AP US Gov - Unit 5A Vocab

AP US Government Unit 5 Vocab A

15th Amendment

Cannot deny suffrage based on race; universal male suffrage

17th Amendment

Direct election of Senators; replaced old system of state legislatures choosing Senators

19th Amendment

Cannot deny suffrage based on sex; Women can vote

24th Amendment

Elimination of poll taxes; passed during Civil Rights Movement to eliminate structural barriers for black voters

26th Amendment

Lowers voting age to 18 in all states

Rational Choice Voting

When voters make decisions based on their own personal benefit and a rational evaluation of candidates' policies

Retrospective Voting

Voting based on the recent performance of a candidate or political party

Prospective Voting

Voting based on predictions of how a candidate will perform in the future

Straight-Ticket (Party-Line) Voting

Voting strictly according to one’s political party affiliation, regardless of individual candidate positions

Efficacy

The belief that one’s vote or political actions can make a difference; higher amounts of this generally lead to higher voter turnout

Voter Turnout

The percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot

Informal Barriers to Voting

Systems that prevent people from voting that are not codified by law

Formal/Structural Barrier to Voting

Systems that prevent people from voting that are codified by law

Midterm Election

Occur halfway through a president's term and often have lower voter

Presidential Election

Have the highest voter turnout and determine; happen on multiples of 4 (04, 08, 12, etc.)