The Electorate

Eliminating Barriers • Historically, women and African Americans

have faced the greatest barriers to suffrage• 15th and 19th Amendments - Suffrage for

African Americans and women• 24th Amendment – abolished Poll taxes • Voting Rights Act of 1965 – empowered the

federal government to outlaw discriminatory practices

• 26th Amendment – lowered voting age to 18

Non-voters

– 59.9 million people not registered in 1992 – most common reason; may be due to high mobility

– No interest in politics, negative view of government, can’t make time, low voter efficacy

Are turnout rates cause for concern?• How to get out the vote

– Election day – Sunday?/National Holiday

– Make requirement – illegal to not vote in Brazil

– Appeal to direct participation: initiative, referendum, recall

Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections

Conduct of Elections• Australian Ballot

– Two common types: 1. Office Block (Mass) Ballot2. Party Collumn (Ind) Ballot

• Coattail effect• Mail Voting

– Typically absentee ballots, some states offer to entire electorate

– good way to increase turnout, but …– may lead to premature decisions, allow less secrecy, and

encourage fraud

BallotsOff ice Block Party-Column

Issues and Problems• Fraud

– provisional and absentee balloting

• Voter ID cards– Fraud reduction or

voter suppression• Computerized

Voting– Optical scan vs.

touch screen