Voter Qualifications

Voter Qualifications Chapter 6 Section 2

Key Terms • Alien • Transient • Registration • Purge • Poll Books • Literacy

Universal Requirements • Based on three factors • Citizenship • Residence • Age • Alien- Foreign born residents who have not yet become citizens and are generaly denied the right to vote

States can draw distinctions between native born and naturalized citizens with regard to suffrage. • Pa constitution- must be a citizen for one month before you can vote • Residence • Must be a legal resident of the state in which he or she wished to vote • Must live in the state for a certain period of time

Adopted for Two Reasons • 1) keep political machine from brining in outsiders to influence election • 2) too allow new voters at least some time to become familiar with the candidates and the issues • 3) Typical 60-90 days in the country and 30 days local

4) Longer in the south • 5) Today you only have to be a legal resident of a state • 1/3 of states 30 days • 29 days in Arizona • 20 Minnesota • 10 days Wisconsin

Voting Rights Act of 1970 • Banned any requirement over 30 days • Supreme Court said it conflicted with 14th Amendment “equal protection clause” • Supreme Court said “30 days appears to be ample period of time.

Transient- person who plan to live in a state for only a short time, from gaining legal residence status there. • Soldiers • College students • Can not voter in a state when only a temporary residence

Age- 26th amendment- right of 18 year old to vote • No state can have a minimum age higher than 18 • Extends suffrage to those at least 18 • State can make the voting age less than 18 if it chooses to

Until the 26th voting age was 21 • Georgia first to allow 18 year old to vote (1943) • Kentucky -18, 1955 • Alaska- 19, 1959 • Hawaii- 20. 1959

Registration • Registration- procedure of voter identification intended to prevent fraudulent voting • Gives elected officials a list of qualified voters

Requirements • 49 state you must be registered (North Dakota) • Became common in 1900’s • Most states you must register 20-30 days before the election • Voter registration- name, age, place of birth, present address, length of residence

If you do not vote for 4 years your name is purged • Purged- every four years if you do not vote you are removed • Poll Books-official list of qualified voters in each precinct

Literacy, Tax Payment • Today no state has suffrage based on voter literacy • Literacy- a person’s ability to read and write • Connecticut and Massachusetts had literacy in 1855 to limit the Irish Catholic immigrants • In the south whites were asked to read something simple while African Americans were asked to read something complex

Congress banned literacy qualification in 1970 • Tax payment proved ownership of property a common suffrage qualification. • Some states demanded a poll tax to vote • Meant to discourage African American voters • 24th Amendment outlawed the tax

Persons Denied the Vote • Every State still purposely denies the right to vote to some • People found mentally incompetent • Convicted of serious crimes • Convicted of bribery and ballot-box stuffing are banned • Some states do not allow dishonorably discharged • Some previous felons can regain the right to vote

Voter Qualifications