VotingObjectives:•Identify how amendments have extended the right to vote.•Analyze the influences of voter turnout.

Bell Ringer:Using the information in the chapter, make a time line of the federal laws (including constitutional amendments) that were designed to ensure the suffrage of African Americans and women. Which, in your opinion, was the most important law? Why?

Agenda:Voting in the United States

Homework:Read Chapter 6 Section 4Complete Assessment questions 1-6

Voting

Suffrage: the legal right to vote (also known as franchise)

Electorate: potential voting population

Requirements for Voting1. Citizenship: • Only citizens of the United States are eligible to vote in

elections.

2. Residence: • A citizen must be a legal resident of the state he/she wishes

to vote in.• Voting Rights Act of 1970 – Congress banned requirements

of any longer than thirty days for voting in a presidential election.

• Dunn v. Blumstein (1972) Supreme Court decision said that Tennessee’s requirement of one year state residency and ninety days in a particular county before being allowed to vote was unconstitutional.

3. Age: • 26th Amendment gave eighteen year olds the right to vote.

Voter RegistrationRegistration: the procedure of voter identification intended to preventfraudulent voting.

• • In most states potential voters must verify their right to vote by providing evidence of their identity. Such information includes: name, date and place of birth, address, and length of residence.

• Some states use voter registration information to identify voters’ party preference.

Motor Voter Act: passed in 1993, requires states to permit people to register to vote when they apply for their driver’s license

Voter Registration

Voting

The Constitution does not give the federal gov’tthe power to set suffrage qualifications. That power belongs to the states.

Restrictions on the states

If one is allowed to vote for state legislature, they must also be allowed to vote for representatives and senators.

Cannot overrule the 15th Amendment

Cannot overrule the 19th Amendment

Cannot require payment of a tax as a condition for taking part in the nomination or election of a federal office-holder.

Cannot keep eighteen year olds from fighting.

History of Suffrage in the U.S.

1789 – only white male property owners allowed to vote After the Civil War ended, the definition of who could vote

was extended

15th AmendmentEnsures the right to vote regardless of race.

Obstacles to VotingFor many years the 15th amendment was just words on paper that were not necessarily enforced. Would be voters were discouraged from voting by many methods including: arrest, job loss, violent beatings, and murder. In addition people were subject to completing additional steps to be able to vote.

Obstacles to VotingLiteracy tests: used to deny or discourage groups from voting. Potential voters had to interpret passages of the Constitution or answer other questions that the majority of citizens would not know the answer to.

Voting Rights Amendment of 1970 outlawed this practice

Obstacles to VotingPoll tax: potential voters had to pay a special property tax as a condition of voting.

The 24th Amendment outlawed the use of poll taxes

Obstacles to VotingGerrymandering: practice of drawing electoral district lines to limit the voting strength of a particular group or party. District lines were drawn so that people (usually blacks) that were living outside of a certain area were not allowed to vote in any primaries.

Remedies For Voters

Civil Rights ActsCivil Rights Acts of 1960, 1964, and 1970 helped remedy racial voter discrimination.

•Forbade the use of literacy requirements that were used in an unfair or discriminatory manner.

•Provide federal voting referees to investigate claims of voter discrimination.

•Relied on judicial action to overcome racial barriers and allowed for the use of injunctions:

Court order that forces or limits the performance of some act by a private individual or a public official. Violation is punishable by fine or imprisonment.

Voting Rights Act of 1965•Applies the same rules to all elections.

•Harper v Virginia Board of Elections (1966): Supreme Court decision that formally made literacy tests and poll taxes unconstitutional.

•New election laws had to go through a preclearance process where the Department of Justice checked to make sure new or revised laws did not “dilute” voting rights of minority groups.

17th Amendment

Passed in 1913Allows for the direct election of senators

•This was a change from Article I Section III of the Constitution that gave the power of voting for Senators to the individual state legislatures.

19th Amendment

Passed in 1920The right to vote cannot be abridged by the U.S. or a state because of gender.

•This amendment faced similar, but less intense problems as the 15th Amendment.

23rd AmendmentPassed in 1961

Voters in the District of Columbia can vote for president and vice president. They cannot have more votes than the least populous state.

•DC is not a state and therefore even now, does not have the right to have representation in Congress.

26th Amendment

Passed in 1971Lowered the voting age to 18 years old.

•States can allow citizens under age of 18 to vote.•Vietnam era “old enough to fight, old enough to vote”

Voter Behavior

Today, many Americans CHOOSE not to vote.

More citizens will vote in presidential elections than in other national, state, and local contests, but the percentage of Americans voting in presidential elections is declining.

Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice

How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions

Influences on Voter Turnout

Campaign Issues

•No issues they feel passionately about•Do not like the campaign process (mudslinging, media blitz)

Influences on Voter Turnout

Candidates

•Don’t feel candidates represent their views•Don’t identify with any of the candidates•Feel all politicians are dishonest or self serving•Distrust politicians

Influences on Voter Turnout

Voter Attitude Toward Government

•Voter efficacy: lack any sense of their influence or effectiveness in politics•Believe their vote does not make a difference•Some satisfied with the country’s direction and feel things will be okay no matter who wins

How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions

• Candidate Evaluations: How Americans See the Candidate

– Candidates want a good visual image.• Especially on dimensions of integrity,

reliability, and competence

– Personality plays a role in vote choice, especially if a candidate is perceived to be incompetent or dishonest.

How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions

• Policy Voting– Basing your vote choice on issue preferences and where

the candidates stand on policy issues

– Policy voting may occur if : • Voters know where they and the candidates stand on issues

and see differences between candidates

– Unlikely to occur because:• Candidates can be ambiguous on the issues.• Media tend to focus on the “horse race” not issues.

– Today candidates are forced to take a clear stand in the party primaries increasing chances for policy voting.

Influences on Voter Turnout

Voter Loyalty to Political Parties

•If one belongs or very strongly identifies with a particular party, they are more likely to vote

Factors That Influence Voting

Education: the higher one’s education the more likely they are to vote. Typically those with advanced and professional degrees vote Democratic.

Factors That Influence Voting

Age: the older one is, more likely they are to vote. (Age, sickness, and health issues start to bring down their

numbers)

Factors That Influence Voting

Income: the more money one makes, the more likely they are to vote.

Voters v. Nonvoters

More likely to vote:•Women •Married people •Union members•High sense of political efficacy

Nonvoters likely to be:• younger than 35•unmarried •Unskilled

•Voter apathy, dissatisfaction, and the failure to meet voting requirements contribute to the decline in voting.

Reasons Given For Not Voting• Did not register

42%• Do not like the candidates

17%• No particular reason

10%• Are sick or disabled

8%• Are not U.S. citizens

5%• Are not interested in politics

5%• Are new residents in the area

4%• Are away from home

3%• Cannot leave job

3%• Cannot get to the polls

1%

Conclusions from the 2004 Election

Non-Hispanic whites constitute most of the voting-age citizen population

Native citizens are more likely to register and vote than naturalized citizens

Women are more likely to vote The peak age group for voting was between 65-74 years of age

Married people are more likely to vote

People with more education, higher incomes and jobs are more likely to vote

Homeowners and longtime residents are more likely to vote

People in the Midwest are most likely to register and vote

Most people vote in person instead of using absentee ballots

Voting rates are higher in states with same-day registration