CHAPTER 6 Voters And Voter Behavior

Presentation Pro1American GovernmentCHAPTER 6Voters and Voter Behavior11

CHAPTER 6Voters and Voter Behavior2SECTION 1 The Right to VoteSECTION 2 Voter QualificationsSECTION 3 Suffrage and Civil RightsSECTION 4 Voter BehaviorGo ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6

The History of Voting RightsThe Framers of the Constitutionpurposely left the power to set suffragequalifications to each State.Suffrage means the right to vote.Franchise is another term with the samemeaning.The electorate is all of the people entitledto vote in a given election.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 13

The History of Voting Rights (continued) Initially, the right to vote in Americawas limited to white male propertyowners. Today, the size of the Americanelectorate is greater than 200 millionpeople. Nearly all citizens at least 18years of age can qualify to vote.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 14

Extending SuffrageThe expansion of the electorate toits present size happened in fivefairly distinct stages:1. During the early 1800s,religious, property, and taxpayment qualifications weregradually eliminated.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 15

Extending Suffrage (continued)6The expansion of the electorate toits present size happened in fivefairly distinct stages:2. The 15th Amendment (1870) wasintended to end race-based votingrequirements.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 1

Extending Suffrage (continued)The expansion of the electorate toits present size happened in fivefairly distinct stages:3. In 1920, the 19th Amendmentprohibited the denial of the rightto vote because of sex.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 17

Extending Suffrage (continued)84. The 1960s: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 guaranteedthe right to vote for minorities. The 23rd Amendment (1961) grantedcitizens of the District of Columbia theright to vote for presidential electors. The 24th Amendment (1964) eliminated thepoll tax.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 1

Extending Suffrage (continued)The expansion of the electorateto its present size happened infive fairly distinct stages:5. The 26th Amendment(1971) lowered the votingage to 18.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 19

Setting Voter Qualifications10The Constitution sets five limits on thepower that States have to set voterqualifications:1. Any person whom a State allows tovote for members of the “mostnumerous Branch” of its ownlegislature must be also allowed tovote for members of Congress.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 1

Setting Voter Qualifications (continued)11The Constitution sets five limits on thepower that States have to set voterqualifications:2. No State can deprive any personthe right to vote “on account ofrace, color, or previous condition ofservitude.”Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 1

Setting Voter Qualifications (continued)The Constitution sets five limits onthe power that States have to setvoter qualifications:3. No State can deprive anyperson the right to vote onaccount of sex.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 112

Setting Voter Qualifications (continued)The Constitution sets five limits onthe power that States have to setvoter qualifications:4. No State can require thepayment of any tax as acondition for voting.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 113

Setting Voter Qualifications (continued)14The Constitution sets five limits on thepower that States have to set voterqualifications:5. No State can deprive anyperson who is at least 18years of age the right tovote.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 1

Section 1 Review151. Suffrage in the United States(a) has been gradually extended to moreand more citizens.(b) is granted to property owners only.(c) is granted to only women.(d) has gradually lessened the number ofeligible voters.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 1

Section 1 Review2. The minimum voting age in theUnited States today is(a) 21 years of age.(b) 25 years of age.(c) 18 years of age.(d) 16 years of age.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 116

Universal RequirementsThere are three factors thatStates require people to meet tobe eligible to vote.Citizenship States require United Statescitizenship in order to vote.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 217

Universal Requirements (continued) 18There are three factors that States requirepeople to meet to be eligible to vote.Residence One must be a legal resident of aState to vote in elections. Most Statesrequire residency for minimumamounts of time in order to vote inthe State.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 2

Universal Requirements (continued) 19There are three factors that Statesrequire people to meet to be eligibleto vote.Age The 26th Amendment requiresthat no State set a minimumvoting age above 18.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 2

Other Qualifications20 All states except North Dakotarequire citizens to register tovote. Registration is a procedure ofvoter identification intended toprevent fraudulent voting.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 2

Other Qualifications (continued) 21 Literacy—a person’s ability toread or write—is no longerrequired in any State to vote,but had been by several Statesat times in our nation’s history.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 2

Other Qualifications (continued) 22 At one time, poll taxes, or aspecial tax payment requiredto vote, were prevalent in theSouth. Poll taxes are now forbiddenby the 24th Amendment.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 2

Other Qualifications (continued) 23 States also have restrictions on theright to vote on certain membersof the population, such as thosefound to be mentally incompetentor people convicted of seriouscrimes.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 2

Political Participation and Awareness inAmericaGo ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 224

Section 2 Review251. The three universal requirements Statesuse for a person to be eligible to vote are(a) residence, gender, and income.(b) citizenship, property ownership, andgender.(c) citizenship, residence, and age.(d) income, employment, and age.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 2

Section 2 Review262. The 24th Amendment forbids theuse of(a) poll taxes.(b) alcohol.(c) literacy tests as a means of voterqualification.(d) the death penalty.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 2

The Fifteenth Amendment 27The Fifteenth Amendment (1870)declares that the right to votecannot be denied to any citizenof the United States because ofrace, color, or previous conditionof servitude.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 3

Early Civil Rights LegislationCivil Rights Act of 1957 Created the United States Civil RightsCommission Investigated and reported voterdiscrimination Gave the Attorney General the powerto require federal courts to issueorders to prevent any interferencewith a person’s right to voteGo ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 328

Early Civil Rights Legislation (continued) 29Civil Rights Act of 1960 Created federal votingreferees who helped correctconditions to prevent voterdiscriminationGo ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 3

The Civil Rights Act of 196430The Law More far-reaching than the CivilRights Acts of 1957 and 1960, theCivil Rights Act of 1964 abolishedthe use of voter registration or aliteracy requirement todiscriminate against any voter.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 3

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (continued)The Law (continued) Enforcement of the Civil RightsAct of 1964 relied on judicialaction and the use of injunctions Injunctions - court orders thateither force or restrain specificacts.Go ToSection:1 2 3 4Chapter 6, Section 331

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (continued)3

Section: 4 Chapter 6, Section 1 Setting Voter Qualifications 10 The Constitution sets five limits on the power that States have to set voter qualifications: 1. Any person whom a State allows to vote for members of the “most numerous Branch” of its own legislat