Chapter 6 Section 4
Jan 18, 2016
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).