Voting Rights and Behavior Summary

  • Voting Rights Overview

    • Historical Context:

    • Early U.S. restricted voting mainly to property-owning white men.

    • Intimidation and legal barriers, particularly for African Americans.

    • Constitutional Amendments & Legislation:

    • Key amendments affecting voting rights:

      • 15th Amendment (1870): Prohibits voting discrimination based on race.

      • 19th Amendment (1920): Grants women the right to vote.

      • 24th Amendment (1964): Outlaws poll taxes.

      • 26th Amendment (1971): Lowers voting age to 18.

    • Expansion of Electorate:

    • Over time, voter eligibility expanded to include women, minorities, and young adults.

  • Voting Models

    • Rational-Choice Voting: Voters evaluate candidates based on individual interests (e.g., Medicare).

    • Retrospective Voting: Voters assess incumbent performance before deciding.

    • Prospective Voting: Voters predict future impacts of policies.

    • Party-Line Voting: Voters align with party affiliation.

  • Voter Turnout

    • Influenced by individual choice, state laws, and election type.

    • Approximate voter turnout for presidential elections has varied from 50-60% in recent decades.

    • Factors affecting turnout:

    • Election type (e.g., midterms lower turnout), candidate appeal, and logistical barriers.

    • Disparities exist in turnout based on race, age, and socioeconomic status.

  • Campaigning and Election Processes

    • Presidential campaign involves primaries, debates, and general election strategies.

    • Electoral College:

    • System to elect president; requires majority of electoral votes (270).

    • Controversies arise from instances where popular vote winner loses the presidency.

    • Campaign finance rules evolved from FECA (1971) to BCRA (2002) and new cases (Citizens United v. FEC).

  • Impact of Spectrums of Voting Behavior

    • Demographic influences on voter preferences:

    • Gender, age, race, and income shape voting patterns.

    • Trends in elections show fluctuating allegiance to the two-party system, with independents gaining traction.