Constitution left the question of who can vote to the states Suffragefranchise two terms that mean the right to vote Expansion of the electorate or the potential voting population has increased over time ID: 751323
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Slide1
The Right to VoteSlide2
History of Voting Rights
Constitution left the question of
“
who can vote” to the states.Suffrage(franchise):
two terms that mean the right to voteExpansion of the
electorate or the potential voting population has increased over time.
Two long-term trends:Removal of restrictions
Federal government assumed more control over voter qualificationsSlide3
Extending Suffrage: The Five Stages
I
. Early 1800’s
removal of religious qualifications instituted during the Colonial period
elimination of tax payments and property ownership
II. After the Civil War
ratification of the 15
th Amendment in 1870
protected any citizen from being denied the right to vote due to race or color
III. Early 20
th
Century
ratification of the
19
th
Amendment in 1920
prohibited the denial of the right to vote due to sexSlide4
1960’s
Civil Rights Act, 1964: forbid the use of literacy tests or voter
registration that was discriminatory in any way
Voting Rights Act, 1965:
enforced the 15th Amendment in all
elections held anywhere in the U.S.
23rd Amendment, 1961:
gave the District of Columbia the right to vote
24th Amendment, 1964:
eliminated the
poll tax
or any other
tax
as a
condition to vote
Latest Expansion
26
th
Amendment, 1971:
set the voting age at 18
“old enough to fight, old enough to vote”Slide5
Voter Qualifications
Every state has three factors:
1. Citizenship
- foreign born residents are denied the right to vote2.
Residence -
allow new residents time to become familiar w/candidates 3. Age(18)
- young voters(18-20) are much less likely to vote than any other Slide6
Other Voter Qualifications
Registration:
voter identification intended to prevent voter fraud
- provides election officials with a list of qualified voters
- party preference and closed primaries
- registered until you move, die, convicted of a serious crime(imprisoned)
or committed to a mental institution
- U.S. is the only democratic country w/a registration requirement
Slide7
Literacy:
person’s ability to read and write -
insure a qualified voter had the capacity to cast an informed ballot -
Conn. & Mass. were the first to adopt literacy requirements aimed at Irish Catholic immigrants
- Southern states’ adopted the requirement in an effort to
disenfranchise African-Americans - “
grandfather clause” allowed white descendants to voteTax Payment
- property(taxes) ownership
- poll tax:
tax payment as a condition for voting
Slide8
Please answer in complete sentences:
Answer 1,2, 4 and 6 on page 150, the Section Assessment
Answer 1, 4, 5 and 6 on page 157, the Section AssessmentSlide9
Suffrage and Civil Rights
Failure by the Federal government to enforce the
15th
Amendment led to a 90 year struggle for voting rights for African-AmericansStates used legal devices to keep African-Americans from voting.
- poll tax
- literacy tests
- white primaries (Democrat controlled)
Political parties were defined as “private associations”
and could exclude whomever they chose. Democrats nominated only white candidates in their primaries.Slide10
Gerrymandering
Defined as the
“practice of drawing electoral
district lines in order to limit the voting strength of a particular
group.”
Gomillion v. Lightfoot, 1960Ala. Legislature had redrawn the electoral boundaries in Tuskegee in an effort to exclude all African-Americans
Square to a 28 sided figureSupreme Court ruled that this violated the 15th
Amendment because the irregular shaped district clearly was created to disenfranchise African-AmericansSlide11Slide12
Voting Rights Act, 1965
Enforced
the 15th Amendment in all elections held anywhere in the U.S
.Act also declared that no new election laws could go into effect unless first approved (given
preclearance) by the Dept. of Justice
Only laws that do not “dilute” or weaken the voting rights of minority groups can survive the preclearance process.Slide13
Right To Vote Review
1. Constitution
left the question of “who can vote” to the ____________________.
Answer: states2. Two
terms that mean the right to vote……
Answer: suffrage and franchise3.
Protected any citizen from being denied the right to vote due to race or color.
Answer: 15th Amendment
4
.
Prohibited
the denial of the right to vote due to
sex.
Answer:
19
th
Amendment
5
.
Forbid
the use of literacy tests or
voter
registration that was discriminatory in any
way
Answer:
Civil Rights Act, 1964Slide14
6
. Enforced the 15th Amendment in all elections held anywhere in the U.S
.Answer: Voting Rights Act, 1965
7. Eliminated the poll tax or any other tax as a
condition to vote.
Answer: 24th Amendment
8. What did the 26th Amendment do?
Answer: set the voting age at 189. List the three voter qualifications for every state.
Answer:
citizen, residence, age (18)
10.
What legal devices
were used by states to
keep African-Americans from voting
.
Answer: literacy tests, poll tax, white primary, gerrymandering
11. Define the term “gerrymandering”.
Answer
:
practice of drawing electoral district lines in order to limit the voting strength of a particular
group