Download The Constitution and the Right to Vote

The Right To Vote
Chapter 6 Section1
The Constitution and
the Right to Vote
The History of Voting
Rights
 In the early 1800s religious, propertyownership, and tax-payment qualifications
were removed, and almost all white males
could vote.
 After the Civil War, the 15th Amendment
removed racial barriers, though African
Americans remained largely disfranchised.
 In 1920 the 19th Amendment granted women
suffrage.
 In the 1960s Congress banned poll
taxes, passed the Voting Rights Act, and
granted the vote to residents of
Washington, D.C., all of which expanded
voting rights for African Americans.
 In 1971 the 26th Amendment granted
suffrage to 18-year-olds
Test Question
 Which of the following is NOT a long-term
trend marking the expansion of suffrage in the
United States?
a. removing restrictive requirements based on
religious belief
b. transferring more authority over suffrage to the
Federal Government
c. eliminating requirements based on sex and
race
d. adding requirements based on tax payment
The Power to Set Voting
Qualifications
 The Constitution reserves to the States
the right to set suffrage requirements, but
restricts the States’ use of that power.
 The restrictions prohibit the States form
withholding suffrage from groups
protected by the Constitution – African
Americans, women, and persons 18
years old and above.
 They also forbid the use of poll taxes
and require the States to allow all
persons qualified to vote for the lower
house of the State legislature to vote for
members of Congress.
Test Question
Today many States require that voters
a. be citizens of the United States and residents
of the State.
b. have lived in the State for a minimum of two
years before an election.
c. be familiar with the candidates and issues
before voting.
d. be native-born citizens of the United States.
Test Question
 In the past, States limited voting rights by
a. requiring voters to live in certain districts.
b. charging a poll tax.
c. eliminating the literacy test.
d. overruling grandfather clauses.
Voter Qualifications
Chapter 6 Section 2
Voter Qualifications
Among the States
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Citizenship and Residence
Citizenship
Aliens are generally not allowed to vote,
although it is not prohibited by the
Constitution.
Only one State constitution, that of
Minnesota, draws a distinction between
native-born and naturalized citizens.
Residence
 All States have residence requirements in
order to prevent election fraud and ensure
that citizens have had time to familiarize
themselves with relevant political issues
before voting.
 In 1972 the Supreme Court ruled that no
State can require a waiting period of longer
than 30 days.
 Almost all States deny the vote to transients
Age


The 26th Amendment sets 18 as the cap
on the minimum age for voting in any
election.
A growing number of States allow many
17-year-olds to cast ballots in primary
elections if they will turn 18 before the
general election.
Other Qualifications

Registration


States require voters to prove their identity
when they register to vote in order to avoid
election fraud.
There is a growing trend toward easing
voter registration laws, which discriminate
against the poor and less-educated.
Literacy


Literacy tests were used to ensure that
voters had the capacity to cast an
informed ballot, but they were also used
to discriminate against African
Americans.
As a result, Congress banned the use
of literacy tests in 1970.
Test Question
 Literacy tests worked to deny the vote to
African Americans primarily because
a. all white voters had higher literacy rates.
b. the test often included both reading and
writing.
c. no controls guaranteed voters’ tests were of
equal difficulty.
d. taking the test made potential voters nervous.
Tax Payment


Poll taxes were once common in the
South.
Congress and the Supreme Court
banned all taxes as a condition for
voting during the 1960s.
Who May Not Vote


In a democracy, suffrage must be
widely distributed.
Every State denies suffrage to those
who are mentally incompetent, and
most also disenfranchise those
convicted of serious crimes.
Test Question
 All of the following have been used to
keep African Americans from voting
EXCEPT
a. poll taxes.
b. literacy tests.
c. federal court orders.
d. threats and social pressures.