History of Voting 1789 to 1971 Americans rank

History of Voting 1789 to 1971 “Americans rank voting as one of the essential obligations of citizenship” (Patterson 2005)

History of Voting • 1789 – First Federal Election only white, male landowners • 1804 – 12 th Amendment election of President & Vice President revised Electoral College

History of Voting • 1810 -1852 Elimination of property requirement adopted gradually by the states Question: why was the electoral college added to the Constitution before this requirement took place? • 1848 -1920 Women’s Suffrage Movement Question: why were women more visible?

History of Voting (cont) • 1868 – 14 th Amendment Civil rights & citizenship as a determinant of voting Applies mostly to naturalized citizens • 1870 – 15 th Amendment Suffrage for all – the vote

History of Voting (cont) • 1870 s – the Supreme Court rules in a series of decisions that “the 15 th Amendment did not give the right to vote to everybody, it merely meant that if someone was denied the right to vote it could not be explicitly be based on race” • 1877 – Voting Restrictions 1) literacy tests – be able to read & write 2) poll tax – a fee to vote 3) grandfather clause

History of Voting (cont) • 1890 – Australian Secret Ballot To prevent influence at the polls • 1913 – 17 th Amendment Direct election of senators by constituents in the state • 1920 – 19 th Amendment Women’s vote

History of Voting (cont) • 1933 – 20 th Amendment Terms of office for Congressmen • 1951 – 22 nd Amendment two term limit for the President (because of FDR)

History of Voting (cont) • 1961 – District of Columbia can vote • 1964 – 24 th Amendment The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Outlawed discrimination with regard to voting rights; registration requirements declared unfair & discriminatory; overrode the 1870 amendment (94 years later!!!)

History of Voting (Cont) • 1965 – Voting Rights Act • 1971 – 26 th Amendment 18 year olds can vote result of the draft (Viet Nam War)

The History of Voting (cont) • Where does the right to vote come from? The Constitution • Who determines the qualifications for registering to vote? States – in 1900 registration began as a way of preventing voters from casting more than one ballot during an election

History of Voting (cont) • Registration requirements – an individual responsibility Varies from state to state 1) U. S. citizen (natural or naturalized) 2) residency 3) age requirement

History of Voting • Can everyone vote? No – illegal aliens, underage citizens, prisoners, polygamists, nonresidents of a state, mentally handicapped, unregistered, dishonorably discharged from military Note: only one state specifically says that aliens cannot vote!!! MONTANA

History of Voting (Cont) • What circumstances would prevent someone from voting that is otherwise qualified to vote? Travel, homelessness, college, hospitalized, physical limitations, in the military (out of state or overseas), religious or other beliefs Note: under certain circumstances you can apply for an absentee ballot college students, the hospitalized, military personnel