Voters and Voter Behavior
Ch. 6 Notes
Some Terms
• Suffrage and Franchise – Same meaning, the
right to vote.
• Disenfranchised – Those who do not have the
right to vote or whose right to vote is being
denied.
• Electorate – The potential voting population;
The total population who have the
qualifications and the right to vote.
Voting Qualifications
• Citizenship
– Must be a citizen of the US.
– States could allow “aliens” to vote but none do so
currently.
– “Naturalized Citizens” could face State restrictions,
but that is rare.
• Residency
– Must be a legal resident in the state in which you
intend to vote.
– Domicile – location of PRIMARY residence.
– Must live in the state for a certain length of time
prior to voting.
Voting Age
• The age requirement is 18 for national
elections.
• States have the reserved right to set age
requirements in state or local elections; very
rare instances.
• Primary elections are usually the only
exceptions.
Registration
• Registration is the process of voter
identification used to prevent voter fraud.
• Without careful registration records, ineligible
votes might take place, some may try to vote
more than once or vote in multiple places.
The Disenfranchised
• Historically, many groups of people!
Examples??
• Non-citizens.
• Persons committed to mental institutions and
the mentally disabled.
• Convicted felons, for varying lengths of time
depending on the states.
Gerrymandering
• Gerrymandering
– The practice of drawing the boundaries of voting
districts in order to limit the voting power of
particular parties or groups.
Voting Laws
• End voter discrimination.
• Federal Government given greater powers to
enforce voter laws. Power taken out of the hands
of the states.
• Force States to allow “open” voter registration
without fear of intimidation or violence.
• End literacy tests as qualification for voter
registration.
• End “poll taxes” – pay to vote rules. Ended by the
24th amendment.
• Essentially, put an end to Jim Crowism!
Voting in 2008
• About 60% of the electorate actually voted.
• That number is a little higher than average for
the past 40+ years.
• Why a higher number in 2008?
Ballot Fatigue
• Non-voting increases as the voter gets further
down the ballot.
• Running out of time, patience or knowledge
about the candidates or the offices they seek
to fill.
Cannot Voters
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Resident Aliens
**Too sick or disabled.
**Traveling
Mental Health
Imprisonment
Religious beliefs
Military dishonorable discharge.
** = There are solutions for these problems.
Voter Apathy
• Discusses already
Voter Turnout (participation)
1968-2008
• Participation declined from 1968-1992.
• 1992 only a brief increase. Any ideas why a
brief increase?
• Decline again 1992-2004.
• Increasing from 2004-Present. Any ideas why
an increase?
Gender and Age
• Democrats are more likely to be hurt by low
voter turnout among voters 18-30.
• Young voters tend to vote for Democrats,
therefore young voters who do not vote tend
to hurt Democratic candidates.
• The same is typically true among female
voters.
Split-Ticket Voting
• Split-Ticket Voting is the practice of voting for
candidates in more than one political party.
– Example, Dem. Candidate for Pres. but Republican
candidates for US Senate or Governor.
– Split-Ticket voting is increasing in popularity as
voters have less loyalty to any one party.
• Straight-Ticket Voting, therefore, is the
practice of voting for all candidates from any
one party.
Independents and their effect on
Parties.
• Voters who have no party affiliation. No
particular loyalty to any one party.
• The two major parties have become
increasingly similar in that they focus on the
same issues.
• As voters become increasingly fed up with
partisanship, they tend to think for
themselves, not what the party tells them.
• The parties will have to change strategies to
win the vote of the independents.
That’s All for Now!!