5.1 Voting Rights and Models of Voting Behavior

Introduction to Unit $5$ of AP Government Curriculum

• Focus: This unit examines the methods and patterns of citizen participation in the American political system, primarily focusing on how the right to vote has expanded and the factors that influence how voters make decisions.

Voting Rights and the Constitutional Framework

Franchise and Suffrage

• Franchise/Suffrage: Both terms refer to the legal right to vote.

• Disenfranchisement: The revocation or obstruction of the right to vote for specific groups.

Article $1$, Section $4$: The Elections Clause

• Text Interpretation: "The times, places, and manner of holding elections for senators and representatives shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations…"

• Division of Power:

  • State Power: Under the principle of federalism, states are the primary administrators of elections. They control voter registration requirements, the location of polling places, and the design of ballots.

  • Federal Power: Congress serves as a supervisor. It can intervene to ensure fairness or uniformity. For example, federal laws like the Voting Rights Act of $1965$ or the National Voter Registration Act of $1993$ (Motor Voter Law) utilize this clause to regulate how states manage elections.

• Implicit Eligibility: Because the Constitution originally left the "manner" to states, it implicitly allowed states to set property, religious, or gender requirements for voting, as seen in early American history.

Historical Context of Voting Rights

The Property Requirement ($1789$)

• Originally, the franchise was limited to white, male, property-owning taxpayers.

• Rationale: The Founders often feared "mob rule" or the "excesses of democracy." They believed only those with a permanent stake in the community (property) possessed the requisite independence and judgment to vote in the public interest.

Jacksonian Democracy ($1830s$)

• Under President Andrew Jackson, there was a significant push toward universal white male suffrage.

• Property requirements were gradually abolished across states, particularly in the West, where frontier life promoted a more egalitarian view of citizenship.

Constitutional Amendments Expanding the Franchise

$15^{th}$ Amendment ($1870$)

• Purpose: Prohibited the denial of the right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude."

• Historical Reality: While it granted de jure (legal) rights to black men, many states (particularly in the South) implemented de facto barriers such as literacy tests, grandfather clauses, and white primaries to bypass the amendment.

$17^{th}$ Amendment ($1913$)

• Purpose: Established the direct election of U.S. Senators by the people of the states.

• Previous System: Senators were formerly chosen by state legislatures (Article $1$, Section $3$). This change shifted power toward the electorate and away from political bosses and state elites.

$19^{th}$ Amendment ($1920$)

• Purpose: Guaranteed that the right of citizens to vote shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex.

• Context: This was the culmination of decades of advocacy by the women\u2019s suffrage movement (e.g., Seneca Falls Convention, activists like Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul).

$24^{th}$ Amendment ($1964$)

• Purpose: Abolished the use of poll taxes in federal elections.

• Impact: Poll taxes were a common Jim Crow era tactic used to disenfranchise low-income African Americans and poor whites. This amendment removed the financial barrier to the ballot box.

$26^{th}$ Amendment ($1971$)

• Purpose: Lowered the minimum voting age from $21$ to $18$.

• Context: Driven by the Vietnam War. Activists argued that if young men were "old enough to fight" at $18$, they were certainly "old enough to vote" for the leaders sending them to war.

Modern Barriers and Policies

1. Voter Identification Laws: Some states require specific forms of government-issued photo ID to vote, which critics argue disproportionately affects minority and low-income voters.

2. Felon Disenfranchisement: Each state has different policies; some permanently bar convicted felons from voting, while others restore rights after parole or completion of their sentence.

3. Gerrymandering: While not a barrier to the act of voting, the drawing of district lines can dilute the impact of an individual's vote.

Models of Voting Behavior

$1$. Rational Choice Voting

• Voters act as "consumers" of politics, choosing the candidate whose platform provides the most personal benefit or aligns best with their logical self-interest.

$2$. Retrospective Voting

• A "look-back" approach. Voters decide based on whether the incumbent party has made their lives better or worse during their term in office.

$3$. Prospective Voting

• A "look-forward" approach. Voters choose based on campaign promises and how they anticipate a candidate's future policies will impact society.

$4$. Party-Line Voting

• Voters rely on their partisan identification as a psychological "shorthand" or cue. They consistently vote for all candidates of their preferred party (straight-ticket voting).

5. Straight Ticket Voting

Voting for candidates only from the same party for all the various public offices on the ballot. This type of voter doesnt need to know much beyond part allignment e.g democrat or republican only.