1. Expansion
Requi rements
Making i t easier
Making i t harder
VOTING:
NOT JUST A REASON TO
CANCEL SCHOOL

2. SUFFRAGE: RIGHT TO VOTE
Who could vote in 1789?
This Guy!
-- about one in fif teen adult white males could vote in elections
-- today, 220 mi l lion Americans el igible to vote
Why did this number grow?
- El imination of restrictions
- Federal assumption of power over the right to vote

3. EXTENDING SUFFRAGE: FIVE STAGES
1 . E a r l y 1 8 0 0 ’ s
-- religious, property, and tax qualifications disappear
-- by mid-1800’s, almost all white males can vote
2. After Civil War
-- 15th Amendment (African-American suffrage)

4. EXTENDING SUFFRAGE: FIVE STAGES
3. 1920’s
-- 19th Amendment (Women’s
suffrage)
4. 1960’s
-- federal gov’t protects and
expands African-American suffrage
-- 23rd & 24th Amendments (DC
suffrage; elimination of poll tax)
5. 1970’s
-- 26th Amendment (voting age at
18)

5. WHO CAN VOTE?
Citizenship
Residence
-- must be a legal resident of the State you wish to vote in
Why do states have this requirement?
Age
-- states cannot set the age higher than 18
Should the age be pushed back to 21?
Why d o n’ t yo u ng p e o p le vote ?

6. VOTING REQUIREMENTS

7. REGISTRATION
-- you must register (sign up) before voting
Making i t Easier
-- “Moto r - Voter L aw”
register to vote at the DMV (MVA)
register by mai l
registration forms available at social service agencies
- - Same-Day Registration
some states al low registering on the day of
Should we make i t easier for people to vote?

9. YOUTH VOTE: WHERE DID IT GO?

10. WHY DON’T YOUNG PEOPLE VOTE IN
SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS?

11. WHY SHOULD YOUNG PEOPLE VOTE IN
HIGHER NUMBERS?

12. HOW WOULD YOU MOTIVATE YOUNG
PEOPLE TO VOTE?

13. WHAT REFORMS TO THE VOTING PROCESS COULD BE MADE
THAT MIGHT ENCOURAGE HIGHER VOTER TURNOUT AMONG
YOUNG PEOPLE?

14. LITERACY & TAX
-- l iteracy requirements created to prevent minorities from
voting ( Irish Cathol ic in the Nor th; African-Americans in the
South)
-- Congress outlawed
-- pol l tax created in late 1800s in the South to discourage
African-Americans from voting
-- outlawed by 24th Amendment (1964)
Voter ID Laws
-- some states require voters to
have ID on them when voting

15. WHO CAN’T VOTE?
-- people in mental institutions or found mental ly incompetent
-- 25% of states preclude anyone convicted of a serious crime
from ever regaining the right to vote
-- some states preclude those dishonorably discharged from the
mi l itary
Should ex-felons be al lowed to vote?

17. POINT -- COUNTERPOINT
Voter I .D. Laws
-- several states
have made laws
requiring voters to
show a picture ID
when voting
Should states be
able to require
photo ID to vote?