1. Chapter 6 Section 4

2. When the Constitution was passed, only white male property owners could vote. Over time, qualifications to vote have eased significantly and the federal government has taken control over granting the right to vote.  15th Amendment prohibited the denial of voting based on race.  19th Amendment prohibited the denial of voting based on sex.  23rd Amendment added voters of the District of Columbia.  24th Amendment eliminated the poll tax.  26th amendment forbids states to set minimum voting age at higher than 18.

3. Chapter 6.2: Voter Qualifications There are universal voting requirements in every state based on 3 major subjects: 1. Citizenship 2. Residence 3. Age

4. 1. Citizenship: You must be a citizen of the U.S. to vote. “Aliens”: foreign-born residents who have not become citizens are typically denied the right to vote.

5. 2. Residency: You must be a resident of the state you plan to cast a vote in – usually more than 30 days. * “Transients”: persons living in a state for only a short period of time (travelling salesmen, college students, etc.) usually aren’t granted residency

6. 3. Age: The 26th Amendment says the states cannot deny citizens of the U.S. the right to vote if they are 18 or older – “old enough to fight, old enough to vote” – states can lower the voting age if they chose to do so.

7. The only other major qualification that has stood the test of time is “registration”: a procedure of voter identification intended to prevent fraudulent voting. *Typically, you must register your name, age, place of birth, present address, etc. You stay registered unless you die, move, are convicted of a serious crime, or are committed to a mental institution.

8. Recently, all state shave made it easier to register to vote – online, at the DMV, by mail, or at local offices of state employment, welfare, and other social service agencies. Most states require voters to be registered 20- 30 days before elections. rockthevote.org

9. Those denied the right to vote: Those in mental institutions or declared mentally incompetent, many who commit serious crimes, and some who have been dishonorably discharged from the armed forces.

10. Key Terms Off-Year Election Ballot Fatigue Political Efficacy Political Socialization Gender Gap Party Identification Straight Ticket Voting Split Ticket Voting Independent

11. Nonvoting  Term idiot is Greek for non-voter  Millions of Americans do not vote  Election day 2008 some 121 million votes were cast  Only 53% of electorate voted  Off-Year Elections-the congressional elections held in the even numbered years between the presidential elections

12.  Some people do not vote for all the candidates  Ballot fatigue- the further your name is down on a ballot the fewer votes you receive  Sometimes voters exhaust their patience or knowledge  More people vote for statewide offices instead of county or local elections

13.  Turn out in congressional districts is higher in presidential years.

14. Why People Do Not Vote  2008 data over 100 million people did not vote  10 million of them are aliens and are barred from voting  5 to 6 million are ill  2 to 3 million had top travel unexpectedly  Race, religious biases also play a role

15. Actual Nonvoters  In 2008, 80 million people who could vote did not in the Presidential election  Reasons People think there vote will nor make a difference Many do not trust politicians They either fear or scorn the system Political efficacy-lacking any feeling of influence or effectiveness in politics

16.  More reasons Cumbersome election process (inconvenient registration process) Long ballots/long lines at the polling places Bad weather Time-zone fallout (polls in the East and central close before the west) results are forecast before they have voted

17. Comparing Voters and Nonvoters  1.Results of particular elections Individual votes are secret Areas largely populated by African Americans or Catholics or high income groups will indicate how they voted  2. Survey Research Scientific polls determine cross sections of population (Gallup/Pew) Measure public opinion

18.  3. Political Socialization-process by which people gain their political attitude and opinions Begins in early childhood Continues throughout your life Experiences and relationships that lead people to see the political world in a certain way

19. II. Characteristics of the Electorate Voters Typically: Higher income Higher level of education Long-time residents of a community Predominantly older (35 and up) Live in an urban or suburban community Nonvoters Typically: Lower income Lower level of education Younger (under 35) Unmarried Majority are from the southern U.S. Live in a rural community Lack a feeling of influence/importance

20.  Sociological factors tend to influence who we vote for. A. Income & Occupation Voters in lower income brackets tend to vote for democrats Professional & business people tend to vote republican B. Education Typically, the more education a person has received, the more likely they are to vote republican. C. Gender / Age Traditionally, men vote republican more often and women vote democrat. Younger voters tend to vote democrat, while older voters tend to vote republican III. Who do we vote for?

21. Factors that Influence Voters  Sociological and psychological factors Sociological- pieces of the voters social and economic life (two kinds) ○ 1. a voters personal characteristics-age, race, income, occupation, education, religion ○ 2. voters group affiliations- family- coworkers, friends Psychological- study of the mind and individual behavior ○ Voter perception- how the voter sees the party, candidate and the issues of the election

22. Factors  The differences between the two are not great.  Closely related to each other  Constantly interact  How voters look at parties, candidates or issues is often shaped by their own social and economic backgrounds

23. Sociological Factors  College graduates are more likely to vote Republican  So are persons over 50  African Americans more likely to vote for Democrats  So are labor unions  How would a 55 year old college- educated African American who belongs to the AFL-CIO vote?

24. Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice  Who Votes? Education: More education = more likely to vote. Most important factor. Age: Older = more likely to vote. Race: Caucasian = more likely to vote. BUT, other ethnicities are higher with comparable education. Gender: Female = more likely to vote.

25. Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice  Who Votes? (continued) Marital Status: Married = more likely to vote. Union Membership: Union member = more likely to vote. Traits are cumulative - possessing several adds up.

26. D. Religion / Ethnic Background Minority groups tend to vote democrat Different religions typically side with particular political parties E. Geography Republicans dominate the southern United States Democrats dominate large metropolitan areas

27. Income and Occupation  Voters in lower income brackets usually vote for Democrats  Voters in higher income usually vote for Republicans  2008 election was the exception Making under $50,000 (Barack Obama) $50,000 and up evenly divided between the two Won 52% of the vote of those who made over $200,000 (Barack Obama)

28.  Often how much someone earns and what they do for a living are closely related Professional and business people Other high incomes regularly tend to the Republican side Manual workers and lower income workers tend to the Democrat side With the exception of 1964 and 2008 professional and business people voted heavily Republican in every modern era election

29. Education  College graduates high percentage Republican voters than those who graduate high school  High school graduates vote more Republican than those who just finished grade school  Except for 2008

30. Gender, Age  Gender Gap- the difference in partisan choices between men and women  First appeared in the 1980’s  Women generally tend to favor Democrats by a ten percent margin  Men often give the GOP the same margin  Men and women vote differently on health care, abortion, other social matters

31. Age  Traditionally younger voters tend to vote for the Democrats  Older voters for the GOP  1960-1980 Democrats won a large majority of voters under 30

32.  This pattern was broken by Ronald Reagan in 1984 and George Bush in 1988  Bill Clinton restored the Democratic claim in 1992  2008 held the tradition for younger voters garnering 66% of the under 30 vote

33. Religious, Ethnic Background  Protestants preferred GOP  Catholics and Jews the Democrats  2008 election supported that trend  African American voters for decades have supported the Democratic party  They form the only group that has given a clear majority in every presidential election since 1952

34.  In the North, African Americans voted Republicans until the 1930’s (New Deal)  Civil rights movement 1960’s much greater African American participation in southern politics  Today African Americans are overwhelmingly Democratic

35. Geography  South East corner of the country became known as the solid South (Formerly Democrats)  The GOP now carries that area  States that consistently support Republicans Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas  Democrats carry Have made inroads into the Northeast section

36. Geography  Republicans still dominate the suburbs, smaller cities and rural areas  Democrats control the west coast & northeast & very large urban areas

37. Family and Other Group  Family members vote in a strikingly familiar way  9 out of 10 married couples share the same partisan leaning  Those who work together and circles of friends vote alike

38. Psychological Factors  Party identification- the loyalty of people to a particular political party.  The single most significant and lasting predictor of how a person will vote  Democrat or Republican will likely vote for all their parties candidates

40.  Straight ticket voting- the practice of voting for all the candidates of only one party in elections  Party identification is a key factor in politics  Though it has lost some of its power recently  Split ticket- the practice of voting for candidates of more than one party  This behavior began to increase in the 1960’s

41.  Independents- those people who do not have a party affiliation  Independent is a tricky term most vote for a candidate of one of the major parties.  Number of independents is between a fourth and one third of all voters  New breed of independent from the 1960’s and 1970’s  New voters preferred not to be identified by party.

42. Candidates and Issues  Party identification is a long term factor  They may support the candidates but not the way they vote  Short term factors can cause voters to switch sides Impression the candidate make Their image Personal character and appearance

43.  Issues have become important over the last 40 years Civil rights movement, Vietnam War, feminist movement, Watergate scandal, economic problems Recent years- severe economic recession, Iraq and Afghanistan

44. More Likely to Vote: Older, women, and those with high levels of income, education, job status, party affiliation. Less Likely to Vote: Younger, men, and those with lower levels of income, education, job status, and party affiliation.

45. Why Don’t People Vote? 1. “Cannot Voters”: literally cannot vote (resident aliens, ill or physically disabled, out of town, mentally ill, jailed, religiously forbidden). 2. Actual Nonvoters: some people believe their vote does not matter – they do not have “political efficacy”: a feeling of influence in politics. 3. Other Reasons: cumbersome procedures (long lines, time, bad weather, registration process) – “time-zone fallout”: voters in the west may not vote because early results may have already sealed the election – lack of interest (#1 factor of nonvoting).