chapters 6&7
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 6Voters and Voter Behavior
Section 1:
History of VotingExtending Suffrage:
Voting rights for African Americans19th Amendment –women’s right to vote
The Power to set Voting Qualifications
Five Restrictions on how States use power People must be allowed to vote for
representatives and senators in Congress Cannot deprive a person the right to vote
based on race Cannot deprive a person the right to vote
based on sex Cannot require payment Cannot deprive a person of 18yrs. to vote
Section 2:Voter Qualifications
Universal Requirements
Citizenship must be a citizen or native-born
Residence States Adopt Residence Requirements
to keep a political machine from importing enough outsiders to affect the outcome of local elections
to allow new voters at least some time to become familiar with the candidates and issues in an election
What about College Students?
Universal Requirements Cont.
Age No state may set the minimum age for voting in
any election A state may set the age at less than 18, if it
chooses to do so
Weird facts about voting
In Hungary and the Philippines sixteen-year-olds can also vote - but only if they're married!
In Argentina, Ecuador and Brazil, sixteen year olds can vote if they want, but once they turn 18 voting is required.
In fact around 23 world countries have compulsory voting, including two EU nations - Italy and the Netherlands although they don't enforce it. The penalties are normally modest fines.
Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia also allow 16 year olds to vote if they are employed and - to all effects and purposes - tax-paying stakeholders.
17 year olds can vote in North Korea - although, funnily enough in Kim Jong Un's dictatorship, their vote doesn't seem to have too much of an impact.
Sixteen-year-olds can also vote in Cuba, Nicaragua, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, whereas 17 year olds are allowed to vote in Indonesia, and Timor-Leste.
Other QualificationsRegistration
49 states require all voters to be registered “Motor Voter Law”
allow all eligible citizens to register to vote provide for voter registration make registration forms available at local offices
Literacy no state has a voting qualification based
on reading/intellectual ability
Literacy Test Time! Let’s see if you could pass!
Other Qualification Cont.
Tax Payment Payment of taxes used to be a common
suffrage qualification
Persons Denied the Vote Nearly all states have disqualified those
who have been convicted of serious crimes
Section 3Suffrage and Civil Rights
How to cheat and win:
Gerrymandering-manipulating the boundaries of an area in order to win an election
What is an Injunction?
Injunction- a court order that either compels or restrains the performance of some act by a private individual or by a public official
The Fifteenth Amendment
Plessy vs. Ferguson
1896: The Supreme Court ruled that it was constitutional to keep blacks and whites separate as long as the facilities were equal
“Separate but Equal”
Ruled that blacks and whites could have different facilities.
Brown vs. Board of Education
Ended legal segregation in schools
Chief Justice Earl Warren argued that it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
Made the 15th Amendment effective—it beat out the legal battles that were preventing African Americans from voting
This act applied to all elections held anywhere in this country
Voting Act originally to last only five years
Voting Rights Act of 1965 cont.
Preclearance cases show that laws most likely run afoul of
preclearance requirements are those that make changes location of polling places boundaries of election districts deadlines in the election process ward or district election to at-large elections qualifications candidates must meet in order to
run for office
Section 4 Voter Behavior
Nonvoters
Tens of millions vote in all kinds of electionsMany millions for one reason or another
choose not to vote
The Size of the Problem
Off-year election: the congressional elections held in the even-numbered years between presidential elections
Ballot Fatigue
Why People Do Not Vote
Can’t Vote resident aliens ill or disabled traveling religious beliefs jail/prison
Actual Nonvoters Don’t want to Don’t care
Non-Voter vs. Voter
Comparing Nonvoters to Voters
Voters Characteristics high income education occupational status long-time residence sense of party identification
Nonvoters Characteristics under 35 unmarried unskilled live in south rural areas
Voters and Voting Behavior
Studying Voting Behavior results of particular elections field of survey research studies of political socialization
Factors that Influence Voters
Age Race Income Occupation Education Religion Family Co-workers Friends
Sociological Factors
Income/Occupation High Income=
Republican Party Low Income=
Democratic Party
EducationGender:
Women = democrat
Men = republican
Sociological Factors:
Religious Background: Protestants typically are republican Catholics and Jews are typically democrat
Geography: Smaller cities and rural areas—republican Big cities – democrat
Family: People in a family tend to vote similarily
Psychological Factors
Party Identification: the loyalty of people to a particular political party
Straight-ticket Voting: practice of voting for candidates of only one party in an election
Split-ticket voting: practice of voting for the candidates of more than one party in an election
Independents: people who have no party affiliation
Candidates and Issues
Chapter 7: The Electoral Process
Nominating Candidates:
Nomination: naming the candidates that will seek offices These candidates are put into a pool and then
voted on by the party. The party then helps that single person campaign for office
Self announcement: a person who decides for office announces it themselves.
Caucus:Caucus: a group of like-minded people who
meet to select the candidates they will support in the election
Convention:
Convention: a meeting of a major political party, especially one that nominates a candidate for president
Direct Primary:
Direct Primary: an intra party election to pick that party’s candidates for the election 1. Closed Primary: a party nominating
election where only declared party members can vote
2. Open Primary: a party nominating election in which any qualified voter can take part. Blanket Primary: “wide-open primary”
where all voters receive the same ballot—a long list that includes every candidate regardless of party.
Section 2: Elections
Administration of Elections:
States primarily control elections however the Constitution gives Congress the power to fix election laws.
When do we hold elections? Elections are typically held the first
Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Some states have other dates for state or local elections
Administration of Elections:
Absentee voting: voting by those unable to get to their regular polling places on election day Covers 3 groups of
people: People too ill or
disabled to make it to vote
Those who will not be home on election day
Those serving in the armed forces
Coattail Effect:Coattail Effect: when a
strong candidate running for an office helps attract voters to other candidates in their party
Precincts and Polling Places:
Precinct: a voting districtPolling Places: the place where voters
voteBallot: a form that a voter completes to
pick a candidate for a position Office-Group: rotate which candidates
name is on top Party Column: listed by party Bedsheet ballots: incredibly long lists of
candidates
Voting Machines:
Sources of Funding:
Private Contributions: the majority source of campaign funds are given by individuals Small Contributors: people who give a
small amount Wealthy individuals Political Action Committees (PACs) Temporary Organizations
Public Subsidy: grant of money from the government
Federal Election Commission (FEC):
Federal Election Commission: regulates all federal law dealing with campaign finance No candidate can
receive money from a foreign source
Cash gifts of more than $100 are prohibited
Federal Election Commission (FEC):
FEC Laws: Require the timely disclosure of campaign
finance data Place limits on campaign contributions Place limits on campaign expenditures Provide public funding
Loopholes in the Law: