Chapter 6

Section 4

When the Constitution was passed, only white male property owners could vote. Over time, qualifications to vote have eased significantly and the federal government has taken control over granting the right to vote.

15th Amendment prohibited the denial of voting based on race.

19th Amendment prohibited the denial of voting based on sex.

23rd Amendment added voters of the District of Columbia.

24th Amendment eliminated the poll tax. 26th amendment forbids states to set minimum

voting age at higher than 18.

Chapter 6.2: Voter Qualifications

There are universal voting requirements in every state based on 3 major subjects:

1. Citizenship

2. Residence

3. Age

1. Citizenship:

You must be a citizen of the U.S. to vote.

“Aliens”: foreign-born residents who have not become citizens are typically denied the right to vote.

2. Residency:

You must be a resident of the state you plan to cast a vote in – usually more than 30 days.

* “Transients”: persons living in a state for only a short period of time (travelling salesmen, college students, etc.) usually aren’t granted residency

3. Age:

The 26th Amendment says the states cannot deny citizens of the U.S. the right to vote if they are 18 or older – “old enough to fight, old enough to vote” – states can lower the voting age if they chose to do so.

The only other major qualification that has stood the test of time is “registration”: a procedure of voter identification intended to prevent fraudulent voting.

*Typically, you must register your name, age, place of birth, present address, etc. You stay registered unless you die, move, are convicted of a serious crime, or are committed to a mental institution.

Recently, all state shave made it easier to register to vote – online, at the DMV, by mail, or at local offices of state employment, welfare, and other social service agencies.

Most states require voters to be registered 20-30 days before elections.

rockthevote.org

Those denied the right to

vote: Those in mental institutions or declared

mentally incompetent, many who commit serious crimes, and some who have been dishonorably discharged from the armed forces.

Key Terms• Off-Year Election• Ballot Fatigue• Political Efficacy• Political Socialization• Gender Gap• Party Identification• Straight Ticket Voting• Split Ticket Voting• Independent

Nonvoting Term idiot is Greek for non-voter Millions of Americans do not vote Election day 2008 some 121 million

votes were cast Only 53% of electorate voted Off-Year Elections-the congressional

elections held in the even numbered years between the presidential elections

Some people do not vote for all the candidates

Ballot fatigue- the further your name is down on a ballot the fewer votes you receive

Sometimes voters exhaust their patience or knowledge

More people vote for statewide offices instead of county or local elections

Turn out in congressional districts is higher in presidential years.

Why People Do Not Vote 2008 data over 100 million people did

not vote 10 million of them are aliens and are

barred from voting 5 to 6 million are ill 2 to 3 million had top travel

unexpectedly Race, religious biases also play a role

Actual Nonvoters

In 2008, 80 million people who could vote did not in the Presidential election

ReasonsPeople think there vote will nor make a

differenceMany do not trust politiciansThey either fear or scorn the systemPolitical efficacy-lacking any feeling of

influence or effectiveness in politics

More reasonsCumbersome election process (inconvenient

registration process)Long ballots/long lines at the polling placesBad weatherTime-zone fallout (polls in the East and

central close before the west) results are forecast before they have voted

Comparing Voters and Nonvoters 1.Results of particular elections

Individual votes are secretAreas largely populated by African

Americans or Catholics or high income groups will indicate how they voted

2. Survey ResearchScientific polls determine cross sections of

population (Gallup/Pew) Measure public opinion

3. Political Socialization-process by which people gain their political attitude and opinionsBegins in early childhoodContinues throughout your lifeExperiences and relationships that lead

people to see the political world in a certain way

II. Characteristics of the Electorate

Voters Typically:

Higher incomeHigher level of educationLong-time residents of a

community

Predominantly older (35 and up)

Live in an urban or suburban community

Nonvoters Typically:

Lower incomeLower level of educationYounger (under 35)Unmarried

Majority are from the southern U.S.

Live in a rural community Lack a feeling of

influence/importance

Sociological factors tend to influence who we vote for.

A. Income & Occupation Voters in lower income brackets tend to vote for democrats Professional & business people tend to vote republican

B. Education Typically, the more education a person has received, the more

likely they are to vote republican.

C. Gender / Age Traditionally, men vote republican more often and women vote

democrat. Younger voters tend to vote democrat, while older voters tend

to vote republican

III. III. Who do we vote Who do we vote for?for?

Factors that Influence Voters Sociological and psychological factors

Sociological- pieces of the voters social and economic life (two kinds)○ 1. a voters personal characteristics-age, race,

income, occupation, education, religion○ 2. voters group affiliations- family- coworkers,

friendsPsychological- study of the mind and

individual behavior○ Voter perception- how the voter sees the

party, candidate and the issues of the election

Factors

The differences between the two are not great.

Closely related to each other Constantly interact How voters look at parties, candidates

or issues is often shaped by their own social and economic backgrounds

Sociological Factors College graduates are more likely to

vote Republican So are persons over 50 African Americans more likely to vote for

Democrats So are labor unions How would a 55 year old college-

educated African American who belongs to the AFL-CIO vote?

Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice Who Votes?

Education: More education = more likely to vote. Most important factor.

Age: Older = more likely to vote.Race: Caucasian = more likely to vote. BUT,

other ethnicities are higher with comparable education.

Gender: Female = more likely to vote.

Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice Who Votes? (continued)

Marital Status: Married = more likely to vote.Union Membership: Union member = more

likely to vote.Traits are cumulative - possessing several

adds up.

D. Religion / Ethnic Background Minority groups tend to vote democrat Different religions typically side with particular

political parties

E. Geography Republicans dominate the southern United

States Democrats dominate large metropolitan areas

Income and Occupation Voters in lower income brackets usually

vote for Democrats Voters in higher income usually vote for

Republicans 2008 election was the exception

Making under $50,000 (Barack Obama)$50,000 and up evenly divided between the

twoWon 52% of the vote of those who made

over $200,000 (Barack Obama)

Often how much someone earns and what they do for a living are closely relatedProfessional and business people Other high incomes regularly tend to the

Republican sideManual workers and lower income workers tend to the Democrat

sideWith the exception of 1964 and 2008

professional and business people voted heavily Republican in every modern era election

Education

College graduates high percentage Republican voters than those who graduate high school

High school graduates vote more Republican than those who just finished grade school

Except for 2008

Gender, Age Gender Gap- the difference in partisan

choices between men and women First appeared in the 1980’s Women generally tend to favor Democrats

by a ten percent margin Men often give the GOP the same margin Men and women vote differently on health

care, abortion, other social matters

Age

Traditionally younger voters tend to vote for the Democrats

Older voters for the GOP 1960-1980 Democrats won a large majority

of voters under 30

This pattern was broken by Ronald Reagan in 1984 and George Bush in 1988

Bill Clinton restored the Democratic claim in 1992

2008 held the tradition for younger voters garnering 66% of the under 30 vote

Religious, Ethnic Background Protestants preferred GOP Catholics and Jews the Democrats 2008 election supported that trend African American voters for decades

have supported the Democratic party They form the only group that has given

a clear majority in every presidential election since 1952

In the North, African Americans voted Republicans until the 1930’s (New Deal)

Civil rights movement 1960’s much greater African American participation in southern politics

Today African Americans are overwhelmingly Democratic

Geography South East corner of the country became

known as the solid South (Formerly Democrats)

The GOP now carries that area States that consistently support

RepublicansIdaho, Wyoming, Utah, Kansas, Nebraska, and

the Dakotas Democrats carry

Have made inroads into the Northeast section

Geography Republicans still dominate the suburbs,

smaller cities and rural areas Democrats control the west coast &

northeast & very large urban areas

Family and Other Group Family members vote in a strikingly

familiar way 9 out of 10 married couples share the

same partisan leaning Those who work together and circles of

friends vote alike

Psychological Factors Party identification- the loyalty of

people to a particular political party. The single most significant and lasting

predictor of how a person will vote Democrat or Republican will likely vote

for all their parties candidates

Straight ticket voting- the practice of voting for all the candidates of only one party in elections

Party identification is a key factor in politics Though it has lost some of its power

recently Split ticket- the practice of voting for

candidates of more than one party This behavior began to increase in the

1960’s

Independents- those people who do not have a party affiliation

Independent is a tricky term most vote for a candidate of one of the major parties.

Number of independents is between a fourth and one third of all voters

New breed of independent from the 1960’s and 1970’s

New voters preferred not to be identified by party.

Candidates and Issues Party identification is a long term factor They may support the candidates but

not the way they vote Short term factors can cause voters to

switch sidesImpression the candidate makeTheir imagePersonal character and appearance

Issues have become important over the last 40 yearsCivil rights movement, Vietnam War,

feminist movement, Watergate scandal, economic problems

Recent years- severe economic recession, Iraq and Afghanistan

More Likely to Vote:Older, women, and those with

high levels of income, education, job status, party affiliation.

Less Likely to Vote:Younger, men, and those with

lower levels of income, education, job status, and party affiliation.

Why Don’t People Vote?

1. “Cannot Voters”: literally cannot vote (resident aliens, ill or physically disabled, out of town, mentally ill, jailed, religiously forbidden).

2. Actual Nonvoters: some people believe their vote does not matter – they do not have “political efficacy”: a feeling of influence in politics.

3. Other Reasons: cumbersome procedures (long lines, time, bad weather, registration process) – “time-zone fallout”: voters in the west may not vote because early results may have already sealed the election – lack of interest (#1 factor of nonvoting).