Chapter 6: Voters and Voter Behavior Ms. A. Boland
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Objectives The history of voting rights in the United States.
The diversity of voter qualifications among the States. The
necessity for and effects of civil rights laws on suffrage. Voter
turnout and nonvoting in American elections. The factors that
affect the way people vote.
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Chapter 6 Section 1: The Constitution and the Right to Vote
Objectives: SWBAT 1. Identify who was able to vote following the
Ratification of the Constitution. 2. Explain the reasons for major
expansion of voting rights in the U.S.
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Vocabulary Suffrage right to vote Franchise - right to vote
Disenfranchisement the act of depriving someone of the right to
vote Abridge - to deprive; to limit
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Intro Questions When the country was established, who had the
right to vote? How have voting rights changed over the course of
U.S. history? FAQ: Voting in the Early Republic Opposing Views
Slide Next
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Opposing Views Today a man owns a jackass worth fifty dollars
and he is entitled to vote; but before the next election the
jackass dies. The man in the mean time has become more experienced,
his knowledge of the principles of government, and his acquaintance
with mankind, are more extensive, and he is therefore better
qualified to make a proper selection of rulersBut the jackass is
dead and the man cannot vote. Now gentlemen, pray inform me, in
whom is the right of suffrage? In the man or in the jackass?
Benjamin Franklin
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Brainstorm Reasons why each group wanted more to people to have
the right to vote. Men who owned no property Immigrants Territories
eager for statehood Political Parties Free African Americans White
Southerners
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Reasons for each Group Men who owned no property wanted the
right to vote. Their numbers increased as the country urbanized and
industrialized. Territories eager for statehood wanted to encourage
settlement, raise land values and income from taxes. Free African
Americans wanted full political participation, as did immigrants.
White Southerners wanted more white voters, both to enhance white
solidarity and to ensure that there would be more whites to put
down possible slave rebellions. Political parties wanted to
increase their membership, and expanding suffrage rights could help
them do so. Property Requirements and Race Exclusions
Worksheet
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Womens Suffrage 1. Why Women Couldnt Vote 2. Strategists Change
Tactics Video 3. Strategy Cards 1. Moral Persuasion 1. Read Women
in the Home 2. Constitutional Amendment 1. Sandra Day OConner Video
3. State-by-State 1. Votes for Women/The Womens Reason 4. Map of
Woman Suffrage before 1920 5. 19 th Amendment Slide
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19 th Amendment The right of citizens of the United States to
vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any
State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this
article by appropriate legislation.
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Voting Rights Act Voting Rights Act Description Question:
Explain what barriers to voting the new law banned. Question: Why
the law was necessary? President Johnson Signing Video The Right to
Vote Video Worksheets Percentage of Registered Voters in Black
Voting Age Population Number of Black Legislators in the South
Video - Supreme Court Revisits Voting Rights Act Questions
Comparing Government IDs charts and questions
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26 th Amendment and the Impact of the Youth What does the Right
to Vote mean to you? 26 th Amendment Impact of Youth VIDEO Nations
Race and Ethnicity in 2011 Questions then discuss Young-Old Voting
Gap Four Generations
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Create a Timeline Using both your packets from yesterday and
today, plus textbook pages 152-154, create a timeline of the
History of Voting Rights in America Include: Amendments Important
events in U.S. History Definitions of poll tax, suffrage and
disenfranchisement
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History of Voting Rights Framers of the Constitution left the
power to set voting qualifications to each State. Suffrage /
Franchise: right to vote. In 1789, suffrage restricted to white
male property owners. Ridiculed by many, including Thomas Paine.
Electorate: potential voting population. Today nearly 200 million
voters.
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History of Voting Rights History of suffrage marked by 2 trends
since 1789: 1) gradual elimination of restrictions on suffrage,
including: property ownership, religious beliefs, tax payment,
race, and sex. 2) Federal government has assumed much of the power
over suffrage qualifications. These 2 trends have occurred during 5
stages.
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History of Voting Rights 1 st Stage: early 1800s, religious
qualifications began to disappear. Property ownership and tax
payment qualifications began to disappear. By mid-century all white
adult males could vote. 2 nd Stage: followed the Civil War, 15 th
Amendment was ratified in 1870 and protected any citizen from being
denied suffrage because of race or color. However, many African
Americans were still disfranchised.
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History of Voting Rights 3 rd Stage: 1920, 19 th Amendment
prohibited the denial of suffrage because of sex. It gave women the
right to vote. Wyoming was the first territory to grant womens
suffrage in 1869. 4 th Stage: 1960s, federal legislation and court
decisions secured African Americans a full role in the electoral
process in all States. Civil rights acts were passed, including the
Voting Rights Act of 1965, and several later extensions, made
racial equality possible. 24 th Amendment eliminated poll
taxes.
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History of Voting Rights 5 th Stage: 1971, adoption of the 26
th Amendment. No State can set any age above 18 as the minimum age
at which a person can qualify to vote. The Constitution does not
give the Federal Government the power to set suffrage
qualifications. Rather, that matter is reserved to the States. The
Constitution does, however, place restrictions on the States in the
use of that power.
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Chapter 6 Section 2: Voter Qualifications Among The States Who
may vote in the United States? How have States restricted voting
rights in the past?
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Citizenship, Residence, and Age Citizenship: Aliens are
generally denied the right to vote in the U.S. However, nothing in
the Constitution says that aliens cannot vote, and any State could
allow them to do so if they chose. Residence: Most States require
that a person live within the State for at least some period of
time in order to qualify to vote.
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Citizenship, Residence, and Age 2 reasons for residency
requirements: 1) eliminate importing or bribing in local elections,
2) residents need time to learn about the candidates and key
issues. Years ago, States required a lengthy residency requirement.
Today there are much shorter requirements. Most States prohibit
transients: persons living in the State for only a short period of
time. Ex) college students, military, traveling salesperson,
etc.
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Citizenship, Residence, and Age Age: 26 th Amendment sets 18 as
the minimum age for voting in any election. Fact: Up to 1970, only
four States had put the voting age at under 21: Alaska, Hawaii,
Georgia, Kentucky. Fact: Some States are allowing persons 17 years
of age to vote in local elections, often depending upon the date of
their 18 th birthday. Ex) Nebraska
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Other Qualifications Registration (Enrollment): required by all
States, except North Dakota. Procedure of voter identification,
intended to prevent fraudulent voting. It gives election officials
a list of those persons who are qualified to vote in an election.
Sometimes only those living in urban areas are required to register
to vote. Ex) Wisconsin
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Other Qualifications Registration includes: age, place of
birth, present address, length of residence, etc. Every State
except North Dakota now has some form of permanent registration.
Registered until you move, die, commit a serious crime, committed
to a mental institution, or fail to vote for a certain # of
years.
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Other Qualifications Controversy: Voter registration
requirements - people argue they should be done away with, viewed
as a bar to voter turnout. But helps to eliminate fraud. Motor
Voter Law: effective in 1995; 1) allows eligible citizens to
register to vote when they apply or renew drivers license; 2)
provide for voter registration by mail; 3) registration forms
available at local offices, State agencies, welfare, and other
social service agencies.
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Other Qualifications Literacy: Today no State has suffrage
qualification based on a persons ability to read or write. Used
unfairly in many places to prevent or discourage certain groups
from voting. Ex) Connecticut, Massachusetts (Irish Catholic
immigrants), and southern States( African Americans).
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Other Qualifications Tax Payment: Poll Tax tax payment required
by some States before a person was allowed to vote. Used to
discourage voting Women, non- property owners, and African
Americans Limited effectiveness 24 th Amendment: outlawed the poll
tax or any other tax as a condition for voting.
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Other Qualifications Who May Not Vote: every State does
purposely deny the vote to certain persons. 50 States DO NOT allow
people in mental institutions, or any other person legally found to
be mentally incompetent to vote. Also disqualify those who have
been convicted of serious crimes. Some States disqualify those
dishonorably discharged from the armed forces.
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Chapter 6 Section 3: Suffrage and Civil Rights For what reasons
were civil rights laws necessary to secure the right to vote for
African Americans? What have been the effects of civil rights laws
on voting qualifications?
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15 th Amendment Ratified in 1870. Declared that the right to
vote cannot be denied to any citizen of the United States because
of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. For 90 years,
the Federal Government paid little attention to voting rights of
African Americans. They were kept from the polls in much of the
South through violence, threats, and social pressures. Literacy
tests used to manipulate and disenfranchise.
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15 th Amendment Gerrymandering: used to limit the right to
vote. The practice of drawing the lines of electoral districts in
order to limit the voting strength of a particular group or party.
Shot due through case-by-case methods. Congress passed civil rights
laws in the late 1950s and 1960s.
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Civil Rights Act of 1957 Civil Rights Act of 1957: set up Civil
Rights Commission Inquire into claims over voter discrimination.
Report findings to Congress and the President. Injunctions: power
given to attorney general, federal court order given to prevent
interference with a persons right to vote.
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Civil Rights Act of 1960 Provided for the appointment of
federal voting referees. Had to serve anywhere a federal court
found voter discrimination. Had the power to help qualified persons
to register to vote in federal elections.
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Civil Rights Act of 1964 Outlawed discrimination, especially in
job- related matters. Forbids the use of registration requirement
in an unfair or discriminatory manner. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
mounted a voter registration drive in Alabama in 1965. It was met
with great opposition through violence by city, county, and State
police. Most of this violence was shown on TV.
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Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Its Amendments Voting Rights Act
of 1965 made the 15 th Amendment a truly effective part of the
Constitution. Applies to ALL elections held anywhere in the
country. Has been extended three times through Voting Rights Act
Amendments: 1970, 1975, 1982.
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Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Its Amendments Suspended the use
of any literacy tests or similar devices in any State or county
where less than half of the electorate had been registered or had
voted in the 1964 elections. No new election laws can go into
effect unless approved by the Department of Justice.
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Chapter 6 Section 4: Nonvoting What is the scope of the
nonvoter problem? For what reasons do people not vote?
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Nonvoters Effects federal elections, but more common in State
and local elections. Ballot fatigue voter gets exhausted after
looking at so many candidates running for office. They quit making
selections. Cannot Voters do not vote, but cannot vote. Resident
aliens, physically disabled, mentally incompetent, prisoners,
religious beliefs, etc.
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Nonvoters Actual nonvoters: able to vote, but do not. Reasons:
Choose to not go to the polls, makes no real difference, no matter
the outcome they will do well and so will the country, distrust
politics and politicians, inconvenience factors, lack of interest,
etc. Political efficacy: lack any sense of their own influence or
effectiveness in politics.
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Nonvoters Nonvoters: likely to be under the age of 35,
unmarried, and unskilled. More nonvoters live in the South and in
rural, rather than urban areas. Voters: high levels of income,
education, occupation, long-time residents, party identification,
and believe voting is important. However the greater degree of
competition among candidates, the higher voter turnout will
be.
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Chapter 6 Section 5: Voter Behavior How do sociological and
psychological factors work to determine how a person will vote? How
much does party identification affect voter behavior?
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Factors That Influence Voters Sociological Factors: personal
characteristics (age, gender, race, income, occupation, education,
religion, ethnic background, etc); group affiliations (family,
co-w0rkers, friends, etc.); and geography. Psychological Factors:
perceptions of politics; how the voter sees the parties, candidates
and issues. Two factors constantly interact with one another.
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Factors That Influence Voters Since 1980, women are less likely
to vote Republican. Middle and upper income brackets are more
likely to vote Republican. Lower income tend to vote Democrat.
College graduates higher % of voting Republican than high school
graduates. Younger voters tend to vote Democrat. Catholics and Jews
tend to vote Democrat, while Protestants vote Republican.
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Factors That Influence Voters Party identification: loyalty of
people to a political party. Independents: voters who have no party
affiliation. Straight-ticket voting: practice of voting for
candidates of but one party in an election. Split-ticket voting:
practice of voting for the candidates of more than one party in an
election.