American Government Unit 4Chapter 6: Voters and Voter Behavior

BellringerHave all adult Americans always

had the right to vote?Which groups had been excluded

from voting earlier in US history?Which groups are excluded

today?

I. The Right to VoteA) The History of Voting RightsSuffrage – right to voteFranchise – synonym for the right to voteElectorate – voting populationDisenfranchised – citizens denied the right to

vote.Poll tax – tax to have to pay to vote

1) removed religious and property qualifications by 1850’s

2) 15 Amendment gave African American men3) 19th Amendment gave women suffrage4) Voting Rights Act of 1965 – secured African

Americans suffrage5) 26th Amendment – 18 year olds

B) The Power to Set Voting QualificationsStates have power except 5

restrictions the Federal government place on States.

1) Same voters must be allowed to vote in each election

2) Cant deprive people from voting based on race

3) Sex4) No poll taxes5) 18 years old

Review

II. Voter Qualifications

ObjectivesIdentify the universal

qualifications for voting in the US.Explain the other requirements

that States use or have used as voting qualifications.

A) Universal RequirementsMust be a citizen to vote – can

allow Aliens but none haveAliens – foreign-born residentsMust live in the state you vote in

(30days)Transients – persons who live in

a state for only a short time (college)

18 years – can make it lower (17)

B) RegistrationRegistration – procedure of voter

identification to prevent fraudulent voting.

Usually 30 days – some allow day of vote

Purging – remove names from the registered voting lists

Poll books – official lists of qualified voters in each precinct

Motor Voter Act – law passed to make it easier to vote – DMV and by mail

C) Literacy, Tax PaymentSome states made people pass a

literacy test to vote – make sure educated people voted

Usually used to stop immigrants and African Americans from suffrage

Grandfather clauses – laws that allowed people to bypass literacy or poll taxes.

Poll tax used to discourage African Americans

Mental institutions, felonies, dishonorable discharged

Review

BellringerWhat does this picture say about voting?

III. Suffrage and Civil RightsVoting has been a life or death

issue for someIn the Deep South – civil rights

workers suffered arrest, beatings, electric shocks with cattle prods, even death.

A) 15th Amendment1870 – 15th Amendment passed – didn’t say

anything about enforcing it – 90 years until reality

Literacy tests, poll taxes, “white primaries” and Gerrymandering

Gerrymandering – draw electoral boundaries to limit voting strength of a group

1944 – Smith v. Allwright outlawed white primaries

1960 – Gomillion v. Lightfoot outlawed racial gerrymandering

Using Supreme Court - slow

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Born in Atlanta from a prosperous family. Did not

graduate HS but enrolled in college at 15. 2 degrees in Theology, 1 in Sociology, and a PhD in

Philosophy. Montgomery Bus Boycott (Carpool insurance) –

1955 – Rosa Parks – 1 year Picked 27 year old King Studied Gandhi – civil disobedience – non-violence. Used church organizations for Civil Rights – allowed Birmingham 1963 – arrested to fill the jails – used

children – sheriff used water houses – TV – 2 months

1963 March on Washington – I have a dream 6:01, Memphis Tennessee, April 4th, 1968

VideosLast speech -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0FiCxZKuv8

Cronkite – assassination http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmOBbxgxKvo

Pride - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cDRWvDx8h4&feature=related

RFK (no riots) –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6mxL2cqxrA&feature=related

B) Early Civil Rights Legislation In late 1950’s, Congress passed acts to enforce 15

Amendment. Civil Rights Act of 1957 – created the US Commission

on Civil Rights – gave authority to Attorney General to seek federal court orders to prevent abuse of allowing people the right to vote

Civil Rights Act of 1960 – created federal voting referees – help register and observe polling places

Civil Rights Act of 1964 – ended discrimination in jobs, registering to vote (Title 9)

Injunction – court order that either compels or restrains the performance of a private or public official. Can go to Jail, Prison, or fined.

March on Selma Alabama – 3 murdered most beaten on TV – nation saw it. Voter registration drive.

C) Voting Rights act of 1965Applied to all elections in the countryOutlawed literacy testsPoll taxesPreclearance – no new election laws, and no

changes in existing election laws, could go into effect in any states with problems, unless first approved by the Department of Justice – preclearance.

Location of polling places, boundaries of election districts, deadlines, going from wards to at-large.

Today, 6 states are still covered by Preclearance

ReviewCan people that cannot vote still

influence lawmakers?Turn to page 169

Bell RingerTurn to page 172. Lets read the

cartoon.What does this cartoon suggest

about voter apathy?

IV. Voter Behavior5 options – 1) vote for A2) Vote agaisnt A3) Vote for B4) Vote against B5) Not vote

A) NonvotingWord idiot comes from the Greeks over

2500 years ago as someone who does not vote.

2008 – 228 million people who can vote – only 131 million did (60%), 121 million voted for Congress? 10 million?

Off-year election – congressional elections held in between presidential election

Ballot fatigue – voters exhaust their patience and their knowledge as they work there way down the ballot.

B) Why People Do Not VoteCannot-Vote – illegal aliens, mental health,

prison, religion, pressureNonvoters – people who think everything is

fine and the alienated ones – meaninglessPolitical efficacy – lack any feeling of

influence or effectiveness in politics – vote doesn’t count

Time-zone fallout – west already know who won – don’t vote

Lack of interest – good that they don’t vote.

C) Voters and Voting BehaviorPolitical socialization – the

process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions – life

Voters personal characteristics – age, income

voter’s group affiliation – family, friends

D) Sociological factorsGender – Women vote Democratic more than menGender gap – difference between gender in

partisan choicesRace – African Americans vote heavily DemocraticAge – Older vote Republican Income – over $60,000 vote RepublicanEducation – Republican voting tends to rise with

level of educationParty Identification : D-39%,R-32%, I-29%Religion – Catholics and Jews vote DemocraticGeography – South and Midwest are Republican –

coast and big cities Democratic

E) Psychological factors Party identification – loyalty of people to a

particular political party. Straight-ticket voting – vote all one party. Majority of Americans identify with party and

seldom change no matter what. (going down) Split-ticket voting – voting for candidates of both

parties Independents – people that have no party

affiliation – usually vote same party though. New group of independents – education, good

income, good job Candidates and Issues – some people actually vote

on who the candidate is and what is there stance on issues.

Review