Voting - Politics #1

Voting & Elections

Politics Notes #1

Open Ended

Who is eligible to vote in the U.S. today?

WHOISELIGIBLETOVOTEIN U.S.?

1.U.S. citizen
2.At least 18 years old

Multiple Choice

About what percent of people were eligible to vote in 1787?

• 0%

• 5%

• 20%

• 30%

WHO HAD SUFFRAGE IN 1787?

When the Constitution was
written, only white male
property owners (about
5-6% of population) were
eligible to vote

States were allowed to set
the time, place and manner
of elections - with their own
rules - and suffrage
expanded over time

Draw

What do you think of those early requirements?

Open Ended

List one voting restriction (besides being a white man) that you know has been removed

●1810 – last religious test eliminated
●1850 – property ownership & tax
requirements eliminated
●1855 – 1st literacy test (to discriminate
against Irish-Catholics)
●1870 – 15th Amendment passed
●1889 – poll taxes begin
●1890 – lots more states adopt literacy
tests– leads to Grandfather Clauses
●1913 – literacy tests ruled unconstitutional
●1920 – 19th Amendment passed
●1924 – all Native Americans get the vote
●1944 – “white primaries” outlawed
●1960 – “gerrymandering” outlawed
●1961 – 23rd Amendment passed
●1964 – 24th Amendment passed

Quick History of Voting Discrimination:

Poll

Do you think you could pass a literacy test?

• YES!

• No.

Multiple Choice

Who is the current Secretary of State?

• Anthony Blinken

• Thomas Jefferson

• Madeleine Albright

• Hilary Clinton

Multiple Choice

Who is the current Secretary of the Treasury?

• Alexander Hamilton

• Pete Buttigieg

• Janet Yellen

• Steve Mnuchin

Multiple Choice

What does habeas corpus mean?

• you can't pass a law making an act committed yesterday illegal today

• deliver the body

• martial law

• you can't be punished for the crime of your ancestors

Open Ended

A U.S. senator elected at the general election in November takes office the following year on what date?

LITERACY TEST

Until the 1960s, many states
required citizens to pass a
literacy test to qualify to vote

White voters had easy tests:
“write your name”

Black voters had difficult tests:
“explain a part of the
constitution”

Poll

What is the highest amount you would be willing to pay to vote?

• $0

• $10

• $20

• $50

POLL TAX

Another way to discourage
African Americans from voting
was the poll tax

Not only for current year, but
also for previous unpaid years

This excluded thousands of
African Americans.

THE VOTING RIGHTS ACTS

One key pillar of the Civil Rights movement
of the 1960s was to fight for voting laws that
would prohibit these types of discrimination.

These acts of Congress (in 1965, 1970,
1975 and 1982):

●Gave the federal govt power to
regulate state election procedures -
poll watchers, ability to register voters

●Literacy tests were abolished

●Required ballots be printed in other
languages when appropriate

Result: In 1960 only 29% of African
Americans in the South were registered to
vote. By 2000, 65% were registered!

Poll

What do you think about the current voting requirements?

• All good!

• Okay

• We could do better.

• They are terrible.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN IL?

1.Must be a U.S. Citizen
2.Must be at least 18 years of age by

election day*

3.Must have been a resident of the

precinct at least 30 days prior to
election day.

4.Not currently serving sentence for

felony

*EXCEPTION; For a General Primary
17 year olds may register and vote in
a General Primary if they will be 18 as
of the following General Election

Multiple Choice

What is the average voter participation in recent elections?

• 50%

• 60%

• 70%

• 80%

VOTER PARTICIPATION

●The percentage of voters in the
U.S. is low compared to other
democracies.

●Some reasons: complicated
registration process, number of
elections, voter ID laws

●Ideas to increase: move Election
Day from Tuesday to the
weekend, have a national
registration system, have polls
open longer, absentee ballots
easier to use

Open Ended

Give one idea that could help increase voter participation?

WHERE DO PEOPLE VOTE?

●Polling place within your precinct
●Polling places in Rochester?

When can you vote in IL?

●The polls are open from 6:00 am
to 7:00 pm

●But there is also Early Voting and
absentee ballots are available

Open Ended

What is your polling place?