1. Chapter 18, United States Government
Voting and Elections
Chapter 18, United States Government

2. Expanding Voting Rights Ch 18.1

3. History of Voting Suffrage Expansion of the Electorate
The right to vote
States decide
Who and who cannot vote
Expansion of the Electorate
White male land owners
1789
Gradual elimination of restrictions
Religion, property, tax payment, and gender
2016
231 million people can vote
58% of eligible voters went to the polls during the 2016 election
Election Project.org

4. Extending Suffrage 5 Stages 1800’s 1870 (Civil War) Literacy Tests
Poll Taxes
Grandfather Clause
1870 (Civil War)
15th amendment
Voting rights regardless of race
Still African Americans were prevented from voting.
Guinn v United States
Grandfather clause unconstitutional
Literacy Test

5. Voter Segregation No Literacy Test Grandfather Clause
Prevent certain people from voting(African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos)
Whites were offered simple questions about the constitution, others were offered difficult tests.
Grandfather Clause
Father voted before the 15th Amendment
Banned any and all Literacy Tests
1970 Oregon v. Mitchell
1970 Voting Rights Act

6. Extending Suffrage 26th Amendment Set the voting age to 18
Right to vote regardless of gender
1920 – women can vote
1960’s
Civil rights secured African Americans can vote.
24th Amendment = No taxes to vote
26th Amendment
Set the voting age to 18

7. Power to Vote National Government does not set suffrage qualifications
States have the power over voting rights and qualifications
Allow all people in the state to vote for local and National elections
Can’t deprive a person from voting on account of race
Can’t deprive a person from voting based on gender
No taxes are required to vote
Legal age of 18 to vote

8. How the ability to vote was extended…
Elimination of Religious Qualifications (ending in 1810)
15th Amendment (African-American Males, 1870)
19th Amendment (Women, 1920)
23rd Amendment (DC for POTUS, 1961)
24th Amendment (Elimination of Poll Tax, 1964)
26th Amendment ( year olds, 1971)

9. Voter turnout

10. Internet Voting Should it be allowed? Chart down possible problems
What would some of the consequences be?
Is it a good or bad idea?

11. 18.2 Influences on Voters Structure of Elections Election Cycles
National and State laws
Election Cycles
Ensures that the entire government won’t overturn at the same time..
House of Rep – 2 years
President – 4 years
Senate – 6 years
Term Limits reduce corruption
Elections for HoR and Senate (2 years)
President (4 years)
Midterm Elections – Congressional elections in the middle of the Presidents term
Election Day: Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

12. Ballot Questions People vote directly
Popular Referendum – voters sign a petition to put specific laws on the ballot
Legislative Referendum – legislators refer a law to the voters to approve.
Initiative – voters gain enough signatures to put their own proposed law on the ballot.
Force the state legislature to consider the law or skip the legislature

13. Voter’s Election Choices
4 major factors
Personal background
Loyalty to a party
Candidate Qualifications/Image
Issues in the Campaign

14. Voter’s Choices Personal Background Party Loyalty – Independent voters
Family, age, education, religion, occupation, income level, residency.
Cross-Pressured Voters- conflicting pressures from different parts of their background…
Party Loyalty –
Select party nominee based on party loyalty.
Straight Ticket – choose all candidates affiliated with their party.
Independent voters
No party loyalty
Important in elections

15. Voter Choice’s Candidate Qualifications Issues - Experience?
Occupation (Lawyer, business, military)
Perspective / portray what the voters value
Campaigns, Ads, Political Parties, interest groups
Issues -
Support candidates based on their stance on issues.
Gun Control, Education, Immigration, Economy.
Voters must be educated

16. Voter Participation

17. Increasing voter turnout
Attitude towards politics
Voting increases positive outlook
Alternatives/Solutions
Move election day (sat or sun)
Leave polls open for multiple days
National registry
Early voting/absentee

18. Campaign 18.3

19. Strategies Objective: Win the Election Organization
Pay attention to the RIGHT issues
Organization
Manager – strategy for the campaign
Staff, media relations, finances, fundraising, advertising, opinion polls
Electoral College – 270 to win – win states with more electoral votes
Campaigns create strategies to win states… not popular vote
Swing States – OHIO, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin

20. Propaganda/Advertising
Crucial to the election process
Inform the public / address issues / attack other candidates
Ad Hominem – attack person
Appeal to fear
Card Stacking – only one side of the issue
Common Man – common sense of the people
Testimonial – well known person support a candidate
Ads/Media/Propaganda
Decrease trust of politicians
Can reduce voter particpation

21. Financing Campaign Money is needed for an election Regulate Financing
Office space, staff, salaries, travel, ads
Regulate Financing
Good for the Public vs. specific monetary interest
Could corrupt the Government
Candidates could support larger donors
Limit funding – Limit free speech? Money is an expression
Federal Election Commission – administer federal election laws
Limit how much individuals and groups can give
Names must be public
Public Financing

22. PAC’s and SuperPAC’s Citizen Genius Video Colbert SuperPAC
PAC: Have a limit on spending
Super PAC: Have NO!!! limit on spending

23. Public Financing TOP PAC’s OPEN SECRETS
Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)
Federal government can provide money, if campaign limits what they spend the money on
Limit spending + reduce donations from larger donors
Opt out = no limit on spending
Direct Funding – Hard Funding
Individuals, political parties, interest groups, candidates own money
Limited by FECA
Individuals - $2,600
Party Committees – 5,000
PAC – Political Action Committees - $2,600
Groups created by interest groups
TOP PAC’s OPEN SECRETS

24. Indirect Funding Open Secrets SuperPAC
Soft Money – money raised by political party for general purposes not a specific candidate
Issue groups / organizations
Independent from a candidate
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (2002)– banned soft money,
Groups cannot run issue ads that support a candidate
Citizens United vs. FEC (2010)
Supreme Court struck down advertising limits
PAC’s that are not directly associated with campaign can receive unlimited donations
SuperPAC’s – groups that collect and spend unlimited amount of money to support or defeat a candidate.
Cannot directly donate to a specific campaign
Most ads come from SuperPAC’s are “political Issue” ads

25. 18.4 Voter’s Guide
States require U.S. citizenship and some period of state residence in order to vote.
To vote, one must first be registered, or enrolled with the local government.
Registration is required to prevent voter fraud.
You must complete a registration form in order to become eligible to vote.
Ohio Registration

26. Universal Requirements
Citizenship
Aliens (foreign born, who have not become citizens)
Generally not allowed to vote
Constitution doesn’t say that aliens can’t vote
State’s choice
Apply for naturalization
Residence
Must be a legal resident of the state
Keeping outsiders from effecting the election
Become familiar with candidates and issues
50 days of residence (most states)

27. Voting in the United States is optional, but it is an important part of democracy.
Compulsory Voting – mandating voting
Voters should be informed about the issues and candidates that will be on the ballot.
Recall – elected official may be removed by popular vote
Voters are assigned a place to vote
Polling Place- location within the precinct.
Precinct – voting district
Early Voting – vote during a designated period (3 weeks prior)
Absentee – sending in your ballot

28. Voter Qualifications https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArC7 XarwnWI
Age: 26th amendment, 18 year old vote, 17 year olds voting in primaries if they turn 18 before general election.
Voter Identification:
Voter Registration: Except North Dakota
Literacy Requirements: Guinn vs U.S. (1915)
Tax Payments: Hill vs. Stone (1975) Texas
Persons Denied Right to Vote:
Dishonorable discharge
Mentally incompetent
Felons
XarwnWI

29. Universal Requirements
Age
26th Amendment
18yrs (Any State could set a lower age)
21 years old before the 26th Amendment
History of the 26th Amendment
Efforts began during WWII
Ratified in 1971
Vietnam War “old enough to fight, old enough to vote”

30. Voter Requirements
Purging – removing people who are no longer eligible to vote
Move, death
Poll Books – list of people who are registered to vote
Voter turnout in Europe is higher than America
European countries require people to vote its law
Voting is a difficult process

31. Why People do not Vote
Cannot Vote
Resident aliens, ill or physically not able to vote, traveling, mental health issues,
Jail or serious crime, religious purposes
Actual Non-Voters
1. They think their vote makes little to no difference
2. They approve of how things are being currently
3. No matter who wins, things will stay the same
4. Don’t trust politics/elections are meaningless

32. Non-Voters
Idiots- Greek for people that didn’t vote
Size – nearly 50% of American do not vote
Off election years – congressional elections held in even numbered years
Farther down the ballot (local elections) the fewer number of voters turnout
-“Ballot Fatigue”

33. 18-20 Year Voters 1972 1996 58% Registered to vote 48% actually voted
65 and Older
77% registered
67% voted

34. Voting Challenges

36. Voting Behavior

37. Age & Voting

38. Women & Voting