Transcript The Right to Vote

The Right to Vote
Chapter 6
Section 1
Pages 129-131
Words You Should Know
• Suffrage – right to vote
• Franchise – means the same as suffrage
A Short History of Voting
• 1789 – White male property owners
– 1 in 15 could vote
» Thomas Paine’s jackass analogy
• Today – Between 200 and 250 million
people can vote
– Elimination of restrictions
– Federal Gov’t has assumed voter rights laws
Jackson 5
Ben Folds Five
The Four Tops
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
The Five Stages
• 4. Civil Rights Movement
– Voting Rights Act of 1965
– Removal of poll taxes – 23rd Amendment
• 5. 26th Amendment
– Age 18
Power of Qualifications
• Constitution places five restrictions on the
states in the use of suffrage qualifications:
One
• Says you can vote in all the elections
within a state
Two
• No deprivation of suffrage for any reason
based on race, color, or previous condition
of servitude (slavery)
Three
• No deprivation based on gender
Four
• You cannot levy a tax on voters
Five
• No deprivation based on age as long as
that person is 18 and above
Section 2
•
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
section two section two section two section two section two section two section two
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
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
Residence
• 15 Days in SD
• 50 in Arizona (longest)
• Why was it shortened?
» Transients / College students
» Traveling salesmen, armed forces, college students
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
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
Who Can’t Vote
•
•
•
•
•
Mental institutions
Mentally incompetent
Felons
Dishonorable Discharges
Duelists, vagrants, polygamists in some
states
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
Factors
• Sociological factors
– Personal characteristics
– Group affiliations
• Psychological factors
– How does the voter view parties, candidates,
or the election
Sociological Factors
• Chart – p. 147
Question:
• Does membership in a group really
influence a persons voting behavior?
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
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
Psychological Factors
• Candidates and Issues
– The image / impression of a candidate
– The issues at hand
• Ongoing issues and scandal in America