The Right to Vote 6-1

History of Voting

● In Athenian Democracy only male citizens could vote.

● The middle and lower classes controlled power.

● Fifty men were picked from each tribe. This created the council of 500.

● This is known as a direct democracy.

● The Roman law for voting:

● Women were citizens but could not vote.

● Only rich property owners could vote.

● This is known as a representative republic.

● Common law.

History of Voting

● Great Britain's voting rights started with male property owners of nobility.

● English Bill of Rights.

● Three reform acts, 1832, 1867, 1884, gave voting rights to all men.

● In 1893, the British colony of New Zealand was the first to vote for women's suffrage.

● (1918)The passage of the Representation of the People Act, 1928, granted women the same terms to vote as men.

History of Voting in US

● When the Constitution went into effect in 1789, only white male property owners could vote.

● Originally, the Constitution had only two suffrage/franchise provisions. Article I, Section 2, requires each State to allow anyone qualified to vote for members. Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 provides that presidential electors be chosen in each state.

● Voting restrictions were based on religious belief, property ownership, tax payment, race, and sex.

● Gradually the states' power has been assumed by the Federal Government.

History of Voting in US

Extending Suffrage: The Five Stages

● By the early 1800's, religious qualifications quickly disappeared. (1810) Property ownership and tax payments were the next to go by mid-century almost all white males could vote.

● The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, allowed people of various race and color to vote.

● The 19th Amendment in 1920 allowed women suffrage to pass.

● The Voting Right Act in 1965 (civil rights) and its later extension made racial equality a fact. The 23th Amendment in 1961, added the District of Columbia. The 24th Amendment in 1964, eliminated the poll tax as a condition for voting.

● The 26th Amendment in 1971, allowed 18 year olds voting rights.

Expansion of the Electorate

● Today, the size of the American electorate -the potential voting population-is truly impressive.

● Some 220 million people, all citizens who are least 18 years of age, can now qualify to vote.

● This is a result of laws that determined who can and cannot vote.

● It is also the result of some 200 years of continuing, often bitter, and sometimes violent struggle.

Summary 6-1

● Summarize your notes on the history of voting rights in the United States.

● Describe five distinct stages in the growth of the American electorate.

● Do you think 18 is the right minimum age for voting? Why or why not?

● Why do you think the Federal Government took more and more control over the setting of voter qualifications?