1. Chapter 6
Voter Behavior

2. Basic terms
Suffrage
Franchise
Electorate

3. Extending Suffrage
Stage one: Removal of property ownership, tax payment qualifications.
Stage Two: Removal of race as a qualification
Stage Three: Removal of gender as a qualification
Stage Four: Enforcement of stage two…
23rd Amendment—DC added
24th Amendment– poll tax
Stage Five: Adjustment of age
26th Amendment

4. Universal Requirements
Citizenship
Residence
Age

5. Other Qualifications Registration Literacy Tax Payment
Voter Fraud
Purging
Poll books
Literacy
Tax Payment
Mental Health/Conviction of a serious crime.

6. 15th amendment Gave rights to African Americans to vote
Ratified in 1870
Yet had little enforcement
Gerrymandering was a problem
White primaries in the South

7. Civil Rights act of 1964
Continued a pattern set of judicial intervention.
Injunction – court order that forces or restricts an action by a public or private individual.

8. Voting Rights act of 1965
Made the 15th Amendment truly part of the Constitution.
Suspended the use of literacy tests

9. Preclearance Preapproval by the Department of Justice
Only laws that did not dilute or weaken the act were give preclearnce.
Laws that caused preclearance to be denied:
Location of polling places
Boundaries of elections districts
Deadlines in the election process
Ward to district election to at large elections
Qualifications candidates must meet to run for office.

10. non voters Non-voters Ballot fatigue Off year elections
State Elections

11. Why people don’t vote Resident aliens Ill or disabled Traveling
Cannot-Voters
Resident aliens
Ill or disabled
Traveling
Mental health
Jails
Religious beliefs

12. Distrust of government Vote does not make a difference
Actual Non-Voters
Choice
Distrust of government
Vote does not make a difference
Political efficacy

13. Voter Turnout
Procedures
Time Zone Fallout
Lack of interest

14. To vote or not to vote VOTERS NON-VOTERS Higher income
Less than 35 years
More education
Unmarried
Higher occupational status
Unskilled
Integrated into community
Southern States
Party Identification
Rural areas
Belief that voting important
Male
Parties promote turnout
High political efficacy

15. Voting behavior Where do we learn about voting behavior?
Results of Elections
Field of survey research
Studies of political socialization

16. Sociological Behavior
What is sociology? How people behave in groups
Income/Occupation
Education
Gender/Age
Gender gap
Religious, Ethic Background
Geography

17. Psychological factors
Party Identification
Split ticket
independents
Candidates and Issues