AP Gov - Elections and Campaigns Key Terms

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Political Participation

The ways in which citizens engage in politics, including voting, campaigning, and activism. It reflects the degree to which individuals partake in the political process and influence governmental decision-making.

Political Action Committee

An organization that raises and spends money to elect or defeat political candidates, often representing specific interest groups.

Linkage institution

An entity that connects citizens to the government, facilitating communication and participation in politics. Examples include political parties, interest groups, and the media.

Social Movement

A collective effort by a group of people to promote or resist change in society, often involving sustained campaigns and activism. Social movements aim to bring about political or social reform.

Franchise (suffrage)

The right to vote

Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Prohibits federal gov of denying anyone 18 and older from the right to vote

Twenty-fourth amendment

Prohibits the use of poll taxes in federal elections, ensuring that financial barriers do not restrict the right to vote.

Poll tax

A tax required to be paid before one can vote in federal elections, which was abolished by the Twenty-fourth Amendment.

Voter turnout

Percentage of eligible voters who cast ballots in the election.

Demographic characteristics

the statistical features of a human population used to study and predict political behavior, public opinion, and voter turnout

Socioeconomic status

a measure of an individual's wealth, income, occupation, and educational attainment

Political efficacy

the sense of an individual citizen that he or she is capable of effecting desired change in public policy.

Political mobilization

defined as organized activities intended to motivate groups of participants to take political action on a particular issue.

Registration requirements

the process by which eligible citizens sign up with their state to vote in elections.

Absentee ballot

A state-regulated voting method that lets eligible citizens who can't get to their polling place vote before Election Day, usually by mail;

Rational choice voting

voting based on what is in the citizen's best intent

Retrospective voting

refers to a theory in political science that suggests voters make decisions based on a calculated analysis of which candidate or party will best serve their interests

Prospective voting

refers to the practice where voters make decisions based on a candidate's promises and pledges regarding future actions 

Party line voting

A party-line vote in a deliberative assembly is a vote in which a substantial majority of members of a political party vote the same way

Electoral college

The constitutional system used in the United States to indirectly elect the president and vice president

Winner-take-all system

an electoral method where the candidate who wins the most popular votes in a state or district receives 100% of that area's allocated electors or legislative seats, while second-place and other trailing candidates receive nothing

Battleground state

is a U.S. state where the levels of support for Democratic and Republican candidates are nearly equal, making the election outcome highly competitive and uncertain

Swing state

idek everywhere i try it says that this and the battleground state is the same but in my vocab sheet it shows its two diff things. ask teacher when i can

Get Out The Vote (GOTV)

describes efforts aimed at increasing the voter turnout in elections.

SuperPAC

a type of U.S. political action committee that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money from individuals, corporations, labor unions, and associations to advocate for or against political candidates

Campaign strategy

A candidate's master plan for allocating limited time, money, personnel, and attention to win an election

Invisible primary

is the informal period before any official primary or caucus votes are cast, during which potential presidential candidates compete to build political and financial viability

Caucus

A local meeting of registered political party members who gather to discuss and select delegates for a presidential-nominating convention or to choose party leadership and policy

Presidential Primaries

State-level events used by political parties to select delegates who pledge to vote for a specific presidential nominee at the national party convention

Frontloading

U.S. states schedule their presidential primaries and caucuses earlier in the calendar year to maximize their influence on the nomination process.