Pols 3612 Updated Midterm

bandwagon effect

"Copy-cat" behavior. People often do things just because other people do them. In primary elections, it is when people support the candidate everyone else seems to be supporting (poll leaders). Leads to Primary Frontloading (states want to have the most impact in the primary process)

What is felony disenfranchisement? How widespread is it? What has been its impact on various groups' voting rights?

- Felony disenfranchisement is the concept that if you are convicted of a felony you are ineligible to vote, and it is incredibly difficult to get back on the voter roll after one has done their time. This is used aggressively against minority groups. As of 2016, an estimated 6.1 million Americans, or one in forty adults, have currently or permanently lost their voting rights as a result of a felony conviction. 2.1 million disenfranchised persons are ex offenders who have completed their sentences. AA men are particularly affected - in states that disenfranchise ex offenders, as many as 40% of black men may permanently loose their right to vote.

The Dorr War

- In 1841 RI restricted suffrage to landowners and their eldest sons. Thomas Dorr organized a convention and drafted a new constitution that granted the right to vote to all white men with one year of residence. The state's General Assembly formed q rival convention and drafted the Freemen's Constitution. Both groups lead to Door and Samuel King being voted as governor. The king declared martial law and the Dorrites led an unsuccessful attack against the arsenal in Providence in 1842. The governor pardoned Dorr who was imprisoned and adopted a new constitution in 1843 which extended the vote to all tax paying native born adult males including AAs.

What were methods used to disenfranchise African Americans? Why were they permitted?

- Jim Crow laws in the south, which were permitted because African Americans were more likely to vote Democrat, which the Republican south did not want. They also had deep prejudice and resentment over the Civil War. When this was outlawed, criminal disenfranchisement became popular, in which AAs were arrested for crimes that were questionable and then named felons so they would be unable to vote. Mass incarceration in this country. Database matching rules play a role here as well.

Why do states maintain voter registration databases? How are names added or purged from these databases? What dangers does database maintenance pose to eligible voters? What groups are most adversely affected?

- States maintain voter registration databased to keep them accurate (in theory) so that no one who is ineligible to vote can vote, as well as clearing it for people who have died. Many names are purged when the databased are cleaned, including those who are eligible to vote but just subject to broad matching criteria. This means that many eligible voters show up to election day and are only given a provisional ballot (which may not be counted) because they may have the same criteria as a felon or deceased person. This happens disproportionately to minority communities, because these communities are targeted more by law enforcement, meaning that more become felons. These different cultures often have similar names/styles of names, and when voter rolls are purged a large portion of those communities get wiped and their votes in effect become lost.

What was the 15th Amendment? How did the 1876 election and its resolution undermine its effectiveness?

- The 15th Amendment gave former slaves (AAs) the ring to vote and protects the voting rights of adult male citizens of any race. The 1876 election undermined this however by invoking literacy tests to oppress black voters.

What was the 26th Amendment? Why was it passed? What were the consequences?

- The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18 years of age. It was passed due to the large amount of young people serving (and dying) in the Vietnam war, and people believed that if you are old enough to die you are old enough to vote. - Young people don't really vote though. Another consequence was the lowering of age for other institutions.

What is the McGovern-Frasier Commission? What is the Delegates and Organization Committee? What were their recommendations?

- The McGovern-Fraser Commission is a party committee approved by the 1968 Democratic convention intended to examine the current rules regarding how we pick the party's nominees and make recommendations designed to broaden participation. The Delegates and Organization Committee is the Republican version that works a little differently; they set it up for the 1972 election and their recommendations included1) ensuring an equal number of male and female delegates in each state convention. 2) Diversity in general 3) Establishing a quota for delegates under 25 years of age 4) Maintaining a required level of minority membership on the four standing committees of the national conventions.

What are four new threats to eligible voters?

-Restricting voter registration -list of all those eligible to vote in a particular area is a voter roll -Voter ID and proof of citizenship -Voting machine security

What were African American voting rights prior to and after the Civil War? What was responsible for the shift?

-completely depended on the state beforehand -● SO slavery is abolished in 1865. Five years later, AA men have the right to vote.

Bush v. Gore

5-4 Supreme Court declared that Florida vote recount violated equal protection clause (some votes would be examined more closely than others); ended Gore's challenge to 2000 election results. Power of judicial review (effectively decided 2000 election). If the same state sends multiple returns to Congress, then whichever return has been certified by the executive of the state is counted, unless both houses of Congress decide otherwise. **** This means if there are two competing ballots the governor of the state gets to authorize one as being the final result from the state. This matters because.... The interpretation of this act was the subject of controversy in Bush v. Gore. In this election the supreme court says what the governor of florida says about the final tally is what goes. Hey but the governor is the candidates brother(Jeb Bush)! This is the problem with the electoral system.

Compromise of 1820

A line dividing the north and the south where slavery was prohibited and allowed, respectively.

Dredscott v. Sanford

AAs are property, not citizens the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that African born slaves (or their descendents) were not citizens of the U.S. (and could not become citizens) & that Congress could not restrict slavery in any federal territory. US Supreme Court observed that blacks "had no rights which a white man was bound to respect; and that the Negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery for his benefit." Key pivotal case in american history because it is argued that this is in fact the first battle of the civil war because it lays groundwork. Supreme court rules that AA slaves OR THEIR DESCENDANTS are not citizens of the US and CANNOT become citizens now or in the future and that congress cannot say any territory is non slave. AAs have no rights at all. Beginning of century old argument that AAs are inferior to whites in different ways. Rooted here - slavery is a blessing, not a curse Tensions are finally starting to bubble

The Voting Wars

In 2000, just a few hundred votes out of millions cast in the state of Florida separated Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush from his Democratic opponent, Al Gore. The outcome of the election rested on Florida's 25 electoral votes, and legal wrangling continued for 36 days. Then, abruptly, one of the most controversial Supreme Court decisions in U.S. history, Bush v. Gore, cut short the battle. Since the Florida debacle we have witnessed a partisan war over election rules. Election litigation has skyrocketed, and election time brings out inevitable accusations by political partisans of voter fraud and voter suppression. These allegations have shaken public confidence, as campaigns deploy "armies of lawyers" and the partisan press revs up when elections are expected to be close and the stakes are high.

The Right to Vote

In a democratic society, it is the citizens' responsibility to vote in elections; the vote of a street cleaner counts just as much as the vote of a millionaire. The right to vote is the right to determine who governs. For many years, however, large numbers of Americans were denied this basic right. Today, even with all the formal restrictions against voting eliminated, a significant percentage of Americans choose not to cast their ballots. Voter participation has generally declined since 1960. The term suffrage, or franchise, means the right to vote. Under the Constitution, residency requirements and other qualifications for voting were set by the states. In the late 18th century, it was widely held that only the best-educated men of substance were capable of making the correct voting decisions; therefore, the right to vote was limited to white male property owners. Poor white men, women, and slaves were excluded. Universal manhood suffrage The first breakthrough in the crusade to end voting restrictions took place in the 1820s and 1830s, when many states revised and liberalized their constitutions. During this period, often called the "Age of the Common Man" or the "Age of Jackson," property qualifications and religious tests that denied the right to vote to Catholics and Jews were removed in some states. Universal manhood suffrage is a little misleading, because the franchise was denied to African Americans almost everywhere. Expansion by amendment The right to vote was extended through the amendment process. Under the Fifteenth Amendment (1870), a person could not be denied the right to vote because of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." In theory, this applied to all African Americans and former slaves. The long campaign for women's suffrage, which began in the 19th century with such leaders as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, culminated in the Nineteenth Amendment (1920). The only state that gave 18-year-olds the right to vote was Georgia; all other states set the age at 21. During the Vietnam War, the sentiment grew that if 18-year-olds were old enough to die for their country, they were old enough to vote. The Twenty-sixth Amendment (1971) lowered the voting age to 18.

Thomas Pinckney

Negotiated the 1795 treaty with Spain that provided for free navigation of the Mississippi River.

23rd Amendment

The 23rd amendment, adopted in 1961, provided Electoral College representation for DC. Given minimum amount of votes (3).

The Electoral Commission

The Presidential Election of 1876 In the 1876 presidential election, NY's Samuel Tilden (D) defeated Ohio's Rutherford Hayes (R) in the popular vote (52% - 48%), and had 184 electoral votes to Hayes' 165, with 20 votes yet uncounted. At the end of war, economy goes into crapper in early 1870s. Those in power get blamed and the public wants to remove them from power. For the first time since 1860, we have a competitive presidential election and both parties are very clever and sly in who they nominate. The democrats nominate a new yorker, Samuel Tilden, a popular governor. The Republicans nominate an even more popular guy Rutherford Hayes. Democrats strategically nominate a northerner. Republicans are nervous. Samuel Tilden cruches Rutherford B Hayes in the popular vote, winning 52%. But that's not how we elect presidents, electoral college. You need 185 electoral college votes to become president. Samuel Tilden get to 184. Rutherford gets wind that things aren't going well and he's not having it, measures are taken. These 20 electoral votes were in dispute: in three states (Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina) each party reported its candidate had won the state. Facing a constitutional crisis the likes of which the nation had never seen, Congress passed a law forming the Electoral Commission to settle the result. In summary, competing political parties with competing sets of results to DC, and at the time there was no answer to how to solve this. The Electoral Commission Oversees the resolution of this presidential election. We are going to go for months trying to resolve this. The Commission consisted of 15 members: 5 representatives, 5 senators, and 5 Supreme Court Justices - 8 were Republicans, while 7 were Democrats. Obvious disadvantage. The Commission ultimately voted along party lines to award all twenty disputed votes to Hayes, thus assuring his victory in the Electoral College by a margin of 185-184. They give all of the electoral college votes to Republican. The votes were ultimately awarded to Hayes after a bitter electoral dispute. Electoral commission recognizes that if we give election to Republicans, this could lead to a sequel to the civil war. Many historians believe that an informal deal (aka the Compromise of 1877) was struck to resolve the dispute. In return for Southern acquiescence in Hayes' election, the Republicans agreed to withdraw federal troops from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction. This sets in motion states efforts to basically strengthen local municipalities and their ability to manage electoral laws. Republicans go to Dems and strike a deal. They say let us have this and we will let you guys handle the reconstruction without any federal interaction (taking marital law out, etc) They are once again awarded autonomy over their local regions, and this ends a big mess. THERE IS NO WAY REPUBLICANS ACTUALLY WON. It doesn't make any sense when you look at map.

front loading

The recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention.

National Voter Registration Act of 1993

this act passed in 1993 and frequently called the "Motor Vehicle Act" is a piece of legislation that includes a provision that makes it possible to register to vote when applying for or renewing your drivers license.

Selma

• In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) accepts his Nobel Peace Prize. Four black girls walking down stairs in the Birmingham, Alabama 16th Street Baptist Church are killed by a bomb set by the Ku Klux Klan. Annie Lee Cooper attempts to register to vote in Selma, Alabama but is prevented by the white registrar. King meets with Lyndon B. Johnson and asks for federal legislation to allow black citizens to register to vote unencumbered, but the president responds that, although he understands Dr. King's concerns, he has more important projects. King travels to Selma with Ralph Abernathy, Andrew Young, James Orange, and Diane Nash. James Bevel greets them, and other SCLC activists appear. FBI director J. Edgar Hoover tells Johnson that King is a problem, and suggests they disrupt his marriage. Coretta Scott King has concerns about her husband's upcoming work in Selma. King calls singer Mahalia Jackson to inspire him with a song. • King, other SCLC leaders, and black Selma residents march to the registration office to register. After a confrontation in front of the courthouse, a shoving match occurs as the police go into the crowd. Cooper fights back, knocking Sheriff Jim Clark to the ground, leading to the arrest of Cooper, King, and others. • Alabama Governor George Wallace speaks out against the movement. Coretta meets with Malcolm X, who says he will drive whites to ally with King by advocating a more extreme position. Wallace and Al Lingo decide to use force at an upcoming night march in Marion, Alabama, using state troopers to assault the marchers. A group of protesters runs into a restaurant to hide, but troopers rush in, beat and shoot Jimmie Lee Jackson. King and Bevel meet with Cager Lee, Jackson's grandfather, at the morgue. King speaks to ask people to continue to fight for their rights. King receives harassing phone calls with a recording of sexual activity implied to be him and another woman leading to an argument with Coretta; she knows it is a fabrication but the strain of constant death threats has taken its toll on her. King is criticized by members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). • As the Selma to Montgomery march is about to begin, King talks to Young about canceling it, but Young convinces King to persevere. The marchers, including John Lewis of SNCC, Hosea Williams of SCLC, and Selma activist Amelia Boynton, cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge and approach a line of state troopers who put on gas masks. The troopers order the marchers to turn back, and when the marchers hold their ground, the troopers attack with clubs, horses, tear gas, and other weapons. Lewis and Boynton are among those badly injured. The attack is shown on national television as the wounded are treated at Brown Chapel, the movement's headquarter church. • Movement attorney Fred Gray asks federal Judge Frank Minis Johnson to let the march go forward. President Johnson demands that King and Wallace cease their activities, and sends John Doar to convince King to postpone the next march. White Americans, including Viola Liuzzo and James Reeb, arrive to join the second march. Marchers cross the bridge again and see the state troopers lined up, but the troopers turn aside to let them pass. King, after praying, turns around and leads the group away, and again comes under sharp criticism from SNCC activists. That evening, Reeb is beaten to death by a white mob on a street in Selma. • Judge Johnson allows the march. President Johnson speaks before a Joint Session of Congress to ask for quick passage of a bill to eliminate restrictions on voting, praising the courage of the activists. The march on the highway to Montgomery takes place, and, when the marchers reach Montgomery, King delivers a speech on the steps of the State Capitol.

How did the parties initially select their nominees? How did the 1824 election undermine this procedure? What procedure for nominating presidential candidates emerged in its place?

- Nominees were initially selected by a congressional caucus, where members of congress from the same party would meet informally and vote for a nominee. This was known as King Caucus because of it's undemocratic way of choosing. The election of 1824 was the first time the legislative caucus was ignored; the most unpopular candidate, Crawford is chosen by the Democratic-Republican party and the other three continue to run against him. King Caucus was then replaced with presidential nominating conventions from 1831 onwards. These are attended by state delegates and intended to choose P and VP candidates as well as agree on policy positions.

What options were considered for selecting the President? Why was the Electoral College ultimately chosen?

- One idea to come up the earliest was to have Congress choose the president - ◆ This idea was rejected because some felt that this procedure could lead to political bargaining, corruption, possible interference from foreign powers, and an upset in the balance of powers. The big concern is that Congress could be corrupted. - Another idea was to have the State legislature choose the president - ◆ A degree removed from federal congress, however, this idea was also rejected for similar reasons - A third idea that was taken under consideration was a procedure that involved the election of the president by a direct popular vote - ◆ This idea was rejected because the members of the convention felt that the people did not have enough information about candidates outside their state and would simply choose the most popular person in their state - Finally a compromise - - ◆ James Wilson proposed an indirect election of the president through a College of Electors - It preserved the balance between small and large states - ○ Large states would have the advantage in the electoral college as the number of electoral votes per state would be population based. - ○ If no candidate receives a majority, presidential elections would move to the House where every state delegation had one vote, thereby benefiting smaller states. - ● It was a "check" across raw democracy - ○ Some delegates feared that majority rule would enable a popular but dangerous candidate to win the presidency - ● It secured the support of Southerners - ○ Since slave states were given some proportional representation in Congress for their slave population (the three-fifths compromise***

Before the 20th century what voting rights did noncitizens possess? Why did this change? Today what groups are most affected by this? Why should they have the rights to vote?

- Originally, if you were a resident you could vote. However, this changed when immigrants from different ethnic and racial compositions started to come into the country. This primarily affects minorities. If you are a tax paying member of the public you should be able to vote.

What are the different types of voting mechanisms? What are the pros and cons of each? Why the movement to DRE machines? What are the security risks posed by DRE machines?

- Paper ballots: pros - Clear which party you are voting for cons - ballot stuffing. Mechanical Lever Machines: Cons - huge piece of machinery not replaced very often. No way to check you did it right. Punch ballots: Cons - caused all the issues in florida, chads not falling out, getting stuck, etc. Butterfly Ballot: Cons - Palm Beach! Elderly people confused, not obvious configuration. Marksense Ballots: Pros: Most accurate Cons: Too accurate in that if you don't completely erase it will be counted. Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) Voting Machine: Pros - touch screen, easy to use, fast, good for handicapped people, voter verified paper audit trail in some states. Cons - vulnerable to malicious software that can modify votes, easy to hack, no way to check you did it right.

When and why did primaries emerge? What role did they play through the 1912 election (be able to cite prominent examples)? What prevented them from being fully embraced?

- Primaries emerged during the Progressive movement in the early 1900s out of upset over the way party nominations were inherently undemocratic. - This was part of an effort to put more influence into the hands of the people. - The 1912 election was former President Theodore Roosevelt vs William Howard Taft; this election showed the irrelevance of presidential primaries. - Roosevelt won a considerably higher amount of primaries and over 40% of the delegates but Taft still got the nomination. The primaries don't yield enough delegates to determine the result and party bosses still run the show. - In opposition to party boss dominated politics, more states began to adopt primaries and by 1916 more than half the states held them. - However, following WWI, party leaders (who saw the primaries as a threat to their power) persuaded state legislatures to abolish them on grounds that they were expensive and that few people participated - They became beauty contests, used to help a major shortcoming and demonstrate electability

What are the Articles of Confederation? What were the problems with them that necessitated their revision?

- The Aoc was a "league of friendship" designed to enable the states (or really, colonies/countries at that time) to deal with certain common issues in a coordinated manner while retaining their independence. The issue was that they had no ability to really make the states do anything that they didn't want to do.

What is the importance of the Seneca Falls convention for the women's suffrage movement? Why was it so difficult to keep the movement united? How was the 14th Amendment interpreted and thwart suffragettes efforts.

- The Seneca Falls convention marks the first womens rights convention, and there a document of priorities for the womens movement was created which included securing themselves the franchise. - Some believe this is not a good priority because in the first place because they will lose, and there are also disagreements on how to best go about it. - When the 15th amendment was passed that gave the vote to black men but not women, the movement split because women were very upset by this leapfrog - The 14th Amendment was interpreted to mean that voting isn't necessarily one of the "privileges or immunities" of citizens of the US.

Originally, how did the Electoral College operate? What assumptions did the framers make about how it would work?

- The framers assumed that each state would employ the district system of allocating electors and each presidential elector would exercise independent judgement when voting. Candidates could not pair together on the same ticket with assumed placements toward each office of P and VP. Because of this, a winner was rarely produced and the election would go to Congress.

What were the principles behind colonial voting rights? What led to the abolition of property qualifications?

- The main principles behind colonial voting rights were that voters should have a "stake in society". This meant that owning property translated to economic autonomy/success, and therefore enabled men to make independent political decisions. There was a belief that if you were dependent on someone you would not have free will with your vote because you would do whatever your bosses wanted. They also believed one needed to be informed to make these sorts of decisions. The War of 1812 created arguments about fighting but not being promised the right to vote. Following a recession in 1819, many property holders lost their property, and lose their right to vote which made them mad. ◆ Pressure for expansion of voting rights to propertyless men came from territories eager to attract settlers and from political parties seeking to broaden their base. - ● If we want people to actually want to move here, we need to give them an incentive - voting rights in certain undesirable states. - ◆ Gradually property qualifications were replaced with universal white manhood suffrage

What have been the positive and negative consequences of party reforms to the nomination process?

- The positive consequences of nominating reforms is that delegate selection becomes more democratic and demographically representative. Public participation increases and the focus shifts from the parties to the candidates themselves. The negative consequences is that voters who participate tend to be older, whiter, wealthier, and more educated, therefore a skewed demographic picks the nominees. Minority groups are deprived of their democratic voice. Primaries tend to produce extreme candidates as well which don't appeal to the general public. The public and contentious nomination process has caused the parties to faction off and diluted party influence, therefore impeding the appearance of a unified front.

How does the Electoral College system operate today? Which parts of the electorate does it help or harm?

- There are 538 electoral college votes, made up of US Senators (2 per states) and the House (proportioned by size of each states population). The people vote for these electors who pledge to vote a certain way. The actual election day is the monday following the 2nd Wednesday of December where electors meet in their respective state capitals and cast their electoral votes for president and vice president. If there is a majority, they are the president.

Civil Rights Act of 1957

- This was the first civil rights act since the Reconstruction and it allowed the Justice Department to seek injunctions and file suits in voting rights cases. This marked the first time the federal government is using its power to ensure the constitutional right of people who live in state/local communities. This act was largely ineffective because southern juries would hear the cases (which blacks were not permitted to sit), disbelief that their state would do that. Fewer blacks voted in 1960 than in 1956

How did the framers reconcile differences in the Constitution over slavery? Who was the Pennsylvania Society? How did they feel?

-They acknowledged slavery, therefore giving implicit acceptance of it. (3/5ths clause) -The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage was the first American abolition society. It was founded April 14, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and held four meetings.[1] Seventeen of the 24 men who attended initial meetings of the Society were Quakers, that is, members of the Religious Society of Friends, a branch of Christianity notable in the early history of Pennsylvania. It was reorganized in 1784[2] as the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery and for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage,[3] (better known as the Pennsylvania Abolition Society) and was incorporated in 1789. At some point after 1785, Benjamin Franklin was elected as the organization's president. The society asked him to bring the matter of slavery to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. He petitioned the U.S Congress in 1790 to ban slavery

What happened in the 2000 election? What is the Help America Vote Act? What did it do? What complications has it produced?

-This election was the Presidential Race between VP Al Gore and Texas Governor George Bush. -The networks first state that Gore appears to have won the state of Florida, only to retract this a few hours later and then later change it to Bush winning Florida, along with the election. -This causes Gore to concede, but hours after it comes out that there were issues with vote reporting. Gore retracts his concession and challenges the results of the election. -The punch card ballot used in many counties in Florida was at the core of the problem because it is not easy to puncture, and disagreement over intent to vote was a main topic. -The supreme court ruled that it was up to the governor, Jeb Bush - ruled in favor of George Bush, and supreme court upheld it. - HAVA is an act passed by congress in 2002 designed to modernize the nation's election processes and help ensure that eligible voters are no longer deprived of the franchise due to administrative errors. - It created an opening for state governments to revise their electoral laws - It improved voter machines by appropriating funds to states to replace old machines. It also required that all voting systems produce a paper trail that can be audited manually and used as an official record for recounts. Each polling place must be equipped with a system that is accessible to individuals with disabilities and accomodates alternative languages - HAVA also requires each state to establish uniform definitions for each certified voting system is uses as to what will be counted as a vote. - The creation of required provisional ballots was done by HAVA, as well as a mandate that all states implement and maintain a statewide interactive centralized database containing voter registration information on every registered voter in the state along with an identifying number. - Problems with HAVA include states using the reform as opportunity to restrict rather then enhance the franchise. Some examples of this include restrictions on voter registration drives, purges of the voter rolls that disenfranchise eligible voters, restrictive voter ID and proof of citizenship bills, and security and reliability vulnerabilities in voting systems.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

1964; banned discrimination in public acomodations, prohibited discrimination in any federally assisted program, outlawed discrimination in most employment; enlarged federal powers to protect voting rights and to speed school desegregation; this and the voting rights act helped to give African-Americans equality on paper, and more federally-protected power so that social equality was a more realistic goal John Kennedy championed civil rights before he was assassinated The bill was called for by President Kennedy in his civil rights speech of June 11, 1963, in which he asked for legislation "giving all Americans the right to be served in facilities which are open to the public," as well as "greater protection for the right to vote." Arguably one of the most important laws in American History Lyndon Johnson prioritized the passage of the civil rights: "Let us continue," he declared, promising that "the ideas and the ideals which [Kennedy] so nobly represented must and will be translated into effective action." After heated debate, Johnson signed it into law on July 2, 1964. The Civil Rights Act: Outlawed discrimination in hotels, motels, restaurants, theaters, and all other public accommodations engaged in interstate commerce Barred unequal application of voter registration requirements - meaning the law says that what you require me to need has to be the same for everybody. AAs can't have higher hurdles than whites. Most known for integration. Problems: It accepted the idea that citizens do not have an automatic right to vote but rather might have to meet some standard beyond citizenship. Nothing about citizenship enables you to vote. Americans consistently believe this is the case though. It did not abolish literacy tests or polled taxes used to disqualify African Americans Already determined by the Supreme Court to be fine for literacy tests, and most people don't have a problem with poll taxes It not address economic retaliation or physical violence against non-white voters

Poll tax

A poll tax was a fee paid by a voter before he could vote. The fee was high enough that most poor were unable to pay the tax and therefore unable to vote. Although the poll tax affected both whites and blacks, it was much harder on blacks who were just emerging from slavery. They were civilly emancipated, not necessarily economically emancipated. They weren't formally educated, did not have many skills, and the incomes are trivial coming out of the civil war. How much of your salary are you willing to pay to cast a ballot? In 1946, a presidentially appointed National Committee on Civil Rights called for abolition of poll taxes and for federal action to protect the voting rights of African-Americans and Native Americans. There is recognition of what is happening, that we start to see growing pushback from the courts, presidential administrations, and eventually we get the South to change in a variety of ways. WW2, Korean War (troops integrated for the first time here), Vietnam War. At the end of the 1950s, seven Southern states (Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina South Carolina, and Virginia) used literacy tests to keep blacks from voting, while five states (Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia) used poll taxes to prevent blacks from registering. Poll taxes exclude a lot of people, including a lot of impoverished whites. Democrats recognize that a lot of poor whites vote Republican.

Smith v. Allwright

A supreme court case in 1944 that ruled that it was unconstitutional to deny membership in political parties to African Americans as a way of excluding them from voting in primaries. In 1944, in Smith v. Allwright, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Texas's Democratic party could not restrict membership to whites only and bar blacks from voting in the party's primary. ***Will see on midterm. The first real supreme court decision that removes a Jim Crow law. It says that Texass Democrats party could not restrict membership to whites only and bar blacks from voting in the party's primary

13th Amendment

Abolition of slavery Abolitionists were concerned that the Emancipation Proclamation would be seen as a temporary war measure despite Lincoln's efforts since it was based on his war powers and did not abolish slavery in the border states. 13th Amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, but stalled in the House and did not receive 2/3 support until January 21, 1865. It was not ratified by ¾ of the states (27/36 - with Illinois first and Georgia last) until December 6, 1865. That's because it requires ¾ including the southern states. 13th Amendment says: **** Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Felony disenfranchisement is rooted in this amendment Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation

24th Amendment

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1964) eliminated the poll tax as a prerequisite to vote in national elections. As of 1964, five Southern states still had a poll tax AL, AR, MS, TX, and VA The 24th amendment barring a poll tax in federal elections was proposed by Congress to the states on August 27, 1962, and was ratified by the states on January 23, 1964. At the time, five Southern states still had a poll tax. The amendment made the poll tax clearly unconstitutional at the federal level; however, it wasn't until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966) that all poll taxes (for both state and federal elections) were officially declared unconstitutional because they violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. So this initial thing doesn't apply for voting for governor. In order for us to remove 19th century Jim Crow Laws it's going to take multiple things converging. Not wrapped up in one single piece of legislation

Electoral Count Act

As a belated result of the disputed election of 1876 involving Samuel J. Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes, the Electoral Count Act of 1887 placed the responsibility of deciding electoral disputes mainly on the states themselves. Congress now counts the votes (a mere formality) on Jan. 6. This comes out of disaster election. In 1876, Democratic candidate wins popular vote but 3 different states send competing votes back, etc. Electoral commision awards votes in exchange of end of Reconstruction in south. Republicans realize that this can't happen again! To prevent a repetition of the 1876 debacle, Congress passed the Electoral Count Act in 1887. Under this law, a state's determination of electoral disputes is conclusive in most circumstances. This determines who won the electoral college in a given state.

Steering Committee

Assigns Democrats to standing committees in the Senate

What are the major aspects of a campaign organization? Who runs them? What tasks do they undertake?

Campaign manager, advisory committees, fundraisers, campaign treasurer, voter contact, event coordinators, research

superdelegate

Delegate to the Democratic Party's national convention that is reserved for a party official and whose vote at the convention is unpledged to a candidate Superdelegates are unpledged delegates seated based on other positions they hold Formally known as unpledged PLEO (party leader and elected official) delegates They may support any candidate they wish, including one who has dropped out of the presidential race Some Democrats believed that changes stemming from the McGovern-Fraser Commission had diminished the role of party leaders and weakened the Democratic tickets of McGovern and Carter. In 1982, the Democratic party appointed a commission chaired by Jim Hunt (Gov of NC) to address this issue. The Hunt Commission recommended a rule that set aside some delegate slots for Democratic members of Congress and for state party chairs and vice chairs. Under the original Hunt plan, superdelegates were 30% of all delegates, but when it was implemented in 1984, they were 14%. The number has steadily increased, today totalling 20%. The non elected unpledged RNC delegates represent 5% of their total delegates Criticisms: Superdelegates can play a decisive role in selecting the nominee They tend to be disproportionately white and male Superdelegates are important - a party elite says to stop whining about this because up until 1972 people barely had a say.. Also, superdelegates worked extremely hard for the party. It allows the party to have some role in the process.

What problems with the Electoral College were exposed in the elections of 1796 and 1800?

In 1796, we had a president and VP from opposition parties and government became chaotic. In 1800, there is a tie for president. These examples show us that we need to reform the electoral college

Oregon v Mitchell

In the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970, Congress enacted a five year ban on literacy tests for the entire nation, SC upheld ban, voting age provision was constitutional for national elections but invalid for state and local contests, because of inadequacy, congress passed the 26th amendment giving right to vote to 18 year olds -The government of Oregon challenged this law in court. They say this is BS you can't force us to lower our voting rules. The Supreme Court ruled that Congress had the power to reduce the voting age only in federal elections, not in state elections. By this time, five states had already granted citizens under the age of 21 the right to vote (Georgia and Kentucky observed 18 as the minimum voting age, Alaska 19, and Hawaii and New Hampshire 20), but many citizens wanted all states to do so. Rest of states quickly jump on board, an amendment lowering the voting age to 18 was reintroduced by Senator Jennings Randolph in 1971, and within months passed three-fourths of the state legislatures, quicker than any other amendment.

Civil Rights Act of 1960

It gave the Federal Courts the power to register Black voters and provided for voting referees who served wherever there was racial discrimination in voting, making sure Whites did not try to stop Blacks from voting. Trying to strengthen the potency of the Attorney General The Civil Rights Act of 1960 established federal inspection of local voter registration polls and introduced penalties for anyone who obstructed someone's attempt to register to vote or actually vote. Rather than waiting until bad things happened, were trying to be proactive and target them during the registration period and see if we can get injunctive relief in time for the election. It required election officials to have all records relating to voter registration and permits the Department of Justice to inspect them. THis didn't go over well cause this tried to let the feds come in and look at the records in advance and make a determination if there was enough evidence to intervene The Act also allows African Americans whose registration was previously rejected by local election officials to apply to a federal court or voting referee. The Act again proved ineffective because it was up to local authorities to prosecute and enforce violations. Delays in giving over paperwork to feds until election already comes around, counter-suing

James Wilson

James Wilson of Pennsylvania remarked Father of electoral college - speaks about the tensions at the convention at the time. Plays a critical role in resolving this debate So Many Options The Constitutional Convention debated several different methods of selecting a president. - came up with compromise for electoral college

Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln starts losing in war and meets with cabinet. I have a plan guys, lets emancipate the slaves in the states controlled by the confederacy. This frees the slaves in a part of North America that are not under the control of Lincoln. Lincoln thinking about eventually abolishing slavery. What is big advantage south has over north? They have enslaved millions of people who can do a lot of manufacturing and production of war supplies and ensure their shipment ip to the front lines. If we can cause slaves to abandon their posts, we can cause slaves to try to disrupt the southern supply chain and this will work to our advantage in fighting the war. The Emancipation Proclamation consists of two executive orders issued by Lincoln during the Civil War. The first order, issued September 22, 1862, declared the freedom of all slaves in all confederate states that did not return to Union control by January 1, 1863 and announced the Union's intention to enlist black soldiers and sailors. The second order, issued January 1, 1863, named ten specific states where it would apply. The proclamation didn't apply to the the slave-holding border states of KY, MO, MD, or DE, which never declared secession, so it did not free slaves there. The proclamation exempted union areas that were already under Federal control at the time of the proclamation Tennessee, the counties that would become West Virginia, and New Orleans. HE EMANCIPATED ONLY THE SOUTH. The disruption did in fact occur and slaves fled to the northern border. As the Union armies advanced through the Confederacy, thousands of slaves were freed each day until nearly all (~ 4 million) were freed by July 1865. The Emancipation Proclamation was criticized at the time for freeing only the slaves over which the Union had no power. Lincoln's Secretary of State, William Seward: "We show our sympathy with slavery by emancipating slaves where we cannot reach them and holding them in bondage where we can set them free." SUmpter was like if your gonna do this you gotta free everyone. Lincoln was like no we cannot create tensions in the north, remember were not winning the war. Lincoln recognized that once you get this ball rolling it's hard to reverse. He realized that this all seems hypocritical but once we start the process to think about free slaves we've gotten the process started but i can't do it in the north because we're losing. Lincoln had to run for reelection in 1864 against a democrat who was a general he fired during the first half of the civil war. He was not a slam dunk. This opponent receives democratic nomination and runs on platform of lets leave slavery alone versus Lincoln. Gettysburg Address Cannot be overstated importance. If North loses Gettysburg, war may not have turned out the way it did. South is having success at Gettysburg and if they win they would take Philly and DC and win the war. The last time the south makes any advancements into the north (once they are pushed back from gettysburg). Huge defeat for major generals (Robert E Lee). This is where Lincoln becomes the Great Emancipator because what Lincoln does with this speech is changes the motivation of the war. We open a cemetery in Gettysburg to recognize the fallen and by the end of 1863 his people know were going to win this war. Lincoln is like shit were going to win the war and we still have this slavery program. The Gettysburg Address was an effort by Lincoln to sell the Emancipation Proclamation to the country. Remember, in the beginning Lincoln's goal was to reinstate the union, which is why he freed the slaves in the southern states via emancipation proclamation, then takes it further with gettysburg speech.

How have states restricted voter registration drives? What have been the consequences of these efforts?

Many states have enacted burdensome restrictions on voter registration groups, enforced with heavy fines and criminal penalties. Instead of praising civic groups who register voters for their contribution to democracy, many states have cracked down on those groups. California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, and Washington have each enacted laws that restrict voter registration drives. These restrictions include strict deadlines on voter registration drives, such as New Mexico's requirement that drives turn in forms 48 hours after completion, and requirements, like those in Ohio and Colorado, that individuals pre-register with the state20and disclose personal information before helping their neighbors to register to vote. In most states, these laws are enforced by criminal penalties, including jail time, or by steep fines. The Florida law, for instance, holds individual volunteers and the groups they work for jointly liable for $250 for each form returned more than 10 days after completion, $500 for each form received after the state voter registration deadline, and $5000 for each form not submitted. Many of these new laws have shut down or substantially impeded voter registration drives. These new restrictions often have hidden costs for voter registration drives. Many groups are simply unable to comply with the new laws without abandoning or cutting back on their voter registration efforts. These groups review forms for completeness and accuracy. They monitor their volunteers and follow up with voters if they need more information, and with elections officials to guarantee that voters get on the rolls. Tight deadlines can stop this review process, and even a longer deadline is a problem when it is enforced with heavy penalties. For instance, the League of Women Voters of Florida had to shut down operations rather than risk that state's fine scheme: just 14 forms lost in a hurricane or car accident could have bankrupted the organization.

Marksense Ballots

Marksense systems employ a ballot card on which candidates and issue choices are preprinted next to an empty rectangle, circle, oval, or an incomplete arrow. Essentially scantrons. Voters record their choices by filling in the rectangle, circle, or by completing the arrow and then place the ballot in a sealed box or feed it into a computer. Jurisdictions determine what marks and colors/shades are acceptable and sensors scan the ballots for these marks. The way scantrons work is a laser is set up to read the bubbles. Generally speaking the laser is aimed at the center - if you don't mark the complete bubble you will be marked incorrect. It is also hypersensitive, so it is unlikely it won't notice your erasing. Each particular sensor in a mark sensing scanner will have a threshold, which will neither be identical or constant.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act on August 6, 1965. This is what King is pressuring Johnson for during the movie Selma. The Act prohibited states from imposing any "voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure ... to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color." MLK forces Johnson to implement this act It suspended the use of literacy tests in all jurisdictions in which less than 50% of voting-age residents were registered as of November 1, 1964, or had voted in the 1964 presidential election. It sent federal examiners to seven Southern states to register black voters. Within a year, 450,000 Southern blacks registered to vote.

Shays' Rebellion

Rebellion led by Daniel Shays of farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786-1787, protesting mortgage foreclosures. No money to go fight the British for the American Revolution - farmers are recruited into the army and promised notes to pay them. They leave their farm behind, war ends and they want money. Uh oh, states have no money to give. Farms are being foreclosed This problem came to a boiling point in August of 1786 with the outbreak of Shays Rebellion. -This rebellion, combined with the weaknesses of the national government in foreign affairs, led to a call for a strong central govt, capable of solving the economical and political problems of the nation One of the biggest schemes in american history

What is the purpose of advance voter registration? What are the costs of advance voter registration? How does Election Day Registration reduce these costs? What has been the impact of EDR?

Some state lawmakers claim that these new laws protect against "fraud" and help voters by ensuring that their forms are submitted on time. The evidence shows that voter registration drives do not change the patterns of when and how voter registration forms are submitted, except by increasing the number of voters who register. In lawsuits in Ohio and Florida, the states have been unable to show that voter registration drives cause any real problems. Instead, all they have shown is that voter registration drives lead to more voters registering, which means that state and county officials have to work harder to process the increase in new voters. That is a good thing - and not something that the state has a legitimate interest in stopping.

22nd Amendment

The Constitution did not specify how many terms a president could serve -The 22nd Amendment, passed in 1947 and ratified in 1951 states no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. -However, even those this started with FDR, many didn't stay beyond two terms before this. George Washington set a precedent of refusing to run for a third term

Democratic Party v Wisconsin

The Democratic Party of the United States (National Party) required that delegates sent to its National Convention were chosen exclusively by voters affiliated with the party, but the state of Wisconsin allowed non-Democrats to participate in state primaries. In the primary, voters expressed their choice among Presidential candidates for the Democratic Party's nomination. Although the Wisconsin Democratic Party (State Party) selected delegates at a caucus occurring after the primary, Wisconsin law required these delegates to allot their votes at the National Convention in accord with the amount of support each candidate received in the primary. The National Party prohibited the State Party delegates from participating in the 1980 National Convention because of non-Democrat influence in the state primary. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the National Party must admit the delegates since Wisconsin had a "compelling interest" to maintain the "open" feature of its primary system. Question Can a state compel a National Party Convention to admit delegates from its state if those delegates were selected in a manner violating the National Party's rules? No. In a 6-3 opinion authored by Justice Potter Stewart the Court reversed the decision of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Referring to its decision in Cousins v. Wigoda, the Court held that the "First Amendment freedom to gather in association for the purpose of advancing shared beliefs is protected by the Fourteenth Amendment from infringement by any State." Granting states the power to place delegates in a National Convention over party objections to how they were selected would impair the right of political parties to associate with whom they wish, especially when non-party members could influence the interests of the delegates. Justice Lewis Powell argued in his dissent that Wisconsin's "compelling interest" to involve non-affiliated voters in the primary justified this burden on the freedom of association, although the majority held that this could be accomplished without intruding upon internal party rules.

Minor v. Happersett (1875)

Virginia Minor, a leader of the women's suffrage movement in Missouri, alleged that the refusal of Reese Happersett, a Missouri state registrar, to allow her to register to vote was an infringement of her civil rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. Her husband is a lawyer and they go to court. The argument says that the 14th amendment says that US citizens get all the rights and immunities - guess what, I'm a citizen, I have a right to vote and your trying to impinge that by not permitting me to register/elect. ***In Minor v. Happersett (1875) the Court ruled that citizenship did not in itself confer suffrage rights and that women could only receive the vote as a result of explicit legislation or constitutional amendment. Well shit. 2000 Gore v Bush this exact argument is made. The AWSA and NWSA reconciled and in 1890 merged to become the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). We are screwed if we all don't get on the same page and fight for the same objective. This gets women all on the same page again.

What was the 19th Amendment? What factors prompted its passage?

Women's suffrage laws before passage of the 19th Amendment • The suffrage movement reawakened in the early 20th century. ***Carrie Chapman Catt, the head of the NAWSA, organized both a well-coordinated state-by-state and a national effort. This is the single most important woman to advancing suffrage rights. • World War I helped to fuel support for extending the vote to women. o Most suffragists strongly supported the war effort by selling war bonds and making clothing for the troops. It gives them that key argument that men used during the war of 1812 to secure universal white male suffrage. It's not just employment; women are expected to take on many roles because men were sent off to war. • To bring pressure on Pres. Woodrow Wilson to back congressional passage of a constitutional amendment, women picketed the White House and chained themselves to the White House fence. This is the first real social protest for this. Women are going to become political activists activating for their own cause. o This is where Carrie is really smart - she decides we are going to make an epic scene of this. Carrie does the same thing as MLK. Pictures circulated around newspapers across the country. All of this pressure on state and local governments in the press, from local politicians, etc. • Wilson was converted to the cause because he saw the writing on the wall, not cause he was an amazing guy. • The 19th Amendment o Congress passed a woman suffrage constitutional amendment by a narrow margin on June 14, 1919. It was ratified by the states on August 18, 1920. This puts women into the political arena for the 1920 election. • Section 1: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. • Section 2: Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

What is a caucus? How does it work? How does it differ from a primary?

a meeting. It is not you going in to cast a ballot. It is a meeting in which you typically have to commit and hour and a half of your time. Turnout is much lower because it is so boring. The only other option that states may have under the current system is to hold a multistaged caucus/convention process. In Iowa, the caucuses themselves are local party precinct meetings where registered Republicans and Democrats gather, discuss the candidates and vote for their candidate of choice for their party's nomination. In both parties, the purpose of the caucus vote is to select delegates to attend a county convention -- each caucus sends a certain # of delegates, based on the population it represents. You have to get at least 15% support of the people in the room in order for you to be eligible for a delegate. The delegates at the county convention in turn select delegates to go to the state convention, and those delegates choose the delegates that go to the national convention. The Republican caucus voting system in Iowa is relatively straightforward: Registered voters listen to some campaigning, cast secret ballots, and the percentages of the group supporting each candidate decides what delegates will go on to the county convention. Differences: Caucuses have multiple stages, primaries have one. Primaries are private voting, caucuses are public.

King Caucus

an informal meeting held in the nineteenth century, sometimes called a congressional caucus, made up of legislators in the Congress who met to decide on presidential nominees for their respective parties In a legislative caucus, the members of a given political party serving in a legislative body meet (often informally) to decide who would represent that party in the next elections for executive office. The Federalist party for instance, would get together on an off day (senators and house members) and discuss (informal gathering). This group of elected federalists would talk about which particular member of their party would move the party forward and be able to win the upcoming election. They would have an informal vote and typically the winner would be the nominee. This method becomes criticized by the public because it is seen as very undemocratic. The system came to be known as "King Caucus," because the power that these caucuses had to nominate a president was seen as undemocratic. In 1796 John Adams wins, with Thomas Jefferson as VP (tension remember). John Adams starts to author the Alien Sedition Acts. Super unpopular - if you talk shit against the government we will deport you or jail you depending on your citizen status. Within several election cycles, the Federalist party was essentially over following this. No longer competitive by 1808-1824. This means we have a one party system for the better part of two decades. Because of this, people were pissed about King Caucus because whoever they talk about pretty much gets the presidency! One of the fears of the framers was that we didn't want congress to select the president because then the president would then be corruptible. This is 1792-1828. The failure of the caucus nominee of 1824, William Crawford, led to the downfall of King Caucus. It doesn't lead to an immediate change because people are so eager to knock out JQA that they are like whatever lets do this. These informal meetings were replaced with national presidential nominating conventions from 1831 onwards.

What is an exploratory committee? What are its functions?

an organization established to help determine whether a potential candidate should run for an elected office. They are most often cited in reference to United States Presidential hopefuls prior to campaign announcements and the primaries. Under the rules, exploratory money may be raised without the full disclosure of sources required of true candidates. Only when the candidate drops the exploratory label does the full responsibility of transparency apply. It abides by the same contribution limits and prohibitions as a campaign committee. There are activities that indicate that an individual is campaigning and, therefore no longer testing the waters: Making statements that refer to yourself as a candidate Using advertising to publicize your intention to campaign Taking action to qualify for the ballot.

timeline of nomination

founding of republic thru 1828, king caucus, 1832-68 period of presidential nominating conventions (delegates were chosen by party leaders and served as proxys for those party leaders. Starting in 1972 we see a shift to the public electing the candidates for the nomination.

How is the timing and delegate allocation of primaries/caucuses determined for each party? What is the impact of the calendar?

half of a jurisdiction's base vote is determined by the number of Presidential Electors assigned to that state and half are computed by the number of people who voted for the Democratic candidate in the last three elections.

Why do states impose voter identification requirements? What problems do these requirements foster? What groups are disproportionately affected by these requirements?

o The federal Help America Vote Act mandates that all states require identification from first-time voters who registered to vote by mail and did not provide verification of their identification with their mail-in voter registration. o Problems with Voter ID Requirements o The identification required by many new voter ID laws is expensive for voters to obtain, not only because of the cost of identification itself, but also because of the cost of the underlying documents required to obtain voter identification. Many people do not have a car, also these things cost money. o Adjusting for inflation, any cost over $11.97 is more than the $1.50 poll tax that the Supreme Court found unconstitutional in 1966. In other words, voter ID requirements amount to a hidden poll tax. This hurts minorities and low income. o Naturalization papers are especially expensive, costing over $200 and taking more than one year to obtain. Arizona requires you to prove citizenship to vote. o State-issued photo IDs are also often difficult - and for some, impossible - to obtain. For example, persons born at home, under the care of midwives, Native Americans and elderly African Americans in certain parts of the country, often were never issued birth certificates. o Identification can be expensive to get o Birth Certificate o $45 o Driver's License (or State Issued ID) o $65 o Passport o $97 o Citizenship Documentation o $200 Other Shortcomings of Voter ID Requirements o Voter ID laws only guard against one type of fraud that is extraordinarily rare and risky: efforts to impersonate a registered voter at the polls. Motivation behind voter id is to prevent voter fraud; it only prevents voter impersonation. o It has nothing to do with getting registered and getting on the voter roll. Were making it very difficult for somebody to pretend to be you and go and vote. Are you willing to risk a series of felonies so that you can get a fake identification to vote in their place. This is documented to occur less than one time for every 100,000 votes cast. o It is almost always because of a misunderstanding; I did not realize I was ineligible. Many felons are accused of fraudulent voting because they assume once they are out of jail they automatically get to vote and so they do. o Another common situation is an undocumented person goes to get their license and people ask if they want to register to vote. o Voter ID requirements does not address real threats to election integrity, such as ballot tampering or stuffing, absentee ballot fraud, or double voting. Tampering with voting machines allows one to mess with thousands of votes. Dire Consequences o 10% of the voting-age pop does not have state-issued photo IDs. This translates to more than 20 million eligible voters nationwide potentially excluded by photo ID requirements at the polls. Voter ID requirements disproportionately affect the elderly, the disabled, the poor, and people of color. o 3 million people with disabilities do not have government-issued ID. Why would they, they're not driving. o Fewer than 3% of Wisconsin students have their current addresses on their driver's licenses. A June 2005 study in Wisconsin found that the rate of driver's license possession among African Americans was half that of whites. In fact, 78% of blacks aged 18-24 in Wisconsin do not have a driver's license. o Driven largely by income o Americans move more frequently than they renew their driver's or non-driver's photo IDs. o Eligible voters may not be allowed to vote b/c the address printed on their photo IDs may not be current when they go to the polls.

Cousins v. Wigoda

the Supreme Court held that Illinois could not require the Democratic National Convention to seat delegates selected in the state's primary. he Supreme Court held that state primary laws do not supersede the authority of national party conventions over the selection and seating of delegates, but it did not choose to make a broad decision between competing claims of freedom of association of political parties and governmental authority to regulate nomination activities.

Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections

the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1959 in Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections that literacy tests for voting in North Carolina do not violate the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. ***This says that literacy tests are okay because the literacy test do not demonstrate that they are targeted at AAs and the literacy tests prevent whites from participating as well. They recognize that if they were super exclusive and only targeting a specific group they would be caught, so they made it so that white people COULD be affected too.

What are the qualifications for President according to Article 1 Section 2 of the Constitution?

• Be a natural born citizen of the united states o What constitutes a citizen and what constitutes natural born?? Many problems with this • Be at least 35 years old • Have lived in the US for at least 14 years o Not clear whether those 14 years need to be consecutive or what the precise definition of residency is o Want someone who had been around for the wars

Recount

• Recount chronicles the 2000 U.S. presidential election Bush v. Gore case between Governor of Texas George W. Bush and U.S. Vice President Al Gore. It begins with the election on November 7 and ends with the Supreme Court ruling, which stopped the Florida election recount on December 12. • Key points depicted include: Gore's retraction of his personal telephone concession to Bush in the early hours of November 8; the decision by the Gore campaign to sue for hand recounts in Democratic strongholds where voting irregularities were alleged, especially in light of the statistical dead heat revealed by the reported machine recount; Republican pressure on Florida's Secretary of State Katherine Harris in light of her legally mandated responsibilities; the attention focused on the hand recounts by media, parties, and the public; the two major announcements by Florida Supreme Court spokesman Craig Waters extending the deadline for returns in the initial recount (November 21, 2000) and ordering a statewide recount of votes (December 8, 2000), and later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court; and finally the adversarial postures of the Supreme Courts of Florida and the United States, as well as the dissenting opinions among the higher court's justices.

What legislative steps were taken to guarantee all African Americans the right to vote? Why did it take so long?

•- It started with the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which attempted to ensure the voting rights of all people, followed by the Civil Rights Act of 1960 which tried to prevent violations before they occurred, followed by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which essentially outlawed discrimination in public places. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited states from imposing any standard, practice, or procedure to deny the gist of any citizen to vote on account of race or color. It took so long because you needed to prove intent to disenfranchise.

How did the Constitution resolve the issue of voting rights? As of 1800, who could vote for presidential electors?

◆ The U.S. Constitution left the issue of voting rights up to the states. ◆ The only thing that the Constitution said about voting was that those entitled to vote for the "most numerous Branch of the state legislature" could vote for members of the House of Representatives. ● SO if you can vote for state legislature then you can vote with US house of Reps, ◆ Each of the thirteen colonies required voters either to own a certain amount of land or personal property, or to pay a specified amount in taxes. Have to reach a certain threshold of economic success ● The ownership of land, though, was extensive, with voting requirements never excluding more than 25% of white males ● This was the voting qualification throughout the land. ◆ After independence, 6 states (CT, DE, MA, NY, RI, and VA) decided to maintain property restrictions. ◆ Six states (GA, MD, NH, NJ, PA, SC) decided to let taxpayers vote. ◆ Only Vermont allowed all free white males to vote regardless of their ability to pay taxes or own property. ◆ SO, property qualifications everywhere except for Vermont ◆ If you are vested in economic system, then you have the motivation to learn about public policy, political positions, etc.

What changes did the 12th Amendment make to the Electoral College?

● Originally there was only the office of Presidency we vote for and VP was runner up remember. In the original formulation, top 5 with lack of majority, now its top 3 (voting as delegations and you need to get the majority of the delegations). For VP, its 2. ➢ Except, this didn't really save the day because it wasn't a perfect solution for the problems of before. Need to know 1796 and 1800 elections inside out. They show the original formulation of constitution being flawed with electing, because of the problems that happened. Need to know * We need to rewrite this from scratch with one thing untouched - states will still get to decide how their electors are elected.