Voter turnout in the US has generally been declining, reaching a 20-year low of 58% of the eligible voting population in 2016. Historically, certain groups like African Americans, women, and youth faced barriers to voting through policies like literacy tests and poll taxes. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 helped increase African American voter turnout by outlawing discriminatory practices. However, a 2013 Supreme Court decision removed certain protections, and some states have since enacted new voting restrictions like voter ID laws and limits on early voting. There are ongoing debates around how to increase voter participation and address modern forms of potential disenfranchisement.

1. The Electorate
Who votes?
History of voter suppression
Voting rights

2. Who Votes?
⦿ In 2016
› What percentage of the voting age
population actually voted?
› Wa voter turnout HIGHER or LOWER than in
2012?

3. Who Votes?
⦿ In 2016
› About 58% of eligible voting population
actually voted (128 million voters)
› Turnout was down from 2012 and 2008 (20
year low)
› Turnout was higher in swing states (63%)

4. ⦿ For 2014 midterm elections:
› 38% of registered voters came to the polls

5. ⦿ The 42% of eligible citizens who didn’t vote
represents 93 million people!

6. Why People Don’t Vote
⦿ Apathy—in registering to vote
› Once registered, people tend to show up
› A low percentage of the voting-age
population is registered
⦿ Registered nonvoters say:
› I’m too busy
› Family obligations
› My vote won’t count

7. Possible Solutions
⦿ “I’m too busy”
› Make Election Day a holiday
› Weekend voting
› Early voting (some states are now doing this)

8. How To Increase Registration
⦿ Motor Voter Law (1993)
› Register to vote when applying for driver’s
license; register through the mail and at
state offices
› Success?—voter registration increased but
voter turnout has not
› “People who register when the process is
costless are less likely to vote”

9. ⦿ Early voting
⦿ Same-day registration
⦿ Online registration (20 states)

11. Rise of the American Electorate
⦿ Who Can Vote?
› 1787 (Constitution)—only white male property
owners
› Andrew Jackson—all white adult males
› Civil War—black males (15th amendment)
› 1920—women (19th amendment)
› 1961—DC residents
› Vietnam War—18 year olds (26th Am)

12. Disenfranchisement
⦿ Literacy tests
⦿ Poll tax
⦿ Grandfather clause
⦿ White primaries
⦿ Intimidation, harassment, threats

13. Extension of Voting Rights
African Americans
⦿ 15th amendment
⦿ Voting Rights Act of 1965
› Outlawed literacy tests
› Instructed the Attorney General to challenge
poll taxes
› Gave federal gov. oversight power in areas that
had historically discriminated
⚫WAIT! What about federalism? 10th Amendment?
› Results: from 1960-1970, percentage of black
voters rose from 5% to over 70%
› SCOTUS overturned this part of VRA in 2013

14. ⦿ Women
› 19th Amendment
› Women began to vote in large numbers
immediately
⦿ Youth (under 30)
› 26th amendment—1970
› Always a lower turnout than for the
population as a whole
› In 2008—18% of total election day electorate

15. Modern Disenfranchisement?
⦿ Shelby County v. Holder (2013)
› 9 states and many individual counties had to
get clearance from the fed. gov. if they
wanted to make changes to their voting
laws
› SCOTUS struck that part of the law
› 7 preclearance states have since enacted
new voting restrictions
› Voter ID; no same-day registration; cut early
voting

16. North Carolina
⦿ voter ID
⦿ no same-day registration
➢ 250,000 people in 2012, disproportionately
African-American
⦿ cut early voting
› More than 70 percent of African-American
voters utilized early voting during the 2008
and 2012 general elections.
› Affects poor voters

17. Models of Voter Behavior
Rational-choice Voting
⦿ voting based on what is perceived to be
in the citizen’s individual interest
⦿ straight-ticket voting

18. Retrospective Voting
⦿ voting to decide whether the party or
candidate in power should be re-
elected based on the recent past

19. Prospective Voting
⦿ voting based on predictions of how a
party or candidate will perform in the
future

20. Party-line voting
⦿ supporting a party by voting for
candidates from one political party for
all public offices across the field