Voting RIGHTS and Models of Voting Behavior [AP Gov Review, Unit 5 Topic 1 (5.1)]

Summary

This video delves into Unit 5 of the AP Government curriculum, focusing on voting rights and behaviors in the U.S. It outlines the historical expansion of voting rights from property-owning white men to all citizens, as influenced by amendments like the 15th, 17th, 19th, 24th, and 26th. The script also explores voting models: rational choice, retrospective, prospective, and party line voting, emphasizing how individuals make political choices.

Takeaways

• 📜 The Constitution initially left the decision of who could vote to the states, resulting in only wealthy white men having voting rights.
• 🗳️ By 1830, voting rights were extended to all white men, regardless of property ownership, largely due to pressure from western territories.
• 🏛️ Post-Civil War amendments to the Constitution expanded voting rights to include black men (15th Amendment), direct election of senators (17th Amendment), women (19th Amendment), and abolished poll taxes (24th Amendment), and lowered the voting age to 18 (26th Amendment).
• 🚫 Despite constitutional protections, some states still erect barriers to voting, and certain groups like convicted felons may be restricted from voting.
• 🤔 Voting behavior can be influenced by rational choice, where voters make informed decisions based on self-interest and careful study of issues and candidates.
• 🔙 Retrospective voting involves casting a ballot based on a politician's past performance, essentially asking if they were effective or not.
• 🔮 Prospective voting is based on predictions of a candidate's future performance and how their policies might impact the voter's life.
• 📊 Party line voting is a behavior where individuals vote for all candidates of their party without necessarily evaluating each candidate individually.
• 🎓 The video script is educational, aiming to help students understand the history of voting rights and models of voting behavior for their AP Government class.
• 🎥 The presenter uses humor and informal language to engage the audience and make the topic of voting rights accessible and interesting.

Q & A

What does the term 'franchise' refer to in the context of voting rights?

The term 'franchise' refers to the right to vote, or the set of people who are eligible to vote in an election.

According to Article 1 Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, who originally had the right to vote?

Initially, only white men who owned property had the right to vote, which constituted a small minority of the population.

What was the significance of the extension of the franchise to all white men by 1830?

The extension of the franchise to all white men, regardless of whether they owned land, significantly increased the number of people eligible to vote and was influenced by the westward expansion and the pressure from figures like Andrew Jackson.

How did constitutional amendments after the Civil War affect voting rights?

Constitutional amendments such as the 15th, 17th, 19th, 24th, and 26th amendments expanded voting rights to include black men, allowed for the direct election of senators, recognized women's right to vote, abolished poll taxes, and lowered the voting age to 18, respectively.

What are the two caveats mentioned regarding the universal franchise in America?

The two caveats are that some states still erect barriers to voting and some states have enacted laws limiting certain groups, such as convicted felons, from voting.

What is 'rational choice voting'?

Rational choice voting is a model where individuals vote based on their self-interest after carefully studying the issues and platforms of the candidates.

How does 'retrospective voting' differ from 'prospective voting'?

Retrospective voting is based on the recent past performance of a politician, while prospective voting is based on predictions of how a candidate or party will perform in the future.

What is 'party line voting' and how does it influence an individual's voting decision?

Party line voting is when a person votes for all the candidates of their own political party without necessarily evaluating each candidate's stance or performance individually.

What was the original rationale behind limiting voting rights to only white men who owned property?

The original rationale was the belief that men with property were the only ones who had a true stake in society's betterment, as they owned a piece of it, and thus would vote in the interests of society as a whole.

How does the video script suggest that the pressure for voting rights extension came mainly from the west?

The script suggests that as people moved westward and established new territorial governments, they tended to open voting rights to more people than the established states in the east did.