1. The Right to Vote

2. History of Voting Rights
Constitution left the question of “who can vote” to the states.
Suffrage(franchise): two terms that mean the right to vote
Expansion of the electorate or the potential voting population has increased over time.
Two long-term trends:
Removal of restrictions (religion, property ownership, tax payment, race and sex)
Federal government has assumed more control over voter qualifications

3. Extending Suffrage: The Five Stages
I. Early 1800’s
removal of religious qualifications instituted during the Colonial period
elimination of tax payments and property ownership
by the mid-1800’s almost all white adult males could vote
II. After the Civil War
ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870
protected any citizen from being denied the right to vote due to race or color
III. Early 20th Century
ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920
prohibited the denial of the right to vote due to sex

4. 1960’s
Civil Rights Act, 1964: forbid the use of literacy tests or voter
registration that was discriminatory in any way
Voting Rights Act, 1965: enforced the 15th Amendment in all
elections held anywhere in the U.S.
23rd Amendment, 1961: gave the District of Columbia the right to vote
24th Amendment, 1964: eliminated the poll tax or any other tax as a
condition to vote
Latest Expansion
26th Amendment, 1971: set the voting age at 18
“old enough to fight, old enough to vote”

5. Voter Qualifications
Every state has three factors: 1. Citizenship - foreign born residents are denied the right to vote 2. Residence - stop a “political machine” from importing votes - allow new residents time to become familiar w/candidates 3. Age(18) - young voters(18-20) are much less likely to vote than any other

6. Other Voter Qualifications
Registration: voter identification intended to prevent voter fraud
- provides election officials with a list of qualified voters
- party preference and closed primaries
- registered until you move, die, convicted of a serious crime(imprisoned) or
committed to a mental institution
- U.S. is the only democratic country w/a registration requirement

7. Literacy: person’s ability to read and write
- insure a qualified voter had the capacity to cast an informed ballot
- Conn. & Mass. were the first to adopt literacy requirements aimed
at Irish Catholic immigrants
- Southern states’ adopted the requirement in an effort to
disenfranchise African-Americans
- “grandfather clause” allowed white descendants to vote
Tax Payment
- property(taxes) ownership
- poll tax: tax payment as a condition for voting

8. Please answer in complete sentences:
Answer 1,2, 4 and 6 on page 150, the Section Assessment
Answer 1, 4, 5 and 6 on page 157, the Section Assessment

9. Suffrage and Civil Rights
Failure by the Federal government to enforce the 15th Amendment led to a 90 year struggle for voting rights for African-Americans
States used legal devices to keep African-Americans from voting.
- poll tax
- literacy tests
- white primaries (Democrat controlled)
Political parties were defined as “private associations” and could exclude whomever they chose. Democrats nominated only white candidates in their primaries.

10. Gerrymandering
Defined as the “practice of drawing electoral district lines in order to limit the voting strength of a particular group.”
Gomillion v. Lightfoot, 1960
Ala. Legislature had redrawn the electoral boundaries in Tuskegee in an effort to exclude all African-Americans
Square to a 28 sided figure
Supreme Court ruled that this violated the 15th Amendment because the irregular shaped district clearly was created to disenfranchise African-Americans

12. Voting Rights Act, 1965
Enforced the 15th Amendment in all elections held anywhere in the U.S.
Act also declared that no new election laws could go into effect unless first approved (given preclearance) by the Dept. of Justice
Only laws that do not “dilute” or weaken the voting rights of minority groups can survive the preclearance process.

13. Right To Vote Review
1. Constitution left the question of “who can vote” to the ____________________. Answer: states 2. Two terms that mean the right to vote…… Answer: suffrage and franchise 3. Protected any citizen from being denied the right to vote due to race or color. Answer: 15th Amendment 4. Prohibited the denial of the right to vote due to sex. Answer: 19th Amendment 5. Forbid the use of literacy tests or voter registration that was discriminatory in any way Answer: Civil Rights Act, 1964

14. 6. Enforced the 15th Amendment in all elections held anywhere in the U
6. Enforced the 15th Amendment in all elections held anywhere in the U.S. Answer: Voting Rights Act, Eliminated the poll tax or any other tax as a condition to vote. Answer: 24th Amendment 8. What did the 26th Amendment do? Answer: set the voting age at List the three voter qualifications for every state. Answer: citizen, residence, age (18) 10. What legal devices were used by states to keep African-Americans from voting. Answer: literacy tests, poll tax, white primary, gerrymandering 11. Define the term “gerrymandering”. Answer: practice of drawing electoral district lines in order to limit the voting strength of a particular group