Voters and Voter Behavior Chapter 6 Voters and Voter Behavior

Section 1: The Right to Vote Facts: Expansion of the electorate occurred in five stages: elimination of religious property, and tax qualifications; addition of the 15th and 19th amendments; passage of civil rights laws; and addition of the 23rd, 24th, and 26th amendments States determine voting qualifications but must not deny a person aged 18 or over the right to vote on the basis of race, color, sex, nor may they impose a poll tax in federal elections

Section 2: Voter Qualifications Facts: Throughout our history, different States have imposed different qualifications for voting The three current universal requirements are citizenship, residency, and age People can be denied the right to vote based on mental incapability, imprisonment for some crimes, or dishonorable discharge from the armed forces Literacy tests and poll taxes used to disenfranchise certain groups have been eliminated

Section 3: Suffrage and Civil Rights Facts: The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, forbade denial of voting rights due to race Some southern whites used unfair laws, intimidation, and other discriminatory practices to circumvent the 15th Amendment Supreme Court cases and civil rights laws beginning in the 1950s finally helped fulfill the purpose of the 15th Amendment

Section 4: Voter Behavior Facts: Many eligible voters do not vote for reasons ranging from illness to lack of interest Sociological factors such as income, occupation, education, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, and family and other group affiliation influence voting behavior Psychological factors such as a person’s party identification and perception of candidates and issues affect voter behavior