VOTER. One entitled to a vote or voice in the determination of a question before a number of individuals. The term implies some qualifi cation. For example, to entitle a person to vote for candidates for public office be must be a citizen of the jurisdiction in which the election is held, and, of course, no one can vote on any question before a private corporation or asso ciation unless he is a member.
The character of the qualifications required of voters in political elections varies somewhat in the different States. However, there are cer tain general requirements in all States, which may be summarized as follows: (1) Citizenship; (2) residence for a certain time in the State, county, and election district: (3) that the voter shall have attained his majority (21 years) : (4) that the voter shall he of sound mind: (3) that he shall not he a convicted felon under sen tence. Registration is also required in many States. Some of the States have established either pl'operty or educational qualifications. This has been done in most of the Southern States in order to exclude the negro vote. As these tests might bar some of the 'poor whites.'
a provision that any one whose father or grand father was a soldier in the Confederate Army has been introduced. These ingenious devices are rendered necessary by the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which provides that the "right of citizens to vote shall not be abridged by the United States or any State on account of race, color. or previous condition of servitude." Except for this provision the States have power to fix their own qualifications. A few States permit women to vote.
The election laws of most States contain pro visions under which a person who suspects that another is illegally attempting to vote may chal lenge the latter's right to do so. Under such circumstances the person challenged is generally permitted to 'swear in' his vote, that is. state under oath that he possesses the qualification which the challenger denies, and his vote is vomited subject to rejection later if the courts subsequently decide that he had no right to vote. See ELECTORAL REFORM ; VOTE.