Studied by 6 people
political participation
the different ways in which individuals take action to shape laws and policies of a government
political action committee (PAC)
an organization that raises money to elect and defeat candidates and may donate money directly to a candidate’s campaign, subject to limits
linkage institution
channels that connect individuals with government, including elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media
social movement
the joining of individuals seeking social or political change with the goal of placing issues on the policy agenda
franchise (suffrage)
the right to vote
poll tax
a payment required by a state or federal government before a citizen is allowed to vote
24th amendment
prohibits congress and the states from imposing poll taxes as a condition for voting in federal elections
26th amendment
allows those 18 years and older to vote
voter turnout
the number of eligible voters who participate in an election as a percentage of the total number of eligible votes
demographic characteristics
measurable characteristics of a population, such as economic status, education, age, race or ethnicity, and gender
socioeconomic status (SES)
a measure of an individual’s wealth, income, occupation, and educational attainment
political efficacy
a person’s belief that they can make an effective political change
political mobilization
efforts by political parties to encourage their members to vote
registration requirements
the set of rules that govern who can vote and how, when, and where they vote
absentee ballot
voting completed and submitted by a voter before the day of an election without going to the polls
rational choice voting
voting based on what a citizen believes is in their best interest
retrospective voting
voting based on an assessment of an incumbent’s past performance
prospective voting
casting a ballot for a candidate who promises to enact policies favored by the voter in the future
party-line voting
voting for candidates who belong to only one political party for all the officers on the ballot
electoral college
a constitutionally required process for selecting the president through electors chosen in each state, who are pledged to vote for a nominee in the presidential election
winner-take-all system
a system of elections in which the candidate who wins the plurality of votes within a state receives all of that state’s votes in the electoral college
battleground state
a state where the polls show a close contest between the republican and democratic candidate in a presidential election
swing state
a state where levels of support for the parties are similar and elections swing back and forth between democrats and republicans
get out the vote (GOTV)
efforts to mobilize supporters
super PAC
an organization that may spend an unlimited amount of money on a political campaign, as long as the spending is not coordinated with the campaign
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Flashcard (24)