Unit 2 Govt-2306

political socialization

The process by which individuals acquire political information and develop their political identities.

political efficiacy

The belief that individuals have the capacity and agency to make a difference in politics.

gender gap

In public opinion and voting, the tendency of women being more likely than men to support Democratic candidates.

political ideologies

Frameworks or systems of belief that frame how citizens think about the world, including politics.

informational shortcuts (heuristics)

Process by which individuals take informational cues from family, friends, or political leaders when deciding their political views and who to vote for.s

scientific polling

The practice of securing a representative sample in a poll that accurately represents and predicts public opinion and election outcomes.

policy congruence

When the opinions of constituents and policymakers are in alignment.

issue saliency

The notion that not all opinions are equally important to voters in that some issues might have more intensity of support or opposition.

endorsements

Support or approval that newspapers or other organizations give to political parties or candidates.

media consolidation

The concentration of ownership of news sources into the hands of fewer individuals or companies.

agenda setting

The media's designation of some issues, events, or people as important and others not.

framing

The process of presenting information from a certain perspective in order to shape the audience's understanding of that information.

mainstream media

A mix of broadcast and print news agencies that have traditionally dominated the dissemination of news, especially prior to the internet (e.g., ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal).

media fragmentation

The trend in the media away from the dominance of a small number of outlets that reach a large and broad audience, toward more outlets that are often focused on more narrow audiences.

partisan media

News organizations and content that mix opinion-driven journalism with factual reporting in order to appeal to consumers who are ideologically liberal or conservative.

news desert

A community where residents have significantly diminished access to local news and information.

disinformation

False information distributed in the media with the intent to deceive the public.

party platform

A statement of principles and political philosophy that a political party promises to enact if elected to office.

partisan polarization

The degree to which Republicans have become more conservative, and Democrats have become more liberal.

precinct

The most basic level of political organization at the local level.

percent chair

The local party official, elected in the party's primary election, who heads the precinct convention and serves on the party's county executive committee.

county executive committee

The party group, made up of a party's county chair and precinct chairs, that is responsible for running a county's primary elections and planning county conventions.

county chair

The county party official who heads the county executive committee.

state chair and vice chair

The top two state-level leaders in the party.

state executive committee

The committee responsible for governing a party's activities throughout the state.

precinct convention

A meeting held by a political party to select delegates for the county convention and to submit resolutions to the party's state platform; precinct conventions are held on the day of the party's primary election and are open to anyone who voted in that election.

county convention

A meeting held by a political party following its precinct conventions, for the purpose of electing delegates to its state convention.

state convention

A party meeting held every two years for the purpose of nominating candidates for statewide office, adopting a platform, electing the party's leadership, and in presidential election years selecting delegates for the national convention and choosing presidential electors.

Dixiecrats

Conservative southern Democrats who abandoned the national Democratic Party in the 1948 presidential election over the issue of racial integration.

La Raza Unida

Former political party created in 1970 in Texas in order to bring attention to the concerns of Mexican Americans.

first past the post

An election rule that states that the winner is the candidate who receives a plurality of the votes.

single member district

A district in which one official is elected rather than multiple officials.

proportional representation

A multimember district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote.

Tea Party Movement

Reaching prominence after Barack Obama's election, a political movement that advocates lower government spending, lower taxes, and limited government.

Shivercrat movement

A movement led by Texas governor Allan Shivers during the 1950s in which conservative Democrats in Texas supported Republican candidate Dwight Eisenhower for the presidency because many of those conservative Democrats believed that the national Democratic Party had become too liberal.

presidential republicanism

A voting pattern in which conservatives vote Democratic for state offices but Republican for president.

blue dog democrats

Another name for conservative Democrats, mostly from the South.

primary election

A ballot vote in which citizens select a party's nominee for the general election.

electoral cycle

The process in which candidates run for office beginning with campaigns for the party primary and ending with the general election, usually in November.

runoff primary

A second primary election held between the two candidates who received the most votes in the first primary election if no candidate in that election received an absolute majority.

open primary

A primary election in which any registered voter can participate in the contest, regardless of party affiliation.

closed primary

A primary election in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote.

general election

The election in which voters cast ballots to select public officials.

special election

An election that is not held on a regularly scheduled basis; in Texas, a special election is called to fill a vacancy in office, to give approval for the state government to borrow money, or to ratify or reject amendments to the Texas Constitution.

nineteenth amendment

Ratified in 1920, amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote.

poll tax

A state-imposed tax on voters as a prerequisite for voting; poll taxes were rendered unconstitutional in national elections by the Twenty-Fourth Amendment, and in state elections by the Supreme Court in 1966.

early registration

The requirement that a voter register long before the general election; in effect in Texas until 1971.

white primary

Primary election in which only White voters were eligible to participate.

Jaybird Party

After the White primary was ruled unconstitutional, this offshoot Democratic Party preselected candidates for the Democratic primary and prohibited Black people from participating.

Voting Rights Act 1965

Important legislation passed in order to ensure that Blacks would be guaranteed the right to vote. Renewed several times since 1965, the act also prevents the dilution of minority voting strength.

motor voter law

A national act passed in 1993 that requires states to allow people to register to vote when applying for a driver's license.

early voting

A procedure that allows voters to cast ballots during a two-week period before the regularly scheduled election date.

straight ticket voting

A method of voting in which a voter checks a box by one of the political parties on the ballot, which casts their vote for every candidate on the ballot with that political party affiliation.

reapportionment

Process that takes place every 10 years to determine how many congressional seats each state will receive, depending on population shifts.

redistricting

The process of redrawing election districts and redistributing legislative representatives in the Texas House, Texas Senate, and U.S. House; this process usually happens every 10 years to reflect shifts in population or in response to legal challenges in existing districts.

preclearance

The requirement under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act that the U.S. Department of Justice or a Washington, D.C., federal court had to approve any voting changes from states (including Texas) covered by the provision; due to a Supreme Court decision, this is no longer required.

interest group

An organization established to influence the government's programs and policies.

free rider problem

The incentive to benefit from others' work without making a contribution, which leads individuals in a collective action situation to refuse to work together.

selective benefits

Goods or tangible benefits that members of a group receive by virtue of belonging.

solidarity benefits

Symbolic and psychic benefits that make members of an interest group feel like they are part of a cause larger than themselves.

bundling

The interest-group practice of combining campaign contributions from several sources into one larger contribution from the group, so as to increase the group's impact on the candidate.

lobbyist

An individual employed by an interest group who tries to influence governmental decisions on behalf of that group.

revolving door

The practice of former legislators using their experience to work as lobbyists for interest groups.

political action committees (PAC’s)

A private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns.

issue advocacy

Independent spending by individuals or interest groups on a campaign issue but not directly tied to a particular candidate.

dark money

Political contributions whose donors are not legally required to be disclosed.

interest group capture

Process by which a government agency comes to serve the objectives of the interests that the agency is supposed to regulate.