1. Elections and Voting
It’s not just a right!

2. The Expansion of Suffrage—A History
Only citizens allowed to vote were white, male, Protestant property owners who were 21 years old or older.

3. The Expansion of Suffrage—A History
Early 1800s
Property ownership, religion removed as a requirement to vote.

4. The Expansion of Suffrage—A History
1870—15th Amendment
Recognized non-white’s right to vote

5. The Expansion of Suffrage—A History
1920—19th Amendment
Recognized women’s right to vote

6. The Expansion of Suffrage—A History
1964—24th Amendment
Poll taxes removed

7. The Expansion of Suffrage—A History
1965—Voting Rights Act of 1965
Literacy tests for potential voters abolished

8. The Expansion of Suffrage—A History
1971—26th Amendment
Voting age lowered from 21 to 18 years old

9. Voter Behavior Studying Voter Behavior—3 Sources
Election results- looking at how voters voted in certain areas/regions of the country
Polling- Scientifically surveying a cross section of the population
Political Socialization studies- researching the process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions

10. Voter Behavior Factors that influence voting
Sociological—mainly how a person’s personal characteristics mixes with his or her group affiliations
* While these factors may give an indication to why voters vote they way they do, it is important to remember that 1) the data is always changing and 2) people never fall under any one category

11. Voter Behavior—Sociological Factors
Income, Occupation
higher-earning, professionals and businesspeople generally vote Republican / lower-earning, mostly manual workers tend to vote Democrat
Education
higher education levels have traditionally voted Republican
Gender, Age-
women, younger voters tend to vote democratic more often than men, older voters
Religion, Ethnicity
Catholics, Jews, and non-whites have been more likely to vote Democratic than Protestants and whites
Geography
Democrats generally get more votes in larger urban areas, while Republicans have dominated suburban and rural areas
Family and other groups
Family members often vote in very similar ways

12. Voter Behavior—Party Loyalty
Strong Party Voters
See party as more important than issues or candidates
Straight-ticket voting—always choose to vote for the candidates of their party
Weak Party Voters
Will switch their votes to the rival party from time to time
Split-ticket voting—choosing candidates from both parties
Independents
An important group of voters whose numbers has increased in recent years

13. Voter Behavior—Short Term Factors
Candidates- A candidate’s image can obviously have a major impact on how people vote (personality, character, appearance, style, record, abilities, etc.)
Issues- Concern for the major issues is also a major factor affecting voters’ choices (war, civil rights movement, economy, moral issues)