Voters and Voter Behavior Chapter 6

THE RIGHT TO VOTE Section 1

The History of Voting Rights Framers left the power to set suffrage qualifications to each state. – Suffrage: The right to vote – Franchise: The right to vote Throughout history, suffrage in the United States has expanded.

Expansion of the Electorate Early Suffrage: White, male property owners. – Only accounted for appx 7% of the population. Today: Nearly all citizens over 18 years of age have the right to vote. – Appx 230 million people This expansion has occurred as laws and the Constitution have changed over time. – Growing Federal Control and State Law Changes

The Five Stages of the Expanding Franchise 1.) s: States adapt Universal White Male Suffrage. 2.) 1860s: Incorporation of African American men into the Franchise. 15 th Amendment. 3.) 1910s: Expanding the franchise to women. 19 th Amendment. 4.) 1960s: Protecting African American and other minority voting rights. Supreme Court decisions, Voting Rights Act of 1965, 23 rd and 24 th Amendments. 5.) 1970s: Extending the youth vote. 26 th Amendment.

The Power to Set Voting Qualifications Federal restrictions on the ability of the States to exercise that power: – Any person a State allows to vote for its most numerous branch at the state level is allowed to vote for national reps. – No state can deprive any person of the right to vote on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. – No state can deprive any person of the right to vote on account of sex. – No state can require payment of any tax as a condition for taking part in the nomination or election of any federal office holder. – No state can deprive any person who is at least 18 years of age of the right to vote because of age.