The Right to Vote

1
The Right to Vote

• Chapter 6
• Section 1
• Pages 129-131

2
Words You Should Know

• Suffrage right to vote
• Franchise means the same as suffrage

3
A Short History of Voting

• 1789 White male property owners
• 1 in 15 could vote
• Thomas Paines jackass analogy
• Today Between 200 and 250 million people can
  vote
• Elimination of restrictions
• Federal Govt has assumed voter rights laws

4
Jackson 5
5
Ben Folds Five
6
The Four Tops
7
The Five Stages

• 1. Struggle to extend voting rights
• Tests, taxes, race issues
• 2. Post Civil War 15th Amendment
• Stop discrimination
• 3. Ratification of 19th Amendment
• Wyoming gave women the right in 1869 as a
  territory
• 1920 post WWI women earned suffrage

8
The Five Stages

• 4. Civil Rights Movement
• Voting Rights Act of 1965
• Removal of poll taxes 23rd Amendment
• 5. 26th Amendment
• Age 18

9
Power of Qualifications

• Constitution places five restrictions on the
  states in the use of suffrage qualifications

10
One

• Says you can vote in all the elections within a
  state

11
Two

• No deprivation of suffrage for any reason based
  on race, color, or previous condition of
  servitude (slavery)

12
Three

• No deprivation based on gender

13
Four

• You cannot levy a tax on voters

14
Five

• No deprivation based on age as long as that
  person is 18 and above

15
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16
Citizenship

• Aliens are denied the right to vote
• Good thing too, seeing as they are from another
  planet.
• Some do it sneakily
• Minnesota makes you be a citizen for three months

17
Residence

• Residence requirements live in a state for a
  period of time
• 1. to keep outsiders from voting in elections
  (political machines)
• 2. become familiar with issues in state
• Past Requirements Usually at least a year in the
  state, up to 90 days in the county, 30 days in
  local ward or precinct

18
Residence

• 15 Days in SD
• 50 in Arizona (longest)
• Why was it shortened?
• Transients / College students
• Traveling salesmen, armed forces, college students

19
Age

• 18 Years of age
• In some states 17 year olds may vote in primaries
  
• 18th Birthday falls between primary and general
  election
• Nebraska as of 1999 17 year olds could vote if
  their 18th birthday fell before election day in
  that calendar year

20
Other Qualifications

• Registration every state but ND
• Does registration bar voter turnout?
• Convenience
• Protect against voter fraud
• Literacy Banning of literacy tests
• Complexity of questions
• Tax Payment no reasonable relationship found

21
Who Cant Vote

• Mental institutions
• Mentally incompetent
• Felons
• Dishonorable Discharges
• Duelists, vagrants, polygamists in some states

22
Voter Behavior

• Voter behavior studies concentrate on three
  sources
• 1. The results of elections
• Areas with high concentrations of one demographic
• 2. Survey research
• Polling cross sections of Americans
• 3. Studies of political socialization
• How people form opinions

23
Factors

• Sociological factors
• Personal characteristics
• Group affiliations
• Psychological factors
• How does the voter view parties, candidates, or
  the election

24
Sociological Factors

• Chart p. 147

25
Question

• Does membership in a group really influence a
  persons voting behavior?

26
Psychological Factors

• Party Identification
• Many Americans latch on for life from age 18
• Straight Ticket Voting
• Parties can regularly count on the votes of the
  faithful
• Split Ticket Voting
• On the rise

27
Psychological Factors

• Many voters now refer to themselves as
  independent
• On the contrary, many support one of the major
  parties
• Independent registration is seeing a great
  increase

28
Psychological Factors

• Candidates and Issues
• The image / impression of a candidate
• The issues at hand
• Ongoing issues and scandal in America