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1 - Voting Rights and Models of Voting Behavior

Voting Rights Protections

Historical Context

  • Initially, voting was limited to property-owning white men, approximately 3% of the population.
  • Over time, constitutional amendments expanded suffrage to a wider demographic.

Key Amendments

  • Fifteenth Amendment (1870): Granted voting rights regardless of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
  • Seventeenth Amendment (1913): Established direct election of Senators by the public.
  • Nineteenth Amendment (1920): Granted voting rights to women.
  • Twenty-Third Amendment (1961): Granted residents of Washington, D.C. the right to vote in presidential elections.
  • Twenty-Fourth Amendment (1964): Prohibited poll taxes in federal elections.
  • Twenty-Sixth Amendment (1971): Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

Voting Rights Act (1965)

  • Addressed discriminatory practices not fully covered by amendments.
  • Aimed to integrate previously excluded groups into the political process.

Models of Voting Behavior

Rational-Choice Voting

  • Voters support candidates who they believe will benefit their personal interests.

Retrospective Voting

  • Voters assess the past performance of candidates to decide their vote.

Prospective Voting

  • Voters make decisions based on candidates' future plans and promises.

Party-Line Voting

  • Voters choose candidates based solely on party affiliation.