This document discusses the history of suffrage and voting rights in the United States. It begins by noting that the Constitution originally left voter qualifications up to the states, most of which only allowed white, male property owners to vote. Over the next 200 years, voting rights gradually expanded through constitutional amendments and federal legislation. Key milestones included the 15th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, and 26th amendments, as well as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Today, nearly all citizens over 18 can vote, though states still impose residency and registration requirements. Sociological factors like gender, race, religion, education and geography continue to influence voting patterns in the US.

3. • The Framers of the
Constitution
purposely left the
power to set
suffrage
qualifications to
each State.

4. • Both of these terms
have the same
meaning:
–The RIGHT or
PRIVILEGE to
vote.

6. • When the Constitution went into
effect in 1789, who was allowed to
vote?
–White, male, property owners

7. • Today the size of the
American electorate
(potential voting
population) is around
210 million people
• Who is allowed to vote
today?
– Nearly all citizens who
are at least 18 years
old.

8. • That big number is a result of some 200
years of continuing, often bitter and
sometimes violent struggle.
• The history of suffrage has been marked
by (2) long-term trends:
1. The gradual elimination of restrictions on the
right to vote
2. The State’s power over the right to vote has
been assumed by the Federal government.

9. • The growth of the American
electorate to its present size and
shape has come in five fairly
distinct stages:

10. • When:
–Early 1800s
• What:
–Elimination of
religious,
property, and tax
requirements.

11. • When:
–Post Civil-War
Era.
• What:
– Race or color could
not block right to
vote.
– 15th Amendment.

12. • When:
–1920
• What:
–Women get the
right to vote in
Federal elections.
–19th Amendment

13. • When:
–1960s
• What:
– 23rd Amendment allows District of
Columbia to vote in presidential election
– 24th Amendment – No poll tax
– Voting Rights Act 1965

14. • When:
–1971
• What:
–Minimum age of
voting can be no
higher than 18
years old.

16. • Today, every state
requires that any
person who wants
to vote must be
able to satisfy
qualifications based
on (3) factors:

17. • Aliens (foreign born
residents who have not
become citizens) are
denied the right to vote.
• States have power to
regulate this.
• Pennsylvania?
– Citizen for 30 days
– Resident of PA for 30
days

18. • Why is there a residency
requirement?
1. Political Machines
cannot bring voters
in from different
areas.
2. New voters can
become familiar with
candidates and issues
of an area.

19. • Transients:
–persons living in a State for only a
short time; are prohibited from voting
in nearly every state.

20. • 26th Amendment (1971) set
the minimum age for voting
in any election at no more
than 18.
• Vietnam War was key.
• What is the impact of 18-20
years olds in voting?
– NONE: they have the
lowest percentage of all
voting groups..

22. • The States have imposed a
number of other qualifications
over time.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Registration
Literacy
Tax Payment
Persons Denied the Vote

23. • Procedure of voter identification intended
to prevent fraudulent voting.
• A prospective voter must register his/her
name, age, place of birth, present address,
length of residence, and similar facts.
• What is purging?
– Reviewing the lists of registered voters and
removing the names of the ineligible.

24. • Some people argue
that the registration
requirement is bar
to voter turnout,
especially among the
poor and lesseducated.

25. • In 1993 Congress
passed a law dubbed
“the Motor- Voter
Law”.
• What did this do?
1. Register by mail
2. Register when
applying/renewing
driver’s license.

26. • Today no state has a
suffrage qualification based
on voter literacy – a
persons ability to read or
write.
• States had these in place to
keep a group away from the
polls – African Americans,
Native American, Irish
Catholic immigrants.

27. • What eliminated
all of these
requirements?
–Voting Rights Act
Amendments of
1970

28. • Poll tax = payment of
a tax in order to vote.
• Beginning with
Florida in 1889, each
of the 11 southern
states enacted this to
keep AfricanAmericans away
from the polls.

29. • The
Amendment to the
Constitution ended this in 1964.
th
24

30. • Some states deny the right to vote to
certain persons:
– People in mental institutions.
– Persons found legally incompetent.
– Persons convicted of serious crimes.

32. • First step in the
effort to extend
the franchise to
African
Americans.
• What does it
declare….

33. • Right to vote
cannot be denied
because of race,
color or previous
condition of
servitude.

34. • Yet for almost 90 years
(1870-1960), the Federal
government paid little
attention to voting rights
for African Americans.
• During this period, blacks
were kept from the polls by
a mix of violence, literacy
tests, poll taxes and other
devices:

35. • Definition:
–Drawing district
lines to limit or
strengthen the
voting power of
a particular
group.

37. • Definition:
– Practice that
excluded blacks
from running for
office; used in the
South.
– Eventually ruled
unconstitutional.

38. • Allowed for
Federal voting
referees to help
voters register
or vote.

39. • This Act was much broader
and more effective than
either two of the earlier
measures.
• Outlawed discrimination in
several areas – especially
job related matters.
• It relied on judicial action
to overcome racial
barriers.

40. • Definition:
–A court order
that either
forces or limits
an action by a
person.

41. • Voter registration march
in Selma, Alabama were
met with violence showing a need for new
and stronger legislation.
• What played a role in
getting the nation’s
attention?
– The violence shown on
national TV.

42. • This act applied to ALL
elections held anywhere
in this country – state
and local as well as
federal.
• Originally, the Act was
to be in effect for 5 years
but Congress has
extended its life three
times.

43. 1. Suspended us of
literacy tests.
2. Gave Federal
government
power to oversee
elections.

44. • Changes that must be
approved:
– Location of polling
places
– Boundaries of districts
– Deadlines in election
process
– Qualifications of
candidates

45. • Additions to the law
include:
– extensions for existing
provisions
– help for language
minorities (ballots in
several languages)

47. • There are several
legitimate reasons
for not voting…
• But the troubling
fact remains that
most of the millions
who do not vote
cannot claim those
reasons.

48. • Case in point
Election Day 2000:
– those eligible to vote
(205.8 million) and
105.4 million did vote
(51.2%)
– How many people did
not vote at all?
• Nearly 100 million
people!!!

49. • Off-year elections, which
are the congressional
elections in between a
President’s term, have even
lower rates of voter
turnout.
• What does it mean to be a
“nonvoting voter”?
– Vote for candidates at
top of ballot, but no other
offices.

50. • One reason for
nonvoting is “ballot
fatigue”
– many voters get
exhaust their
patience and/or
knowledge as they
work they way down
the ballot.

51. • There are any
number of reasons
for not voting:
– Belief that it makes
no difference who
wins.
– Others are satisfied
with the political
world as they it.

52. • Define
– People who lack any
feeling of influence or
effectiveness in
politics.
• Why do people have it?
– They believe they
have no impact on
what the government
does.

53. • Cumbersome
election
procedures
(registration, long
lines and ballots)
• Bad weather can
also effect turnout.

54. • Time-Zone
Fallout
– polls on East Coast
close before other
time-zones
– Announcing East
Coast results might
discourage West
Coast voters.

55. • A simple factor is, purely and simply,
a lack of interest!

56. • Voters and Nonvoters.
• One useful way to get
a handle on the
problem of nonvoting
is to contrast those
who go to the polls
regularly and those
who do not…

57. • High level of income,
education and job
status.
• Strong sense of party
identification.
• Long time residents
who are active in their
community.
• Unmarried, unskilled
and under the age of
35.
• Live in rural areas of
country.
• Women vote more
than men.

58. • Voting has been studied more closely than any
other form of political participation.
• Why is this? The importance of the topic and
the great amount of data available.

59. • Most of what is known about voter
behavior comes from (3) sources:
The Results of
Particular
elections
The Field of
Survey Research
• Studying the returns from areas
populated with a specific group will
indicate how they voted.
• Scientific polling of public opinion
can determine voter outcome.
Studies of Political • This involves studying experiences
Socialization
and relationships in people’s lives

60. • Sociology is
the study of
groups and
how people
behave within
groups.

61. • Lower income tend to be
Democrat, higher income
Republicans.
• Occupations :
– professionals, business
people tend to vote
Republican
– manual labor, union
workers tend to vote
Democrat.

62. • College grads vote
for Republicans in
higher percentages
than do high school
grads; High school
grads vote GOP
more than grade
school grads.

63. • The Gender Gap in
politics:
– Women tend to favor
Democrats by 5-10%,
and men tend to favor
Republicans by the
same amount.

64. • Historically, a
majority of Protestants
have voted
Republican.
• Social issues are key to
most Protestants
voters.

65. • Traditional, have
voted Democrat.
• Immigration in early
1900s.
• Recent trend is that
they are swing voters:
– 2004 52% for Bush
– 2008 58% for Obama

66. • Traditionally have
always voted Democrat.
• Immigration in early
1900s.
• Recent trend:
– 2004 75% for Bush
– 2008 79% for Obama

67. • For decades, African
Americans have
supported the
Democratic Party
consistently and
massively.
• 95% in 2008

68. • Do not vote as a block
• Cuban-Americans:
– Tend to vote Republican
• Mexicans and Puerto
Ricans:
– Tend to vote Democrat

69. • The part of the country in which a person
lives has an impact on voting.
• Solid South:
– Starting with the end of the Civil War, the South
voted solidly Democrat for over 100 years.

70. • Married couples and
family members tend
to vote the same way.
• What is the role of
parents?
– 2 of 3 voters follow the
political attachments of
their parents

71. • Psychology is
the study of
the mind and
of individual
behavior.

72. • A majority of
Americans identify
with one of the major
parties – and many
NEVER change.
• This is the SINGLE
most significant
predictor of how a
person will vote.

73. • Straight Ticket :
– Voting of candidates
of ONLY one party
• Split Ticket:
– Voting for candidates
of MORE than one
party

74. • Term used for
people with no
party affiliation.
• New breed of:
– Often young and
above average in
education, income
and job status.

75. • Candidates:
– An impression a
candidate makes on a
voter can cause a
switch in party
• Issues:
– An important issue can
cause a switch in party
for a voter.