E

Protections for Voting Rights (MPA-3.A.1)

• Civil Rights Act of 1964 – A landmark law that outlawed discrimination in public places and workplaces, and also addressed voting discrimination by prohibiting unequal voter registration requirements.

• Fifteenth Amendment (1870) – Granted African American men the right to vote, prohibiting voting restrictions based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

• Franchise – Another term for the right to vote.

• Grandfather Clause – A discriminatory law that allowed individuals to vote only if their grandfather had voted before 1867, effectively disenfranchising Black voters.

• Literacy Test – A reading and writing test imposed as a requirement for voting, used to suppress Black and poor white voters, especially in the South.

• Nineteenth Amendment (1920) – Granted women the right to vote.

• Poll Tax – A fee required to vote, used to disenfranchise poor and Black voters in the South until banned by the Twenty-fourth Amendment.

• Preclearance – A provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 requiring certain states with a history of discrimination to get federal approval before changing voting laws. Struck down in Shelby County v. Holder (2013).

• Seventeenth Amendment (1913) – Allowed for the direct election of U.S. senators by voters instead of state legislatures, increasing democratic participation.

• Suffrage – The right to vote.

• Twenty-fourth Amendment (1964) – Banned poll taxes in federal elections.

• Twenty-sixth Amendment (1971) – Lowered the voting age to 18, allowing more young people to participate in elections.

• Twenty-third Amendment (1961) – Granted Washington, D.C. residents the right to vote in presidential elections by giving them electors in the Electoral College (but no representation in Congress).

• Voting Rights Act of 1965 – The most effective law for expanding Black voting rights. It banned literacy tests, placed federal oversight on states with low voter turnout, and required preclearance for voting law changes.

• White Primary – A discriminatory practice in Southern states where only white voters could participate in party primaries, effectively barring Black voters from influencing elections. Struck down in Smith v. Allwright (1944).

Voting Behavior Models (MPA-3.B.1)

• Electorate – The body of eligible voters in a country.

• Party Identification – A voter’s affiliation with a political party, often influencing their voting behavior.

• Party-Line Voting Model – When a voter consistently supports candidates from the same political party in all elections.

• Prospective Voting Model – When voters base their decisions on how they believe a candidate will perform in the future.

• Rational-Choice Voting Model – When a voter makes decisions based on which candidate best aligns with their personal interests or values.

• Retrospective Voting Model – When voters base their decisions on past performance of a candidate or political party.

[End of Notes]