Voting

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Chapter 6

• Voting

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SECTION 1

• The Constitution and the Right to Vote

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The History of Voting Rights in the United States
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What were the original provisions for voting in
the United States?

• framers of Constitution purposely left power to
  set up suffrage qualifications up to the states
• the right to vote was restricted to white male
  adult property owners

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What have been the trends in the history of
suffrage?

• The gradual elimination of restrictions based on
  religion, property ownership, tax payment, race
  and, sex, and age
• power over suffrage has been assumed by the
  federal government from the states

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How has the American electorate grown over time?

• early 1800's - religious tax, and property
  restrictions removed
• post Civil war - 15th Amendment prohibited
  restriction based on race or color

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• In 1920, the 19th Amendment granted women
  suffrage
• 1960's - enforcement of civil rights acts
  prohibited racial restriction in polling places

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• 23rd Amendment allowed residents of Washington
  D.C. to vote in Presidential election
• 24th Amendment eliminated poll tax
• 1971 - 26th Amendment- 18 year old vote

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Power to set voting qualifications is reserved to
the states
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What restrictions are placed on the States by the
Constitution?

• allows the same voters to vote in all elections
• states cannot deprive a person suffrage based on
  race, color, or previous condition of servitude

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• states cannot deprive a person suffrage based on
  sex
• states cannot require a payment of tax as
  condition of voting
• states cannot deprive a person 18 years old
  suffrage because of age

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• States may require prior registration and gives
  election officials a list of persons qualified to
  vote in an election

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voter remains registered unless

• moves or dies
• is convicted of a serious crime
• is committed to a mental institution
• fails to vote for a certain number of years or
  elections

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Congress required states to ease the registration
process by passing the Motor Voter Law, which
directs states to
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• allows citizens to register when renewing
  driver's license
• most states require registration prior to
  election, 20-30 days

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SECTION 2

• VOTER QUALIFICATIONS AMONG STATES

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Citizenship

• aliens are generally denied right to vote, but
  states could allow them to vote

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Residence

• most states require a person live within the
  state a certain period of time in order to
  qualify to vote
• to keep political organizations from importing
  voters

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• accepted view that the voter should be familiar
  with candidates and issues
• originally as long as 60-90 days, today about 1/2
  of the states have 30 day requirements

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• a growing number of states are now only requiring
  legal residence
• Congress has prohibited residency requirements
  over 30 days in federal elections (1970)
• nearly every state prohibits transients from
  voting

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Age

• 26th Amendment sets 18 as cap for minimum age
• some states allow 17 year olds to vote in primary
  elections

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persons denied the right to vote

• people found legally incompetent
• convicted felons
• dishonorably discharged veterans
• the homeless

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SECTION 3

• SUFFRAGE AND CIVIL RIGHTS

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African American suffrage

• in the 1960's civil rights workers suffered
  violence in order to ensure others had the right
  to vote
• 15th Amendmentintended to ensure
  African-American men the right to vote

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• for almost 90 years the federal govt. ignored the
  voting rights of African-Americans
• during that period, they were kept away from the
  polls by use of violence, intimidation, and
  social pressure

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• literacy tests, poll taxes, and gerrymandering
  were used to keep them from voting
• Congress was forced to act in response to civil
  rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King

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What effect did Civil Rights Acts in the 1950s
and 1960s have on the right to vote?
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Civil Rights Acts

• 1957- set up Civil Rights Commission
• inquired into voter discrimination claims
• gave the Attorney General authority to seek
  injunctions to prevent voter interference

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• 1960 - provided for appointment of voting
  referees
• had the power to help qualified persons to
  register and vote
• 1964 - outlaws discrimination in several areas,
  especially job-related
• forbids the use of any registration requirement
  in an unfair or discriminatory manner

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Voting Rights Act of 1965

• suspended the use of literacy tests
• authorized the appointment of voting examiners
• gave federal authorities the power to register
  voters and oversee elections

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Section 4

• Nonvoting

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The Size of the Problem

• Only about half of eligible voters turn out in
  presidential elections
• Only about a third of eligible voters turn out in
  off-year elections

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Little-Recognized Aspects of the Problem

• More people vote in federal than in State and
  local elections.
• Turnout is lower in off-year elections,
  primaries, and special elections than it is in
  presidential-year elections.

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• In general, the farther down the ballot an office
  is, the fewer the number of votes that will be
  cast for it. This phenomenon is called "ballot
  fatigue."

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Why People Do Not Vote
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"Cannot-Voters"

• Nearly 20 million Americans do not vote because
  they cannot.
• Cannot-voters include aliens, the mentally or
  physically handicapped, and people in prison.

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• Some people cannot vote because their religious
  beliefs forbid them to participate in government.
• Some are still prevented from voting because of
  discriminatory electoral practices.

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Actual Nonvoters (choose not to or just do not
vote)

• Many people do not vote because they are
  satisfied with the political system as it is and
  believe that the outcome of elections will not
  affect them.

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• Many others do not vote because they distrust the
  political process and do not think that they have
  any effective political power.
• Bad weather, "time-zone fallout," and cumbersome
  election procedures keep some away from the
  polls.

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Factors Affecting Turnout

• Voters are most likely to be people at the higher
  end of the social, economic, and educational
  ladder, and those active in their communities

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What are characteristics of non-voters?
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• Nonvoters are most likely to be under 35,
  unmarried and unskilled, and living in the South
  or in a rural area.
• People with a high sense of political efficacy
  vote no matter what their personal background.

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• The greater the degree of candidate competition,
  the higher voter turnout is likely to be.

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Section 5

• The Study of Voting Behavior

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• How do observers learn about voter behavior?

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• They carefully study the results of particular
  elections
• Voter totals
• Changes in voting patterns
• Changes in voter demographics

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• They conduct and study public opinion polls.
• They ask voters why they voted on particular
  candidates and issues

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• They try to understand political socialization
• all of the complex influences that go into how
  people see the political world and their role
  within it.

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What sociological factors affect voting?
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Income and Occupation

• Business and professional people and those from
  higher income groups tend to support the
  Republican party while manual workers and those
  from lower income groups tend to support the
  Democratic party.

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Education

• The more education a voter has, the more likely
  he or she is to vote Republican.

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Sex and Age

• In recent years, men and younger voters have been
  more likely to vote Republican.

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Religious Ethnic Background

• Jews, Catholics, and non-whites tend to support
  the Democratic party.

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Geography

• Traditionally, Southerners and residents of large
  northeastern cities have been strongly
  Democratic.

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Family Other Group Affiliations

• People in the same family or circle of friends
  tend to vote alike.

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What psychological factors affect voting?
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Party Identification

• A voter's loyalty to one political party is the
  single most important predictor of how that
  person will vote.

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Candidates and Issues

• Although many voters usually vote for one party
  or the other, they may switch allegiances in a
  given election based on the particular candidates
  or issues involved.