Sect. 1

1
Voter Qualifications Among the States

• Sect. 1 2
• Pgs. 132-136

2
Constitution on Voting

• States cant violate constitution when making
  voting requirements.
• States cant have different requirements.
• 15th Amendment- cant use race

3

• 19th -(1920) States cannot require people to be
  male to vote.
• 24th (1964) States cant use the payment of taxes
  to determine who can vote
• 26th (1971)States cannot require people to be
  older than 18 to vote.

4
Citizenship, Residence Age

• States require voters to meet at least two
  qualifications citizenship residence.

5
Citizenship

• Aliens (non-citizens) generally denied right to
  vote.
• Minnesota only state requires a person to be
  American citizen for 3 months before they can
  vote.

6
Residence Age

• Some states require voters to live there for 30
  days to qualify to vote
• 18

7
Registration

• All states except N. Dakota require voters to
  register.

8
Literacy

• Today, no state has a qualification based on
  literacy.
• used so that voters could make informed
  ballot.

9

• discouraged certain groups from voting, mainly
  African Americans
• Eliminated in 1970 by Voting Rights Act
  Amendments.

10

• Southern states- Grandfather clause- any man who
  voted prior to adoption of 15th amendment
  qualified to vote. (1870).

11
Tax Payment

• If you owned property you paid taxes which was a
  requirement to vote.
• Mainly in the south. It began in Florida in 1889.
• 24th Amendment (1964) outlawed poll tax.

12
Who Cant Vote?

• Mental institution
• Mentally incompetent
• Few states- dishonorable discharge

• Convicted of serious crime
• Some states- duelists, homeless or polygamists.