American Government and Political Science Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental political science concepts, government theories, public opinion polling, election laws, turnout metrics, and mechanisms of direct democracy.

Representative democracy

A country where people elect representatives to make political decisions for them.

Oligarchy

A political system dominated by only a small group of people.

Elite theory

A theory of government arguing that a small, wealthy, powerful elite controls government and makes policy to benefit its members and perpetuate their power.

Pluralist theory

A theory maintaining that groups representing the people's interests attract the attention of politicians and can influence government policy.

Tradeoffs

The compromise outcomes resulting as groups and elites fight with one another for influence and politicians attempt to balance the demands of competing interests.

Agents of socialization

Sources from which early life political learning occurs, including family, schools, friends, religious organizations, and the media.

Scientific poll

A poll designed using a representative and random sample to ensure responses reflect what the actual population believes, resulting in lower margins of error.

Electoral mandate

A condition occurring when a president has high public approval ratings, which can be used to push policies through Congress.

Voting Rights Act (1965)

Congressional legislation that prohibited states from denying voting rights based on race.

Help America Vote Act (2002)

Legislation requiring states to maintain accurate voter registration rolls and work harder to register citizens and update records.

National Voter Registration Act (1993)

Federal legislation requiring states to add voter registration options to government applications.

Voting-age population (VAP)

A metric used to calculate turnout as a percentage of all citizens of voting age, often yielding a turnout figure of just over half.

Voting-eligible population (VEP)

A metric used to calculate turnout among eligible citizens, which yields a slightly higher number than the voting-age population calculation.

Federal Election Commission

An organization created in an effort to control federal campaign donations and create transparency in campaign finance.

Super PACs

Organizations created following Supreme Court decisions that can raise unlimited campaign funds, provided they do not coordinate with candidates' campaigns.

Initiatives

Laws or constitutional amendments placed directly on the ballot by voters.

Referendums

Direct democracy ballot measures that ask voters to approve a decision made by the government.

Recalls

Direct democracy mechanisms that allow citizens to remove politicians from office.