1. Voters and Voter Behavior The Right to Vote

2. Voting Qualifications States must allow all people to vote who meet the minimum requirements set by the federal government.

3. Voting Qualifications Citizenship – US Residence - of the state in state/local elections Age – 18 and older

4. Voting Qualifications Every state except North Dakota requires voters to register. Registration forms are on the internet In Florida, 17 year olds can register and vote after their 18 th birthday

5. Voting Qualifications If a person does not vote for several elections, the rolls are purged and the person’s name is removed.

6. Who Do You Vote For? Once a person is registered they can vote in federal, state and local elections There are many ways to get information about the people running for office and new laws being voted for.

7. Who Do You Vote For? Most people get their knowledge from TV TV ads are bought by the candidate or the group favoring a particular person or cause. They only tell the positive side of their side and the negative side of the opposition

8. Voters A typical voter: Higher income Higher income Higher education Higher education Better occupational status Better occupational status Long time residents Long time residents Party identification Party identification female female

9. Non-Voters A typical non-voter: Younger than 35 Younger than 35 Unmarried Unmarried Unskilled Unskilled Lives in south/rural area Lives in south/rural area male male

10. How People Vote It is easier to determine how some groups of people will vote Polls also use research to determine election winners All polls showed that the 2004 election would be decided by less than 2% of the vote. They were right.

11. How People Vote Psychological factors that can determine who a person votes for include: Voter’s characteristics – age, sex, education, religion, income Voter’s characteristics – age, sex, education, religion, income Voter’s affiliations – work, friends, families Voter’s affiliations – work, friends, families

12. How People Vote Sociological factors that can determine who a person votes for include: Income – lower incomes tend to vote Dem; higher=Rep Income – lower incomes tend to vote Dem; higher=Rep Education – lower education tend to vote Dem; higher=Rep Education – lower education tend to vote Dem; higher=Rep

13. How People Vote Sociological factors that can determine who a person votes for include: Age and gender – younger women tend to vote Dem; older males=Rep Age and gender – younger women tend to vote Dem; older males=Rep Religion – Catholics and Jews tend to vote Dem; Prot=Rep Religion – Catholics and Jews tend to vote Dem; Prot=Rep

14. How People Vote Sociological factors that can determine who a person votes for include: Race – Non-whites tend to vote Dem; white = Rep Race – Non-whites tend to vote Dem; white = Rep Region – CA, NY, MA=Dem; TX, KS, ND and Bible Belt=Rep. Region – CA, NY, MA=Dem; TX, KS, ND and Bible Belt=Rep.

15. How People Vote These are generalizations only and different issues sway voters How much a person feels loyalty to their party, party identification, is a good predictor of how a person will vote.

16. How People Vote Some people vote for their party, regardless of the person running for office. Straight-ticket voting relates to party affiliation.

17. How People Vote Some people, split-ticket voters, vote for candidates, regardless of political party This practice has become more common since the 1960s. Independent voters are likely to do this since they do not belong to a party

18. How People Vote In the past, independent voters were generally less informed about the candidates or issues. This is not true with new independent voters who tend to be better educated and have higher incomes