Voting in the U.S.

Today’s Goals Trace how and why the electorate has

expanded throughout our history. Analyze the election process in America

(figure out how the heck to vote in our country).

The Basics Other Terms for Voting: “suffrage” and “the

franchise” Suffrage is a GOOD thing. To enfranchise means to grant someone the right to

vote (to disenfranchise means to take it away).

“The Electorate”: all persons eligible to vote in elections (NOT just those who actually do/did vote) The 1789 Electorate: 1 out of 15 adult white men The 2008 Electorate: 216 million people

Big Question: How and why was the electorate expanded throughout our history?

Expanding the Electorate The Constitution left suffrage requirements

to the STATES. Between roughly 1800-1850, the states gradually

removed religious tests and property/wealth qualifications so that almost all adult males could vote.

Race and gender barriers remained. Since the Civil War, the FEDERAL government has

assumed much of the power to determine suffrage restrictions. How? Constitutional amendments and laws to enforce these amendments.

Suffrage is a dramatic illustration of how the relationship between the states and the natl. govt. (federalism) has changed over time.

15th Amendment (1870): Voting cannot be denied due to “race, color, or

previous condition of servitude.” It was Congress’s intent to expand the electorate to

include black males after the Civil War, BUT the southern states refused to obey the amendment.

19th Amendment (1920): Voting cannot be denied due to gender. Because of their contributions to the

war effort (WWI), women were seen as “worthy” of suffrage.

Even with these amendments,significant barriers to votingremain…

The Civil Rights Movement:Giving Teeth to the 15th Amendment

24th Amendment (1964): Outlawed paying a tax/fee in order to vote (poll tax). Amendment’s Major Shortcomings: only applied to

federal elections, and only eliminated one of the barriers (poll taxes) to voting for African-Americans (beatings, lynchings, intimidation, literacy/civics tests, arrests, etc.).

The Civil Rights Movement:Giving Teeth to the 15th Amendment

Voting Rights Act (1965): Based on the 15th Amendment Placed the entire voter registration process under

FEDERAL control (federal officials would register voters, and federal troops and marshals would ensure that all persons could vote).

Outlawed literacy/civics tests in all elections. Established a policy of “preclearance:” no new election

laws, and no changes in existing election laws, can go into effect in any targeted state (mostly in the south) unless first approved (“precleared”) by the Department of Justice (for example, location of polling places, boundaries of election districts, qualifications of candidates, etc.).

A recent rewriting of the law provided for multilingual ballots in election districts where a minority language populations is 10,000+.

This law is still in effect! It was most recently renewed in 2006 for a period of 25 years.

Most Recent Expansionof the Electorate

26th Amendment (1971): Lowered the minimum voting age to 18 Vietnam War: if a person can fight and die for her/his

country, she/he should be able to vote!

Current Voting Requirements

Registration (in all states except ND) Residency Citizenship Disqualifications:

Felony Charges Election Law Violations (such as election fraud) Mental Illness Dishonorable Discharge from the Military http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-november-7-2006/vot

ing-irregularity (3:00)

1789 to 2011

New Trend: Making It More Difficult to Vote

7 states have recently passed laws requiring a photo ID in order to be able to vote (PA is not one of them). 10% of American citizens lack photo IDs, impacting approx. 3 million voters. These laws disproportionately impact lower income voters.

The supposed purpose of these laws is to eliminate voter fraud. BUT: there is almost NO voter fraud in the U.S. Over 300 million votes were cast in the

U.S. between 2002-2007, and the U.S. Justice Dept. found NO cases of voter impersonation.