The Voters

1. The Voters

2. History of Voting Rights • The Founding Fathers let the states set qualifications for voting. • Only white male landowners could vote originally. • First, restrictions based on religion and property ownership disappeared by the mid 1800s. • Later all men (15th Amendment) and then women (19th Amendment) could vote. • Restrictions based on tests and race were made illegal and age restrictions lowered.

3. Power to Set Voter Qualifications • States are given the right to decide who cannot vote. There are 5 restrictions. • Voters who vote in state and local elections must also be allowed to vote in national elections. • No state can deprive the right to vote based on race. • No state can deny the right to vote based on sex. • No state will require a fee before voting. • Nobody over 18 (26th Amendment)can be denied the right to vote.

4. Universal Requirements • All people born in the US can vote. • All immigrants can vote once they become citizens. • To be eligible to vote in a state or town, one must be a legal resident of that state/town. • Some of the residency requirements say you have to have lived there for 10-90 days in that area before the election. • Anybody over 18 can vote. It used to be 21. Some states allow 17 year olds to vote in primaries.

5. Other Qualifications • All states, except ND, require that you register for vote and show proof of identity when you vote. • When you register, you give your name, address, party of choice, age, date of birth, and place of birth. • “Motor Voter Law” • Some states required literacy tests…mostly racist in nature. Made illegal in 1970. • Some states required a tax on property or a poll tax. Made illegal in 1964. • Grandfather clauses.

6. People Denied the Right to Vote • No state allows people on mental institutions or people to be mentally incompetent to vote. • ¼ of the states do not allow people who commit certain crimes to vote ever again. • Most states do not allow people in prison to vote. • Some states do not allow people who were dishonorably discharged from the military to vote.

7. Gerrymandering • When a election district is drawn up in order to favor a certain party. • Usually, the districts can take funny shapes in order to accommodate the party’s needs. • Districts can also be created to destroy the other party’s power. • In the South, districts were created to keep Black votes down.

8. Question Time • 1. Originally, who was the only people who could vote in the US? • 2. Who is denied the right to vote in the US? • 3. What 5 things can a state not deny you the right to vote based on? • 4. Name 2 ways that states tried to ban people from voting before.

9. The Fifteenth Amendment • Congress passes it in 1870. • The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. • Guarantees the freed slaves the right to vote. • Still, women could not vote. • However, loopholes in this amendment were exploited to deny Blacks the right to vote.

10. The Civil Rights Movement • The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s changed everything. • The government began to take an active interest in seeing how people were denied the right to vote. • Led by Martin Luther King, Jr., Blacks began to demand the right to vote and faced a lot of opposition down South. • Several key laws were passed that helped prevent racial discrimination in regards to voting rights.

11. Civil Rights Act of 1964 • In 1964, President Johnson will sign the Civil Rights Act. • Would allow courts to create an injunction if someone denied someone else the right to vote. • Made poll taxes and grandfather clauses illegal. • Dr. King would lead a march on Selma, AL and other workers would help get Blacks registered to vote. 24th Amendment--prohibits both Congress and the states from conditioning the right to vote in federal elections on payment of a poll tax or other types of tax.

12. Voting Act of 1965 • Voting Rights Act of 1965 applied the 15th Amendment to all elections at all levels. • The law made poll taxes and literacy tests a crime. • Law also created a preclearance. This stated that no state can make a new election law where less than 51% of the population had voted unless allowed by the Department of Justice. • These can target location of polling places, boundaries of districts, deadlines in the election day process, and qualifications of candidates. • Law was expanded in 1975 to help out Native Americans and immigrants. • Law was renewed several times and will be up again in 2031.

13. Question Time • 5. What did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 do? • 6. In what ways did recent court rulings about the VRA change politics here in NC?

14. Voter Behavior • Despite all the efforts made to help people get the right to vote, many people do not vote or have issues with the voting process. • Many people only vote in presidential elections. This can hurt off year elections and can affect local and state wide elections and congressional elections in midterm election years. • Ballot fatigue.

15. Voter Behavior • Many people in the US cannot vote because they are not citizens or they are in jail. • Many people are physically unable to get out to vote. • Others have emergencies that pop up and cannot get to a polling site. • Still, more people forget or do not have time. • Some people forget that they qualify for an absentee ballot.

16. Voter Behavior • Some people feel that the system is corrupt and refuse to vote. • Other people worry that their vote won’t count, so they don’t vote at all. • Some people feel that their party stands no chance of winning so they won’t go out. • Other people vote for the perceived winner so they aren’t identified with the loser. • Name recognition helps. • West Coast—East Coast issues.

17. Voter Behavior • Some people vote for discriminatory reasons. • There are some people who vote because of lawn signs. • Incumbents almost always win. • Many Americans are just plain uninformed or do not care about politics. • Older people, men, educated people, and Whites tend to vote more than young people, women, and minorities (not Asians). • Issues of the day can also encourage or discourage people from voting.

18. Sociological Factors • Many people vote how their parents/spouse did/does. • People in lower income brackets, less education, and who are younger tend to vote for Democrats. • People who are wealthier, more educated, and older tend to vote Republican. • Women favor health care, education and social issues while men are more interested in taxes and military/foreign policy issues. • Morality issues are split along party lines. • Protestants, Whites, Asians, and some Hispanics (recently) go for Republicans while Blacks, Catholics, some Hispanics, and Jews go for Democrats. • Geography can play a part. The South, West, and Midwest are Republican areas while the Northeast and Pacific Coast vote for Democrats.

19. Psychological Factors • Some people stay loyal to their party no matter what (about 40%). • Many people who are “Independent” still end of voting for one party over another one. • Many people don’t want to vote for a loser. • Character issues sometimes matter. • People vote for superficial reasons. • Politicians try to make personal connections.

20. New Trends in Voting • More split ticket voting. • More people calling themselves Independents. • Third party/tea party movements gaining influence on the internet. • Many young people voted for Obama, but may be turned off for future elections. • Getting harder for incumbents to win.

21. Question Time • 7. Define ballot fatigue. • 8. List and define 3 ways people vote the way they do. • 9. How does the coattail effect help other candidates? • 10. What can you, as a candidate, do to get voters to trust you and vote for you?