Voting Rights

The Basics

suffrage = the right to vote

franchise / disenfranchise = to give the right to vote / take it away

the electorate = the total potential voting age population

The Evolution of the Electorate

1790

Only white male adult property-owners can vote.

some states also limited minority religious groups

1810

Most states allowed all White Men 21 and older to vote

  • early voting was done in public - public declaration voting

1870

The 15th Amendment - Prohibited states from preventing voting based on race or color.

1920

The 19th Amendment - Prohibited states from preventing voting based on gender

1960s

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 banned racial discrimination … again

The 23rd Amendment gave DC the right to vote

The 24th Amendment banned poll taxes

1971

The 26th Amendment - Extended voting rights to citizens over the age of 18

Models of Voting Behavior

Rational Choice Voting

Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen’s individual interest

  • no philosophy, not ideological

  • transactional, voting to get what they want

Retrospective Voting

Voting to decide whether the party or candidate in power should be reelected based on the recent past.

Prospective Voting

Voting based on predictions of how a party of candidate will perform in the future.

  • mainly what you’ll see from candidates in campaigns, want to be associated with the hopeful and aspirational side of things

Party-Line Voting

Supporting a party by voting for candidates from one political party for all public offices at the same level of government.

  • vote for the party straight down the ballot

  • also called ticket splitting vote