Minnesotans capable of voting?1 2

12. Are Minnesotans capable of voting?3 4

13. Are Minnesotans capable of voting?5 6

14. Are Minnesotans capable of voting?7 8

15. Are Minnesotans capable of voting?9

16. People Denied Suffrage
People in mental institutions, or people deemed by the state to be mentally incompetent.
Felons in most states.
People dishonorably discharged by the military in some states.

17. What do you think?
Do you believe that the current qualifications for voting
are fair and equitable? Why or why not?
Do you believe that in a true representative democracy
anyone should be denied the right to vote? Why or why not?