Chapter 18

1. Chapter 18 Voting and Elections

2. The Early Years In most of the thirteen colonies, only adult white males that owned land (usually at least 50 acres) could vote.

3. The African American Vote The 15th Amendment was passed in 1870, five years after the end of the Civil War. The Amendment states, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied … on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.”

4. The 15th Amendment said that former slaves could not be turned away from the polls due to the color of their skin or the fact that they had been slaves. The African American Vote We will see that this rule wasn’t always followed…

5. The Women’s Vote Women gained voting rights after a long hard fight. Wyoming gave women the vote in 1869, but it took the work of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and many others to get the job done!

6. The Women’s Vote The 19th Amendment said, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied … on account of sex.” Women won the right to vote in August of 1920!

7. Even after the Civil War, many people in the South did not want African Americans to have the same rights as white Americans. This included the right to vote or hold office. Voting is a Civil Right! Some states and counties passed laws that made voting almost impossible!

8. Limited opportunities to register to vote • Arrest and beatings by police • Threats of violence toward voter’s family and home • Personal information shared with groups like the KKK and employers • Unfair tests at the polls Barriers to the African American Vote States and individual counties used many different methods to prevent African Americans from voting.

9. This poll test asks voters to correctly guess the number of cotton balls in a jar before they are allowed to vote. ? ? ? Other tests asked voters to guess the number of bubbles in a bar of soap!

10. Theliteracy test was one type of poll test that was given in some locations. Voters were tested on their reading skills. Like with the other tests, white voters always passed while African American voters usually failed.

11. Voting Requirements in the South 1) Read a section of the Constitution out loud. 2) Tell what the section says in your own words. 3) Write out another section of the Constitution. 4) Answer eight questions on the Constitution. Voters who could not prove a 5th grade education had to: 1) Complete a 30 question test 2) Finish the test in 10 minutes! Many African Americans in these states lacked a quality education, and the tests were meant to exclude blacks from the voting process.

12. Alabama Literacy Test Examples of Literacy Tests Louisiana Literacy Test

13. The Grandfather Clause stated that you only had the right to vote if your grandfather also had the right to vote.

14. The Poll Tax required voters to pay for the ability to vote. Most Southern African Americans were poor sharecroppers that were heavily in debt to landowners. $1.50 1932 = $23.00 Today

15. The Civil Rights Movement The marches, speeches, sit-ins, freedom rides and activities all added up to what we know as the Civil Rights Movement. Over time, more and more people demanded civil rights for all Americans.

16. Voting Laws Change Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. President Lyndon B. Johnson The 24th Amendment was added to the Constitution in 1964. It banned the use of poll taxes in elections. Can you name two people in this image?

17. Voting Laws Change The Voting Rights Act was signed by President Johnson in 1965. • This law: • protected the right to vote for all citizens • forced the states to obey the Constitution • reinforced the 15th Amendment.

18. Changing the Voting Age In the 1960s and 1970s thousands of young men were drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. Many were too young to vote.

19. Changing the Voting Age The 26th Amendment was passed in 1971. It says, “The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied… on account of age.” Supporters of this amendment chanted, “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote!”

20. Sample Voter Info Card

21. Why Vote? • You Can Decide • You have a voice, so use it and don’t let other people decide for you. • Its Your Right • People have fought hard their whole lives to vote, and some countries still cant. Don’t take the right for granted. • Representation • Want politicians in office who represent your needs and concerns? Then vote.

22. Factors that Decrease Voter Turnout • Voter Registration Laws • Burden of Registration • Voter Apathy • Frequent Elections, Long Ballot • Election Days • State Laws • Long Lines • Satisfaction Why Vote…it really doesn’t matter!

23. How do you decide who is the best candidate… • The purpose of campaigns is to convince the public to vote for a particular candidate.

24. PROPAGANDA • techniques used to influence opinions, emotions, attitudes or behavior.

25. Propaganda Techniques • Bandwagon- urging voters to support a candidate because everyone else is • Testimonial- having a well-known or highly regarded person urge voters for their support • Labeling- identifying candidates with negative terms such as “un-American” • Common Man-(plain folks) an attempt to convince the audience that the candidate’s position reflects the common sense of the people • Appeal to authority-citing a prominent figure to support an idea or candidate

26. Propaganda Techniques (cont) • Transfer-associating a positive or negative symbol with a candidate to make the candidate more acceptable or to discredit the candidate • Appeal to fear- attempts to build support by instilling panic in the population • Black and white- presenting only two choices, with the desired selection presented as the only reasonable one to make • Card stacking- giving only one side of the facts to support a position • Glittering generality- an unsupported statement that makes a candidate look good or virtuous

27. Who Can Vote? • The right to vote is one of the fundamental rights of citizens in a democratic society. Voting is a basic political right of all U.S. citizens who meet certain qualifications set by law. • In order to vote in U.S. elections you must be • 18 years old • Resident of the state you’re voting in • Citizen of the U.S. • Registered to vote

28. Registering to Vote • Registration requirements are set by state law and differ from state to state. • When you register to vote for the first time, you must show proof of citizenship, address, and age.

29. Where Do I Vote? • Precincts • Each address is assigned to a specific precinct number • Each precinct has specific locations where its residents go to vote (polling stations)

30. Voting Methods • Paper Ballot • Electronic Voting • Mechanical Machine Opti-Scan Voting Machine

31. Financing a Campaign • Legislation and judicial decisions have established rules for financing political campaigns. • Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1971: • Required public disclosure of candidates’ spending • Limited amount of hard money donated directly to a candidate or party • Tried to limit campaign spending

32. Financing a Campaign • Private funding from various sources: • Individual citizens • Corporations • Labor unions • Interest groups • Political action committees (PACs) • 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act): • Set limits on who could raise soft money • Set time restrictions on campaign ads • Set new limits on hard money contributions

33. Activity Divide into groups and create a timeline of voting rights. • Include: • The year • The Amendment Number • A summary of the Amendment • The group impacted* • An illustration of the Amendment