VOTERS & VOTER BEHAVIOR 6.1 THE RIGHT TO VOTE 6.2 VOTER QUALIFICATIONS 6.3 SUFFRAGE & CIVIL RIGHTS 6.4 VOTER BEHAVIOR

HISTORY OF VOTING RIGHTS Suffrage & franchise = right to vote, reserved to States Expansion of the electorate = potential voting population – From white male property owners  over 18 – Due to elimination of voter restrictions & shift from State control to Federal control 5 Stages of Extending Suffrage s: no property requirements & no religious qualifications 2.After Civil War: 15 th Amendment – voting not denied based on race : 19 th Amendment – voting not denied based on sex s: Voting Rights Act of 1965 & civil rights legislation aiding African Americans, 23 rd Amendment – District of Columbia added, 24 th Amendment – eliminated poll tax : 26 th Amendment – 18 & older can vote

UNIVERSAL VOTER REQUIREMENTS Every State requires that any person who wants to vote must satisfy qualifications based on 3 factors: 1) citizenship, 2) residence, 3) age. Foreign-born residents who have not become citizens are generally denied the right to vote Must be legal resident of the State in which he/she votes – Keep political machine from importing/bribing outsiders to affect local elections – Allow new voters time to become familiar with candidates/issues 21 or older until th Amendment: 18 or older can vote

OTHER VOTING QUALIFICATIONS States have imposed literacy requirements, tax payment requirements, & registration requirements in order to vote—only registration has survived. Registration = procedure of voter identification intended to prevent fraudulent voting. – U.S. is the only democratic country in which each person decides whether or not he/she will register to vote Literacy = ability to read/write, used to make sure voter was able to cast informed ballot & discourage African American/Latino/Native American voting Tax Payment – Poll tax = paid to vote, used throughout South to prevent newly freed slaves from voting Persons denied the vote: in mental institutions/mentally incompetent, convicted of serious crimes, or dishonorably discharged

SUFFRAGE & CIVIL RIGHTS 15 th Amendment (1870): the right to vote cannot be denied to any citizen of the U.S. because of race, color, or previous condition of servitude Disenfranchise African Americans with literacy tests, poll tests, “white primaries,” gerrymandering, etc… – Gerrymandering = practice of drawing electoral district lines (the boundaries of the geographic area from which a candidate is elected to a public office) in order to limit the voting strength of a particular group or party

EARLY CIVIL RIGHTS LEGISLATION Civil Rights Act of 1957 = 1 st law passed by Congress to implement the 15 th Amendment, set up United States Civil Rights Commission which looks into claims of voter discrimination Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws discrimination, especially in job-related matters, & forbids use of unfair literacy requirements/registration Voting Rights Act of 1965: applied to all elections held anywhere in the country, banned poll tax & literacy tests, allowed for voting examiners to watch elections as well as register voters,& declared no new election laws could go into effect until given preclearance (approved) by the Department of Justice.

NONVOTERS Nonvoters = idiots (seriously) Lowest turnout in off-year elections (congressional not presidential) “Nonvoter voters” who don’t complete entire ballot – “ballot fatigue” “Cannot-voters”: resident aliens, physically disabled, unexpected travel, mental health care, jails/prison, religious beliefs Actual nonvoters: those who generally approve of gov. & those who are alienated and don’t trust political institutions – people who have no sense of political efficacy = lack any feeling of influence/effectiveness in politics – they’re votes won’t matter Cumbersome election procedures & “time-zone fall out” problem discourage turnout

VOTERS VS. NONVOTERS Higher levels of income, education & occupational status Well integrated into community life Long-time residents who are active in community Strong sense of party identification & believe voting is important (strong political efficacy) Greater competition at the polls  more turnout Political socialization = process by which people gain their political attitudes & opinions Likely to be under 35, unmarried, & unskilled Live in South & rural areas vs. urban/suburban Men (women more likely)

SOCIOLOGICAL FACTORS Income & Occupation – Lower income (D) vs. Higher income (R) & Professional/business people (R) vs. Manual workers (D) Education – College graduates (R) vs. high school vs. grade school (less education – D) Gender – Gender gap = differences between partisan choices of men & women - Women (D) vs. Men (R) – Vote differently when issues of abortion, health care, social welfare, military involvement abroad prominent election issues Age - Younger (D) vs. 50 & older (R) Religious & Ethnic background – Protestant (R) vs. Catholic (D), & African Americans (D), Cuban Americans (R), Mexican Americans & Puerto Ricans (D) Geography – suburbs & rural areas (R) vs. North & East (D) Family – families tend to vote similarly & 9/10 couples share same partisan leanings

PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS Party identification = loyalty to a particular political party; is the single most significant/lasting predictor or how a person will vote – Majority of Americans identify with party early on & many never change, voting for that party every election without regard for the candidates/issues – Straight-ticket = voting for candidates of only one party in an election – Split-ticket voting = voting for candidates of more than one party in an election Larger # of independents = no party affiliation Short term issues of candidates & issues in an election can overcome party identification – Candidate personality, character, style, appearance, past record, abilities, etc… – Emotional content of issues, voter awareness of issues, etc…