AP® United States Government and Politics review sheet from Aim for Five (aimforfive.com/gov/units/5/5-1)
Unit 5 · Topic 5.1
5.1 Voting Rights and Models of Voting Behavior
The right to vote has expanded through constitutional amendments: the 14th defined citizenship, and the 15th, 17th, 19th, 24th and 26th widened who votes and for what. Political scientists describe several ways voters decide: rational choice, retrospective, prospective and straight-ticket voting. Knowing the amendments and the models lets you explain both who can vote and how they choose.
Key terms
- voting-rights amendments (14th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 24th, 26th)
- rational choice voting
- retrospective voting
- prospective voting
- straight-ticket voting
The voting-rights amendments
The original Constitution let states decide who could vote, and most states limited voting to white men, often only those who owned property. Amendments gradually widened the electorate:
| Amendment | Year | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| 14th | 1868 | Made everyone born or naturalized in the U.S. a citizen, including formerly enslaved people, and guaranteed equal protection and due process |
| 15th | 1870 | Banned denying the vote because of race, color or previous condition of servitude, opening voting to Black men |
| 17th | 1913 | Required senators to be elected directly by voters instead of by state legislatures |
| 19th | 1920 | Banned denying the vote because of sex, giving women the vote nationwide |
| 24th | 1964 | Banned poll taxes (fees to vote) in federal elections |
| 26th | 1971 | Lowered the voting age to 18 for all elections |
Promise versus practice
Amendments didn't always work right away. After Reconstruction, Southern states used poll taxes, literacy tests, white-only primaries, grandfather clauses and intimidation to keep Black citizens from voting despite the 15th Amendment. Real change came through the 24th Amendment, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (3.11) and court rulings, including a 1966 decision that extended the poll tax ban to state elections.
The 26th Amendment came during the Vietnam War, when many argued that people old enough to be drafted at 18 were old enough to vote.
Models of voting behavior
- Rational choice voting: voting based on what the individual believes is in their own interest, such as a candidate's tax plan that would help them financially.
- Retrospective voting: judging a candidate or party by past performance. Voters ask whether things got better or worse under the people in power. An incumbent presiding over a strong economy benefits; one presiding over a recession suffers.
- Prospective voting: voting based on predictions about the future, comparing what candidates promise to do and how likely they are to deliver.
- Straight-ticket (party-line) voting: voting for every candidate of one party on the ballot. It has become more common as parties have polarized. The opposite, split-ticket voting, means choosing candidates from different parties for different offices.
Putting the models together
Real voters often combine models. Someone might identify with a party (and usually vote straight-ticket), but also punish that party when the economy goes badly (retrospective). On the exam, the clue words matter: “past performance” or “the last four years” signals retrospective; “promises” or “plans for the future” signals prospective; “what benefits me” signals rational choice; “all candidates of one party” signals straight-ticket.
Worked examples
Try each one yourself first, then open the solution.
- Example 1
Identifying voting models
Classify each voter: (a) Maria votes against the incumbent governor because unemployment rose during his term. (b) James votes for the candidate whose plan would forgive student loans he owes. (c) Aisha votes for every Republican on her ballot from president to school board.
Show the solutionHide the solution
- Step 1: (a) Maria is judging past performance (unemployment during the term), so this is retrospective voting.
- Step 2: (b) James is voting for what benefits him personally, so this is rational choice voting. (It's also forward-looking, but the key clue is personal self-interest.)
- Step 3: (c) Aisha picks one party for every office, which is straight-ticket voting.
Answer: (a) Retrospective; (b) rational choice; (c) straight-ticket.
Common mistakes
- Saying the 15th Amendment gave women the vote. The 15th addressed race; the 19th addressed sex.
- Saying the 24th Amendment banned literacy tests. It banned poll taxes in federal elections; the Voting Rights Act of 1965 suspended literacy tests.
- Confusing retrospective (looking back at performance) with prospective (looking ahead to promises).
On the exam
- Multiple-choice questions often describe a voter and ask which model applies. Focus on the clue words.
- Know each voting amendment by number and what it did; questions may ask which amendment a scenario reflects.
Connected topics
Videos
Check yourself
4 questions on 5.1 Voting Rights and Models of Voting Behavior. Pick an answer to see if you got it, and why.
Fifteenth Amendment, Section 1 (1870): The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Nineteenth Amendment (1920): The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Twenty-Fourth Amendment, Section 1 (1964): The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.
Twenty-Sixth Amendment, Section 1 (1971): The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.
Amendments to the U.S. Constitution
Which amendment most directly targeted an economic barrier to voting?
Taken together, the four amendments best support which conclusion?
Four voters explain their choices in a state election:
Voter 1: “Prices and unemployment both went up under the current governor, so I'm voting for the challenger.”
Voter 2: “I'm voting for the candidate whose tax plan will cut my own family's taxes the most.”
Voter 3: “I read both candidates' plans for the next four years, and I think the challenger's plan will work better.”
Voter 4: “I voted for every candidate from my party, from governor down to county clerk.”
Hypothetical scenario
Voter 1's reasoning is the best example of
Which voter is the best example of rational choice voting?
0 of 4 answered