AP Gov Chapters 13 & 14

political participation

the different ways in which individuals take action to shape the laws and policies of a government

political action committee

an organization that raises money to elect and defeat candidates and may donate money directly to a candidate’s campaign, subject 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 eighteen years and older to vote

voter turnout

the # of eligible voters who participate in an election as a % of the total # of eligible voters

demographic characteristics

measurable characteristics of apopulation, 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 he or she can make 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 his or her 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 only to one political party for all of the offices on the ballot.

Electoral College

a constitutionally required process for selecting the president through slates of 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.

political party

an organized group of party leaders, officeholders, and voters that work together to elect candidates to political office.

party identification

the degree to which a voter is connected to and influenced by a particular political party.

straight-ticket voting

voting for all of the candidates on the ballot from one political party.

split-ticket voting

voting for candidates from different parties in the same election.

party platform

a set of positions and policy objectives that members of a political party agree to.

recruitment

the process through which political parties identify potential candidates.

party coalition

groups of voters who support a political party over time.

realignment

when the groups of people who support a political party shift their allegiance to a different political party.

critical election

a major national election that signals a change in the balance of power between the two parties.

party era

a time period when one party wins most national elections.

era of divided government

a trend since 1969, in which one party controls one or both houses of Congress and the president is from the opposing party.

nomination

the formal process through which parties choose their candidates for political office.

delegate

a person who acts as the voters’ representative at a convention to select the party’s presidential nominee.

primary election

an election in which a state’s voters choose delegates who support a candidate for nomination.

open primary

a primary election in which all eligible voters may vote, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

closed primary

a primary election in which only registered voters from a political party may vote.

caucus

a process through which a state’s eligible voters meet to select delegates to represent their preferences in the nomination process.

superdelegate

usually a party leader or activist who is not pledged to a candidate based on the outcome of the state’s primary or caucus.

front-loading

a decision by a state to push its primary or caucus to a date as early in the season as possible to become more influential in the nomination process.

national convention

a meeting where delegates officially select their party’s nominee for the presidency.

candidate-centered campaign

a trend in which candidates develop their own strategies and raise money with less influence

from the party elite.

two-party system

a system in which two political parties dominate politics, winning almost all elections.

proportional representation system

an election system for a legislature in which citizens vote for parties, rather than individuals, and parties are represented in the legislature according to the percentage of the vote they receive.

single-member plurality system

an election system for choosing members of the legislature where the winner is the candidate who receives the most votes, even if the candidate does not receive a majority of the votes.

third party

a minor political party in competition with the two major parties.