AP Government Chapter 6 - Voters and Voter Behavior

Study Guide

Most states allowed only…

white male property owners who belonged to a certain religion the right to vote

Electorate

All those eligible to vote

Suffrage

The right to vote

What were the first voter qualifications to disappear?

Religious Qualifications

The 16th Amendment

Gave woman the right to vote

Residence

One must be a legal resident of the state in which they vote

Age

One must be 18 years old to be eligible to vote

Registration

Procedure of voter identification intended to prevent fraudulent voting

Motor Vehicle Law

Allows all eligible citizens to register to vote when they apply for, or renew a drivers licence

Literacy Tests

Once required for voting, were once common, but are no longer used

Literacy

The ability to read

Grandfather Clauses

Anyone whose male descendants could vote before the passage of the 15th amendment, were eligible to vote without taking a literacy test or paying a tax.

Purge

Remove the names of those are no longer eligible to vote; either in that area or at all.

Poll Books

Lists of registered voters

The Civil Rights Act of 1957 - Short Answer

Created the US Civil Rights Commission, which investigated voter discrimination.

The Civil Rights Act of 1960 - Short Answer

Allowed federal voting referees to help qualified people register and vote in federal elections wherever federal courts found voter discrimination.

The Civil RIghts Act of 1964

Outlawed racial discrimination in public accommodations and in job related matters

Injunction

A court order that forces someone to do something

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Allowed federal voting examiners to oversee elections and register voters

Preclearance

No new or changed election laws can take effect unless first approved by the Department of Justice

Voter Turnout

Is always higher for presidential elections then off-year elections.

Off-Year Elections

Elections held between presidential elections

Political Efficacy

A sense of one’s own influence or effectiveness in politics

Time Zone Fallout

Western voters in presidential elections may feel that the election has been decided by eastern and central states before they can vote.

Political Socialization

How people gain political attitudes and opinions

A majority of the following groups tend to vote republican - Short Answer

• Voters with higher incomes

• Voters with higher levels of education

• Older Voters

• Protestants

• People who live in suburbs and rural areas

A majority of the following people tend to vote democrat - Short Answer

• Woman

• African Americans

• Latinos

• Catholics and Jews

• People living in urban areas and the northeast

Party Identification

The loyalty of people to a political party.

Party Loyalists

Likely to vote for all of their party’s candidates in any election in any election - Straight Ticket Voting

Image

Personality, style, character, appearance, and ability to manipulate the media.

The media has been called the…

4th branch of government because of how much it influences the public opinion.