Chapter 6Voters and Voter Behavior

Section 1:

History of VotingExtending Suffrage:

Voting rights for African Americans19th Amendment –women’s right to vote

The Power to set Voting Qualifications

Five Restrictions on how States use power People must be allowed to vote for

representatives and senators in Congress Cannot deprive a person the right to vote

based on race Cannot deprive a person the right to vote

based on sex Cannot require payment Cannot deprive a person of 18yrs. to vote

Section 2:Voter Qualifications

Universal Requirements

Citizenship must be a citizen or native-born

Residence States Adopt Residence Requirements

to keep a political machine from importing enough outsiders to affect the outcome of local elections

to allow new voters at least some time to become familiar with the candidates and issues in an election

What about College Students?

Universal Requirements Cont.

Age No state may set the minimum age for voting in

any election A state may set the age at less than 18, if it

chooses to do so

Weird facts about voting

In Hungary and the Philippines sixteen-year-olds can also vote - but only if they're married!

In Argentina, Ecuador and Brazil, sixteen year olds can vote if they want, but once they turn 18 voting is required.

In fact around 23 world countries have compulsory voting, including two EU nations - Italy and the Netherlands although they don't enforce it. The penalties are normally modest fines.

Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia also allow 16 year olds to vote if they are employed and - to all effects and purposes - tax-paying stakeholders.

17 year olds can vote in North Korea - although, funnily enough in Kim Jong Un's dictatorship, their vote doesn't seem to have too much of an impact.

Sixteen-year-olds can also vote in Cuba, Nicaragua, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, whereas 17 year olds are allowed to vote in Indonesia, and Timor-Leste.

Other QualificationsRegistration

49 states require all voters to be registered “Motor Voter Law”

allow all eligible citizens to register to vote provide for voter registration make registration forms available at local offices

Literacy no state has a voting qualification based

on reading/intellectual ability

Literacy Test Time! Let’s see if you could pass!

Other Qualification Cont.

Tax Payment Payment of taxes used to be a common

suffrage qualification

Persons Denied the Vote Nearly all states have disqualified those

who have been convicted of serious crimes

Section 3Suffrage and Civil Rights

How to cheat and win:

Gerrymandering-manipulating the boundaries of an area in order to win an election

What is an Injunction?

Injunction- a court order that either compels or restrains the performance of some act by a private individual or by a public official

The Fifteenth Amendment

Plessy vs. Ferguson

1896: The Supreme Court ruled that it was constitutional to keep blacks and whites separate as long as the facilities were equal

“Separate but Equal”

Ruled that blacks and whites could have different facilities.

Brown vs. Board of Education

Ended legal segregation in schools

Chief Justice Earl Warren argued that it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment

Voting Rights Act of 1965

The Voting Rights Act of 1965

Made the 15th Amendment effective—it beat out the legal battles that were preventing African Americans from voting

This act applied to all elections held anywhere in this country

Voting Act originally to last only five years

Voting Rights Act of 1965 cont.

Preclearance cases show that laws most likely run afoul of

preclearance requirements are those that make changes location of polling places boundaries of election districts deadlines in the election process ward or district election to at-large elections qualifications candidates must meet in order to

run for office

Section 4 Voter Behavior

Nonvoters

Tens of millions vote in all kinds of electionsMany millions for one reason or another

choose not to vote

The Size of the Problem

Off-year election: the congressional elections held in the even-numbered years between presidential elections

Ballot Fatigue

Why People Do Not Vote

Can’t Vote resident aliens ill or disabled traveling religious beliefs jail/prison

Actual Nonvoters Don’t want to Don’t care

Non-Voter vs. Voter

Comparing Nonvoters to Voters

Voters Characteristics high income education occupational status long-time residence sense of party identification

Nonvoters Characteristics under 35 unmarried unskilled live in south rural areas

Voters and Voting Behavior

Studying Voting Behavior results of particular elections field of survey research studies of political socialization

Factors that Influence Voters

Age Race Income Occupation Education Religion Family Co-workers Friends

Sociological Factors

Income/Occupation High Income=

Republican Party Low Income=

Democratic Party

EducationGender:

Women = democrat

Men = republican

Sociological Factors:

Religious Background: Protestants typically are republican Catholics and Jews are typically democrat

Geography: Smaller cities and rural areas—republican Big cities – democrat

Family: People in a family tend to vote similarily

Psychological Factors

Party Identification: the loyalty of people to a particular political party

Straight-ticket Voting: practice of voting for candidates of only one party in an election

Split-ticket voting: practice of voting for the candidates of more than one party in an election

Independents: people who have no party affiliation

Candidates and Issues

Chapter 7: The Electoral Process

Nominating Candidates:

Nomination: naming the candidates that will seek offices These candidates are put into a pool and then

voted on by the party. The party then helps that single person campaign for office

Self announcement: a person who decides for office announces it themselves.

Caucus:Caucus: a group of like-minded people who

meet to select the candidates they will support in the election

Convention:

Convention: a meeting of a major political party, especially one that nominates a candidate for president

Direct Primary:

Direct Primary: an intra party election to pick that party’s candidates for the election 1. Closed Primary: a party nominating

election where only declared party members can vote

2. Open Primary: a party nominating election in which any qualified voter can take part. Blanket Primary: “wide-open primary”

where all voters receive the same ballot—a long list that includes every candidate regardless of party.

Section 2: Elections

Administration of Elections:

States primarily control elections however the Constitution gives Congress the power to fix election laws.

When do we hold elections? Elections are typically held the first

Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Some states have other dates for state or local elections

Administration of Elections:

Absentee voting: voting by those unable to get to their regular polling places on election day Covers 3 groups of

people: People too ill or

disabled to make it to vote

Those who will not be home on election day

Those serving in the armed forces

Coattail Effect:Coattail Effect: when a

strong candidate running for an office helps attract voters to other candidates in their party

Precincts and Polling Places:

Precinct: a voting districtPolling Places: the place where voters

voteBallot: a form that a voter completes to

pick a candidate for a position Office-Group: rotate which candidates

name is on top Party Column: listed by party Bedsheet ballots: incredibly long lists of

candidates

Voting Machines:

Sources of Funding:

Private Contributions: the majority source of campaign funds are given by individuals Small Contributors: people who give a

small amount Wealthy individuals Political Action Committees (PACs) Temporary Organizations

Public Subsidy: grant of money from the government

Federal Election Commission (FEC):

Federal Election Commission: regulates all federal law dealing with campaign finance No candidate can

receive money from a foreign source

Cash gifts of more than $100 are prohibited

Federal Election Commission (FEC):

FEC Laws: Require the timely disclosure of campaign

finance data Place limits on campaign contributions Place limits on campaign expenditures Provide public funding

Loopholes in the Law: