Bell Ringer

Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only

way they could do this is by not voting. –Franklin D. Roosevelt

Do you agree with Roosevelt? Why or Why not?

The Right To Vote

Objectives:

• Summarize the history of voting rights in the United States.

• Identify and explain constitutional restrictions on the State’s power to set voting qualifications.

History of Voting Rights

What are terms that mean “right to vote”?

Suffrage and Franchise

• When the constitution first went into effect in 1789, the right to vote was only given to ________ male property owners.

• Electorate- the potential voting population

Extending Suffrage: The Five Stages

• 1. early 1800’s: Religious qualifications disappeared

• 2. post civil war: 15th amendment 1870- took away the race and color voting restrictions

• 3. 19th amendment: no longer denied the right to vote because of sex

• 4. 1960’s: secured the right for African Americans to vote

• 5. 26th Amendment of 1971- voting age now set to 18 years old

The Power to Set Voting Qualifications

• 1. has no real meaning today• 2. 15th amendment: no state can deprive the right to vote “

on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude”

• 3. 19th amendment: No state can deprive any person of the right to vote on account of sex

• 4. 24th amendment: No state can require payment on any tax in order to vote

• 5. 26th amendment: No state can deprive any person who is at least 18 years old the right to vote

• Why have people risked their lives to get and keep the right to vote?

The Five Steps to the Voting Process

• 1. Determine if you are eligible

• 2. Register to Vote

• 3. Study the candidates and issues

• 4. Go to your polling place

• 5. Cast your vote

Voter Qualifications

Objectives

• Identify the universal requirements for voting in the United States.

• Explain the other requirements that States have used or still use as voting qualifications

Universal Requirements

• 1. Citizenship• every state requires that any person who

wants to vote must qualify on three factors: citizenship, residency, and age.

Universal Requirements

• 2. Residence• Why do you think states have residence requirements to vote?

• Why is it that now days the residency requirement has been reduced?

Universal Requirements

• 3. Age• “Old enough to fight, old enough to

vote”

Universal Requirements

• 4. Registration• Procedure of voter identification

intended to prevent fraudulent voting.

Purging

Universal Requirements

• 5. Literacy-a persons ability to read or write.

• 6. Tax Payment

Persons Denied the Vote

• Every state does purposely deny the right to vote to certain persons.

Objectives: -examine the problem of nonvoting in this country, and describe the size of the problem-identify people who do not vote-examine the behavior of those who vote and those who do not

Voter Behavior

Nonvoters

• Idiot= idiots (Greek) meaning those citizens who did not vote or otherwise take part in public life.

The Size of the Problem

• “non-voting voters”

• “ballot fatigue”

• Off-year elections= congressional elections held in the even-numbered years between presidential elections

Why People Do Not Vote

• “Cannot-Voters”- • Although it is true that they do not vote, the fact is they

cannot do so• Mainly do to immigrant populations that are barred from the

polls• Being ill or physically disabled• Or out of town for reasons• Those in mental health facilities• Legal restraint, jail or prison• Religious beliefs

Actual Nonvoters

• Convinced it makes little difference who wins a particular election

• Group of people who approve of what has been happening and don’t want to change it

• Group of people who do not trust the political institution and its processes

• Political efficacy- belief that they or their votes will not have any real impact on what government does

• Lack of interest

Comparing Voters and Nonvoters

• Voters-• Higher income• Education• Higher occupational status• Well integrated into community life, long time residents, and

comfortable with surroundings• Believe that voting is important

• Nonvoters-• Younger than 35• Unmarried• Unskilled• More nonvoters live in south or rural areas

Voters and Voting Behavior

• Most of what is known about voter behavior comes from three sources.• The results of particular elections

• The field of survey research

• Studies of political socialization

Factors That Influence Voters

• Sociological factors=• 1. a voters personal characteristics- age, race, income,

occupation, education, and religion

• 2. A voters group affiliations- family, co-workers, friends

• Psychological Factors=• How the voter sees the parties, the candidates, and the

issues in an election

Sociological Factors

• Income, Occupation

• Education

• Gender, Age

• Religious, Ethnic Background

• Geography

• Family and other groups

Psychological Factors

• Party Identification• Straight-ticket voting

• Split-ticket voting

• independents

• Candidates and issues