Voter suppression

Voter suppression refers to the devious use of governmental power, political campaign strategy, and resources aimed at suppressing (i.e. reducing) the total vote of opposition candidacies instead of attempting to change likely voting behavior by changing the opinions of potential voters. Unlike negative campaigning, which ordinarily seeks reduce the likelihood of someone voting for a candidate through disparaging arguments directed at a candidate, voter suppression prevents people from voting altogether. Thus if as in the U.S. presidential election of 1964 in the United States the Lyndon Johnson campaign depicted Barry Goldwater as a right-wing extremist, such a depiction, however accurate, does not constitute voter suppression. Negative campaigning is a legitimate practice in politics against a candidate who has a questionable record, has little political experience, has undesirable or suspect affiliations, or takes unpopular stances; even if the smears of a negative campaign go so far as slander or libel they attempt to change opinions as they might be expressed in voting behavior. Neither does it include dirty tricks against an opposition campaign such as those that the Richard Nixon campaign used against several Democratic opponents in the 1972 presidential election. Such dirty tricks can change the course of a campaign, but they might not keep people from voting. Also excluded are such blatant forms of vote fraud as bribery or intimidation of electors, or manipulation of voting results by tampering with the voting devices, paraphernalia, or tabulating machines with the result of falsifying, undercounting, or otherwise misrepresenting the vote. Voter suppression implies an effort to keep persons who wish to vote from voting through discriminatory behavior for the purpose of ensuring that a preferred side wins an election.

Related Topics:
Negative campaigning - U.S. presidential election of 1964 - Lyndon Johnson - Barry Goldwater - Slander - Libel - Richard Nixon - 1972 presidential election - Vote fraud

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In the United States, voter suppression was used extensively in some Southern states until the Voting Rights Act (1965) made most disenfranchisement and voting qualifications illegal. Traditional voter suppression tactics included the institution of poll taxes and literacy tests, aimed at suppressing the votes of African Americans and working class white voters. Measures in place in seven U.S. states ban released felons from voting; some allege that this is a tactic aimed at suppressing voter turnout. Occasionally, as in Florida in the 2000 presidential election, some non-felons are banned due to record-keeping errors and are not warned of their disqualification before they have the right to contest it.

Related Topics:
United States - Southern state - Voting Rights Act - 1965 - Felon - Florida - 2000 presidential election - Record-keeping errors

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