AP U.S. Government and Politics: Unit 5 Political Participation Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards reviewing key terms, amendments, voting behavior models, linkage institutions, and electoral concepts from AP U.S. Government and Politics Unit 5: Political Participation.

15th Amendment

A constitutional amendment establishing that the U.S. cannot prevent a person from voting because of race, color, or creed.

17th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that established the direct election of senators instead of being chosen by state legislatures.

19th Amendment

A constitutional amendment through which women gained the right to vote.

24th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that eliminated the poll tax as a prerequisite to vote in national elections.

26th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

A federal law that banned racial discrimination in voting and provided for federal election examiners to enforce the law.

Motor Voter Law

A federal law that required states to allow voters to register when they get their driver's license.

Rational-choice voting

A voting model where a voter examines an issue or candidate, evaluates campaign promises or platform points, and consciously decides to vote in the way that seems to benefit the voter.

Retrospective voting

A theory of voting in which voters essentially ask "what have you done for me lately" when making a decision.

Prospective voting

A voting model based on well-informed opinions and consideration of the future consequences of a given vote.

Party-line voting

A voting pattern in which a substantial majority of members of a political party vote for those in their party.

Demographics

Characteristics of a population, including age, sex, and race, often used to determine changes in the make-up of a population.

Political Efficacy

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

Electorate

All of the people entitled to vote in a given election.

Linkage Institution

The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda.

Elections (as a Linkage Institution)

The rules and mechanisms that decide how votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats in a legislature.

Political Parties (as a Linkage Institution)

An organization formed to gain political power and connect the government to its people.

Interest Groups (as a Linkage Institution)

A social group whose members control some field of activity and have common aims.

Media (as a Linkage Institution)

An institution whose main function is to inform the people about important issues and controversies.

Critical Election

An election that produces a sharp change in the existing pattern of party loyalties among groups of voters, where electoral realignment persists through several elections.

Realignment

When a political party undergoes a major shift in its electoral base and political agenda.

Regional Realignment

When an area of the country undergoes a major shift in its electoral base and political agenda.

Divided Government

A governance condition occurring when different political parties control different branches of the federal government.

Winner-take-all voting districts

An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the party who received the most votes in an election, creating a structural barrier for minor political parties.

Roosevelt Coalition

The Democratic majority constituency formed during the 1932 election realignment consisting of the working class, poor, Catholics, Jews, the Solid South, and blacks.

Invisible Primary

The candidate recruitment process utilized by political parties prior to primary elections and conventions.