AP Government Ch. 6

Motor-Voter Law

A bill that made it easier for Americans to register to vote. For example, the law requires states to allow voter registration by mail, when one applies for a driver's license, and at state offices that serve the disabled or poor. Even thought that 630,000 new voters signed up in twenty-seven states, only 49% of the eligable voters went to the polls.

Grandfather Clause

A clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867. Similar to the Literacy Tests, these were passed in attempt to prevent African Americans from voting.

Australlian Ballot

A government printed ballot of uniform dimensions that many states adopted around 1890 to reduce voting fraud associated with party printed ballots cast in public. This reduced voting fraud by casting the ballots in secret.

Poll Tax

A tax of a fixed amount per person and payable as a requirement for the right to vote. After the ability to vote was extended to all races by the enactment of the Fifteenth Amendment, many Southern states enacted poll tax laws as a means of restricting eligible voters. The law was then declared unconstitutional in the 24th Amendment

Literacy Test

A test given to a person to prove they can read and write before being allowed to register to vote. For example, a common test was to require African Americans to recite the entire U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence from memory. This was established by most states to prevent African Americans from voting.

Voting-Age Population

Citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement of 18 years. Even though they are eligable to vote, they must complete a registration form in advance in order to vote legally.

Registered Voters

People who are registered to vote in presidential or congressional elections. For example, today those who are over the age of 18 and have completed a registration form are eligable to vote. These standards were adopted in the Voting Rights Act of 1960 and 1970.

Voting Rights Act of 1970

The act that gave eighteen-year-olds the right to vote in federal election,It also contained a provision lowering the voting age to eighteen in state elections, but the Supream Court later declared this unconstitutional. Even though 25 million people were now eligable to vote, the turnout (42%) was still less than the population itself.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

The act that suspended the use of literacy tests. It also Assigned penalties for interfering with voting, and authorized appointment of federal examiners. This lead to a sharp increase of African American Voting in the South.

26th Amendment

The amendment that was propsed by Congress an ratafied by states lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years of age. This allowed many teens to be instantly eligable for voting, but the voter turnout would still be smaller than the popuation as a whole.

15th Amendment

The amendment which citizens cannot be denied the right to vote because of race, color , or precious condition of servitude. In 1870 though, Supreme Court interperated the amendment that it merely asserted that if someone was denied that right, the denial could not be explicitly on the grounds of race.

Voter Apathy

The lack of interest among the citizens in participating in elections. For example, the reason that there's a decrease in political participation in presidential elections is that people are losing interest in the parties and canidates, and that they feel unsignificant in the race. Voter apathy is often cited as a cause of low turnout among eligible voters.

Disenfranchisement

The removal of voting rights or other rights of citizenship, either temporarily or permanently, through economic, political, or legal means. For example, the poll tax, literacy tests, and Grandfather Clause were examples of preventing African Americans to vote. This occurs in order to purposely prevent or remove the right of voting, and in result lead to the 23rd Amendment.

Sufferage

The right to vote gained by the democratic process. The African American, Women, and 18 year-olds Sufferages are examples in which lead to extension of voting rights of all citizens. The 15th and 19th Amendments were adopted due to these.

19th Amendment

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1920) that extended the right to vote to women in federal or state elections. Following the Nineteenth Amendment's adoption, many legislators feared that a powerful women's bloc would emerge in American politics. This led to the passage of such laws as the Sheppard-Towner Act of 1921, which expanded maternity care during the 1920s.

24th Amendment

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1964) eliminated the poll tax as a prerequisite to vote in national elections. For example, in Section 1 it states that the right of citizens to vote "shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax".

17th Amendment

Amendment to the United States Constitution guaranteed the direct election of Senators by the voters. The Amendment changed the partisan outcomes of the states, and that it also altered the process for filling vacancies.