Voter
Qualifications
Qualifications
What are the universal requirements for voting in the United State?
1)American Citizenship
2)Legal State Residency
3) Age (minimum of 18 years old)
What was the purpose of the 15th Amendment?
To ensure that voting rights cannot be denied to a citizen because of race, color, or previous condition.
What is a non-voting voter?
A voter who votes in some elections, particularly national ones, but does not vote for local elections.
What is the overall purpose and importance of election law in the American political process?
To ensure fair elections, which are the foundation or democracy.
Briefly describe the role and importance of money in the election process.
Candidates require money to manage their campaigns and pay for advertising and other ways to get their messages to the public.
For what 2 reasons did States adopt residence requirements for voting?
1)To keep political machines from bribing outsiders
2)To ensure that all voters are familiar with the candidates and issues in an election.
List three ways that some southern States tried to circumvent the 15th Amendment?
By violence or social pressure, literacy tests and poll taxes, and gerrymandering.
How is the nonvoting voter phenomenon related to so-called "ballot fatigue"?
Voters usually fail to vote for local elections because they have lost patience and/or do not feel they have the knowledge to participate.
To what extent are the States involved in governing elections?
Most elections take place at the State level, therefore most election law is State law.
Identify five types of private donor to political campaigns.
Small contributors, individuals and families, candidates, nonparty groups and PACs, and temporary campaign organizations.
What is a literacy requirement for voting, and how was it used to deny suffrage to certain groups?
Literacy requirements mean that a voter must be able to read and write; they were used to keep various ethnic groups from voting.
To whom does the Civil Rights Commission report its findings?
It reports to Congress and the President and, through the media, to the public.
Describe three difference between voters and nonvoters.
Differences Include:
1) Income
2) education
3) occupation
4) community status
5) age
6) geography
7) party affiliation
To what extent is the Federal Government involved in governing elections?
It sets some of the basic rules governing elections
outline the limitations placed on individual and PAC contributions to federal candidates and political parties.
Individuals are limited to set amounts, not to exceed $25,000 per year. PACs have similar kinds of limitations and may not contribute over $15,000 a year to any one political party.
What is a grandfather clause, and what was its purpose in literacy tests?
Grandfather clauses were intended to allow white males to vote who otherwise would have been restricted by the poll taxes or other requirements meant to keep African Americans from voting.
How did Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s voter registration drive affect the passage of national civil rights legislation?
The drive met with violence by local whites, including police; when the nation saw this violence on television, Congress moved quickly to pass new legislation.
Explain how income, education, and age usually affect party affiliation.
Those who vote Democratic are typically younger, with lower incomes, and with less education than those who vote Republican.
Describe the basic difference between the office-group ballot and the party-column ballot.
In the office-group ballot, candidates for an office are grouped together by office; in a party-column ballot, candidates are listed by party.
How does a candidate for President qualify for public funding?
They must raise at least $100,000 from individuals, in at least 20 states, in donations of not more the $250.
How did Congress require States to ease their registration requirements in 1993?
It passed the Motor Voter Law.
Explain two key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Explain how party identification develops, and how it affects the way individuals vote.
It develops as a result of social and psychological factors; it usually predicts how people will vote, through recently it has lost some impact.
Describe recent technological advances and changes that make it easier for Americans to vote.
Voting machines are fast and accurate; online voting is convenient.
What was the major purpose of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002?
To limit the use of soft money in political campaigns.