1. Voting in the U.S. The U.S. Constitution and Voter Qualifications

2. Voting Qualifications
The Constitution says nothing about voting
Reserved power held by the states to set qualifications
Suffrage: the right to vote
Who was allowed to vote in 1789?
White, male landowners

3. Voting Qualifications
Amendments to the Constitution have slowly taken away the complete power of the States to set the qualifications
15th – African American men can vote
19th – Women can vote
24th – No poll tax may be required
26th – 18 and older can vote

4. 3 Universal Qualifications: CAR
Citizenship: aliens (foreign born residents who have not become citizens) are generally denied the right to vote, but the Constitution doesn’t deny them the right to do so
Age
Be at least 18 years of age on or before the day of the general election.
If you will be 18 on or before the general election, you may vote in the primary election for candidates, but not on the issues.
LET ME VOTE!!

5. 3 Universal Qualifications: CAR
Residence: must be a legal resident of the state you are voting in
30 days in Ohio
Voting Rights Act Amendments banned any requirement longer than 30 days
In several states college students that claim the campus community as their residence can vote there

6. Other Qualifications
Registration: procedure of voter identification intended to prevent fraudulent voting; must preserve the rule of “one man, one vote.”
49/50 states require voters to be registered (North Dakota does not)
17 states require a photo ID
17 states require no ID at all
Which party supports requiring ID to be able to vote?
Republican
US is the only country in which each person decides if he/she will register to vote

7. Who Can’t Vote?
People in mental institutions or found legally incompetent to vote by the courts
“No idiot or insane person shall be entitled to the privileges of an elector.” -OHIO CONSTITUTION. Art 5, & 6.
People who have been incarcerated for a Felony
¼ of states prohibit serious criminals from ever voting again
Ohio allows them to vote after serving their time if they re-register
Maine & Vermont allow felons to vote from prison

8. In Ohio…
Q: “May I register to vote if I have been in prison for a felony?”
A: Yes. Ohio law allows you to register and vote as soon as you are released from prison. All you need to do is fill out a voter registration form.

9. Who Can’t Vote?
Some states don’t allow those who have been dishonorably discharged from the military to vote
***Ohio is one of those states

10. Suffrage & Civil Rights Timeline
15th Amendment (1869): The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude

11. Suffrage & Civil Rights Timeline
Civil Rights Act (1964)
Ended discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, nationality, religion, & sex
Ended unequal application of voter registration requirements & racial segregation in schools, the workplace, and all other public accommodations

12. Suffrage & Civil Rights Timeline
Voting Rights Act (1965): Prohibits states from imposing any "voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure ... to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.”
Congress intended to outlaw the practice of otherwise qualified voters to pass literacy tests