Unit 5

Political efficacy

The belief that one's political participation really matters - that one's vote can actually make a difference

Rational-choice model

an economic model of voting where citizens weigh the benefits of voting against the costs in order to take the most personally beneficial course of action

15th Amendment

1870 constitutional amendment that guaranteed voting rights regardless of race or previous condition of servitude

19th Amendment

Gave women the right to vote

26th Amendment

lowered the voting age to 18

Voting Rights Act of 1965

signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Lyndon Johnson. It outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting.

Mid-term election (off-year election)

The congressional election that occurs midway through the president's term of office

Interest group

an organization of people sharing common objectives who actively attempt to influence government policymakers through direct and indirect methods

Iron triangle

A close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

Issue networks

Relationships among interest groups, congressional committees and subcommittees, and the government agencies that share a common policy concern.

Third-party (minor party)

Any other party than the two major parties in the U.S. examples: Green, Libertarian, Communi

Plurality voting

Plurality voting is a system in which the single winner of the most votes wins the election (even if the candidate does not capture a majority of the vote).

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act)

banned soft money contributions to national political parties from corporations and unions; independent expenditures by corporations, labor unions, trade associations, and nonprofit organizations are sharply restricted

Incumbency advantage

the edge current officeholders have over challengers in elections, due to their existing platform, name recognition, Visibility, Resources of Office, Money, Professionalism and careerism

Primary election (open or closed)

closed-A primary in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote

open- A primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place

Political action committee

is a type of organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaign for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation.

Sound bite

short video clips of approximately 10 seconds; typically, they are all that is shown from a politician's speech on the nightly television news

Horse-race journalism

political journalism of elections that resembles coverage of horse races because of the focus on polling data, public perception instead of candidate policy, and almost exclusive reporting on candidate differences rather than similarities.

Narrowcasting

media programming on cable TV or the internet that is focused on a particular interest and aimed at a particular audience, in contrast to broadcasting. Significance: Enforces opinions on a select group of voters, and can often sway votes of people tuning in for one time

Social media

Involves electronic technologies that link people to networks and allow the exchange of personal and professional information as well as common interests such as product and brand preferences; use has increased

Hard Money

money that goes directly to a candidate,is limited and tracked

Soft Money

money that indirectly helps a candidate,is unlimited and is not usually tracked.