Participation Rules in American Elections: Suffrage, Voter Registration, and Ballot Laws: Participation Rules in American Elections: Suffrage, Voter Registration, and Ballot Laws


Agenda: Agenda Suffrage Voter registration Ballot laws


Rules on voter participation : Rules on voter participation Three types of rules matter for voter participation. suffrage registration balloting Historical overview Importance


Suffrage: Suffrage “The franchise” Declaration of Independence “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” sets the standard


Suffrage: Suffrage Voter eligibility Constitution Doctrine of dual citizenship The initial franchise


The expansion of suffrage: The expansion of suffrage Expansion to most white males (1800s) Constitutional expansions Fifteenth Amendment (1868) Nineteenth Amendment (1920) Twenty Fourth Amendment (1962) Twenty Sixth Amendment (1971)


Why does suffrage expand?: Why does suffrage expand? Class thoughts Reasons and examples political mobilization social movement cultural values


Voter Registration: Voter Registration State power was used to hamper voting rights official discrimination unofficial discrimination Side note: sometimes used to EXPAND


Literacy Tests: Literacy Tests Arguments for a literacy test Two ways that it hampered voting by blacks


Slide10: Every American citizen must have an equal right to vote. Yet the harsh fact is that in many places in this country men and women are kept from voting simply because they are Negroes. Every device of which human ingenuity is capable has been used to deny this rights. The Negro citizen may go to register only to be told that the day is wrong, or the hour is late, or the official in charge is late, or the official in charge is absent. And if he persists and he manages to present himself to register, he may be disqualified because he did not spell out his middle name or because he abbreviated a word on his application. And if he manages to fill out an application he is given a test. The register is the sole judge of whether he passes his test. He may be asked to recite the entire constitution, or explain the most complex provisions of state laws. And even a college degree cannot be used to prove that he can read and write. For the fact is that the only way to pass these barriers is to show a white skin. This bill will strike down restrictions to voting in all elections - federal, State, and local - which have been used to deny Negroes the right to vote. President Lyndon Baines Johnson Source: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAvoting65.htm


Slide11: Source: Adapted from http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting/intro/intro_c.htm


Voter Registration : Voter Registration Tools of voter discrimination white primaries poll taxes literacy tests administration intimidation Not aimed solely at blacks


Voter Registration: Voter Registration National government re-action Voting Rights Act of 1965 More information at: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting/intro/intro_b.htm


Slide14: Voter Registration Rates (1965 vs. 1988) March 1965 November 1988 Black White Gap Black White Gap Alabama 19.3 69.2 49.9 68.4 75.0 6.6 Georgia 27.4 62.6 35.2 56.8 63.9 7.1 Louisiana 31.6 80.5 48.9 77.1 75.1 -2.0 Mississippi 6.7 69.9 63.2 74.2 80.5 6.3 North Carolina 46.8 96.8 50.0 58.2 65.6 7.4 South Carolina 37.3 75.7 38.4 56.7 61.8 5.1 Virginia 38.3 61.1 22.8 63.8 68.5 4.7 Source: Adapted from http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting/intro/intro_c.htm


Voter Registration Today: Voter Registration Today Differences still exist among the states where when impact unclear


Slide16: Alabama -U.S. citizen -Alabama citizen -Not a felon or mentally incompetent -Swear or affirm ….. Illinois -U.S. citizen -Illinois citizen for @ least 30 days -Not a felon -Not claim the right to vote anywhere else. Oregon -U.S. citizen -Oregon resident -18 years of age Minnesota -U.S. citizen -MN resident for 20 days b/f election -Not a felon or legally incompetent


Voter Registration Today: Voter Registration Today National government still very involved in influencing voter registration. Supreme Court National Voter Registration Act Help America Vote Act


Ballot Laws: Ballot Laws Extremely important in 2000 election Types of ballot laws: candidate access ballot privacy how ballot can be cast absentee


Important Changes in Ballot Laws: Important Changes in Ballot Laws Overview Important reforms progressive reforms (Australian ballot, secret ballot) opening of candidate access


Casting Ballots: Casting Ballots Source: http://www.fec.gov/pages/electpg.htm


Ballot Laws: Ballot Laws Help America Vote Act of 2002 basic requirements main effects money for improving administration money for changing technology minimum standards for technology