Voting

Suffrage vs. Voting? Suffrage / Franchise: Right to vote Voting: is making a choice among alternatives in an election

Voting in Early America – Colonial Times prior to 1800 The right to vote is subject to regulations and restrictions. So who could vote during the Colonial Period? limited to white, property-owning men Had religious qualifications. After the Constitution was adopted, states had their own voting rules. In the early 1800s, state legislatures abolished property and religious requirements.

African American Suffrage Initially, no enslaved persons and few free African Americans could vote. The Fifteenth Amendment provided the first federal voting rules required of the states. Right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude (slavery).

Suffrage for Women and Youth Women began an organized fight for suffrage in the mid- 1800s. By 1914, 11 western states allowed women to vote. The Nineteenth Amendment granted women suffrage on the national level. The Twenty-sixth Amendment, ratified in 1971, lowered the voting age to 18. Purpose was to expand the electorate.

VOTING AMENDMENTS Add to notes 1870: 15th Gave the vote to… 1920: 19th Gave the vote to… 1961: 23rd Gave the vote to… 1964: 24th Eliminated the _____ tax in federal elections. 1971: 26th Lowered the minimum voting age from ____ to ____. African-Americans Women People living in D.C. for the Electoral College poll 21 18

Add to notes: 1924 Indian Citizenship Act: granted full citizenship to indigenous peoples (Native Americans), it essentially gave them the right to vote.

Are you smarter than a 5th grader? Time activity 6 min and 20 seconds Louisiana Literacy Test To pass; 100 percent correct within time span

Ways to Keep People from Voting Disenfranchise: to deprive of the right to vote. Grandfather Clause: an exemption in a law for a certain group based on previous conditions. Literacy Test: test based on a person’s ability to read or write. Poll Tax: Money paid in order to vote.

Actions Taken to Stop Disenfranchisement 1960s Civil Rights Movement Twenty-fourth Amendment (1964): outlawed the poll tax in national elections. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was broadened by voting rights laws in 1970, 1975, and 1982. Made the 15th Amendment stronger.

States are responsible for running elections

Prevents fraudulent voting Voter registration Prevents fraudulent voting

Potential voting population ELECTORATE Potential voting population

Qualifications to Vote AGE 18 years of age or older CITIZENSHIP MUST be a US Citizen RESIDENCY States require a specific period of time to be eligible to vote.

Who CANNOT Vote? Those who can not vote even if they wanted: Felons Those in Mental Institution Aliens

People who could vote but chose not to vote Non-Voting Voters People who could vote but chose not to vote

Reasons why people do not vote Lazy Long Lines Bad weather Ballot fatigue – longer the ballot -the choices will not be as good Political efficacy – the belief one vote does not make a difference

Least Likely to vote Racial minorities Less educated Low income 18-24 years old