2014 Question 2. Political participation.

2. Voter turnout is influenced by constitutional provisions, voting laws, and

demographics.

(a) Identify the effect of one of the following amendments on the electorate.

15th amendment- Gave citizenship to all native-born peoples.

19th amendment-Gave women suffrage.

26th amendment- Established line of succession of President & change of

power.

(b) Explain how each of the following factors may affect voter turnout.

Motor voter laws- Makes it easier for public to register to vote

Photo identification laws- Could pose problem to those who don’t have photo
ID- lower income/minorities

(c) Select one of the following demographic features and describe its relationship to
the likelihood of a person voting in an election.

Education- The more educated you are, the more likely you are to vote,
and vote liberally.

Age- As you age, you are more likely to vote, and vote conservatively.

(d) Explain why voter turnout is different in each of the following.

Presidential versus midterm elections- Presidential elections have the

highest turnout; more perceived importance by public than midterms.
Primary versus general elections- General Elections have higher turnout
than primaries, they carry more perceived weight- more important choice.