Political Parties Major political parties – voluntary association of voters that seek to control the government through elections Minor political parties – voluntary association of voters that seek to be heard (show their opinions to the public)

*Political Issues are issues of disagreements in government 1.Taxes; 2.Abortion; 3.Gun Control; 4.Foreign policies; 5.Social Security…etc….

*Early Voter Qualifications: 1.W. – White; 2.A.S. – Anglo-Saxon; 3.P. – Protestant; 4.Landowner – Wealthy.

*Today’s Voter Qualifications: 1.18 years-old; 2.U.S. citizen; 3.Resident; 4.Registered.

Voter Registration: 1.Permanent Registration – register once and you are registered for life (unless you move) 2.Periodic Registration – Why? So the dead will not vote! 19 th Amendment – 1920 – women were given the right to vote

23 rd Amendment – Residents of Washington, D.C. were given the right to vote for President and Vice-President 26 th Amendment – 1971 – 18 year-olds were given the right to vote “Split” Ticket – ticket where a voter votes for candidates of different parties (split their votes)

“Straight Party” Ticket – ticket where a voter votes straight down the line for one party (only) Poll Tax – tax you had to pay before you could vote – outlawed by the 24 th Amendment – 1964 Literacy Test – test to determine if you could read and write

Short Ballot – very brief – easy to remember Long Ballot – “bed sheet ballot” – very long, causes voter fatigue Non-voting Voter – someone who votes for some offices, but leaves some blank (legal) Paper Ballots: 1. Easy to change; 2. Hard to count.

Voting Machines – Invented by Thomas Edison Independents – Those that do not favor any one political party Precinct – Local voting area Problem with forecasting national elections – The early returns from the East may change how the West will vote!

*Voting and the Civil Rights Act of 1964: 1.No voter discrimination; 2.Small mistakes on registration cannot be used to deny a person’s right to vote; 3.If you passed the 6 th grade, you did not have to take the literacy test; 4.Literacy tests had to be written.

Australian Ballot – Secret ballot – first used in the U.S. in 1888 in elections in Kentucky 2 Types of Australian Ballots: 1.Office Block Ballot – nicknamed the Mass. Ballot; 2.Party Column Ballot – nicknamed the Indiana Ballot.

Political Parties are often called “watchdogs” because they look for mistakes and let the public know Viva – Voce Voting – Voice Voting – (has not been outlawed) It can cause: 1.Intimidation; 2.Questions of voter fraud.

*The Voting Rights Act of 1965: 1.If less than ½ of the population was registered to vote, the federal government would send in REGISTRARS; 2.If there was a complaint of voter discrimination, the federal government would send in EXAMINERS. 3.Literacy tests cannot be used for 5 years.

South Carolina v. Katzenbach – 1966 – The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 Voting Tendencies – based on demographic factors –

Sex: Male – D Female – R Race: White – R Blacks – D ^Other minorities – D

Religion: ^Jewish – D Catholic – D ^Protestant – R Age: ^Under 35 – D Over 55 – R

Education: ^College – R High School – D ^Grade School – D Income: Low – D ^High – R

Occupation: ^White-Collar – R Blue-Collar – D ^Farm Operator – R Unskilled – D

Type of Community: ^Urban – D ^Rural – R Union Affiliation: ^Member – D Non-member – R

The greatest single factor in determining what causes most people to vote for a certain candidate is: FAMILY TRADITION Propaganda – anything used to sway a person’s opinion

*Propaganda Techniques: 1.Glittering Generalties (B.S.); 2.Transfer of Ideas; 3.Plain Folks; 4.Namecalling; 5.Testimonials.*

Polling Agencies: 1.Roper; 2.Harris; 3.Gallup. Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946 – Lobbyists to Congress must register with the House of Representatives