#AP US Government: Voting Rights & Voter Behavior - The Ultimate Study Guide 🚀

Hey there, future AP Gov rockstar! Let's get you prepped and confident for the big exam. This guide is designed to be your go-to resource, especially the night before the test. We'll break down complex topics, highlight key points, and make sure you're feeling ready to crush it! 💪

#Foundations of Voting Rights

#State Control & Early Restrictions

Initially, states had broad power to set voting rules, leading to:

• Exclusion of many Americans, particularly women, Black Americans, and immigrants.
• Discriminatory tactics in the South:
  • Literacy tests 📝
  • Poll taxes 💰
  • Grandfather clauses 👴
  • White primaries ⚪
• These tactics aimed to limit the political power of Black Americans. 🚫

#Constitutional Amendments Expanding Suffrage

Here's how the Constitution was amended to expand voting rights:

#Fifteenth Amendment (1870)

• Prohibited denying the right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." ✊🏾
• Aimed to enfranchise Black men after the Civil War.
• Women were still excluded. 🚺

#Seventeenth Amendment (1913)

• Established the direct election of U.S. Senators by the people. 🗳️
• Prior to this, state legislatures chose senators, which was seen as corrupt. 🏛️
• Increased accountability and representation.
• Women were still excluded. 🚺

#Nineteenth Amendment (1920)

• Prohibited denying the right to vote based on sex. ♀️
• Result of decades of activism by suffragists. 📣
• Led by figures like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. 🦸‍♀️

#Twenty-Third Amendment (1961)

• Granted citizens of Washington, D.C., the right to vote in presidential elections. 🏛️
• D.C. residents were previously unrepresented in the Electoral College.

#Twenty-Fourth Amendment (1964)

• Prohibited poll taxes in federal elections. 🚫💰
• A response to discriminat...