Polisci 101 Final

civil liberties

freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights that protect individuals from governmental interference; not absolute

civil rights

constitutionally guaranteed rights of citizenship that are protected by govt

selective incorporation

makes protections of the Bill of Rights applicable to the states on a case-by-case basis; addressed in the 14th amendment

establishment clause

govt can not declare an official religion

free exercise clause

individuals have the right to or not to practice religion

separationism

belief there should be a clear division between church and state

accommodationism

belief there are exceptions when it comes to the separation of church and state

alien and sedition act

made it more difficult to be become a naturalized citizens

clear and present danger test

allowed the regulation of speech if it presents imminent danger - overturned

direct incitement test

restricts speech if it will cause imminent dangerous activity; replaced the clear and present danger test

miller test

determines that obscenity is based on local standards

communication decency act

outlaws sending or distributing indecent material on the Internet - struck down by SCOTUS for violating the 1st amendment

District of Columbia v Heller

determined that the 2nd amendment guarantees the individual right to bear arms

McDonald v Chicago

states can not violate an individual's right to bear arms

Griswold v Connecticut

prohibited the sell of contraceptives

Roe v Wade

guaranteed abortions on a trimester basis

Casey case

replaces the trimester standard with the undue burden standard

Dobbs v Jackson

overturns Roe v Wade

14th amendment

grants citizenship to all people born in the US; excludes those born to foreign ambassadors and Native Americans who were later added through a congressional act

jus soli

citizenship determined by place of birth

jus sanguinis

citizenship determined by a person's bloodline

political culture

beliefs and values about how citizens develop a relationship with our govt and politics

moralistic political culture

politics: held in high regard

political parties: less important than the public good

elected officials: focus on public policies

individualistic political culture

politics: viewed as a marketplace with limited govt interference

political parties: signification influence

elected officials: focus on getting re-elected

traditionalistic

politics: protect the existing social order

political parties: little importance

political participation: discouraged if it disrupts the status quo

dealignment

the trend of an increasing number of independent voters

party base

members of a political party that consistently vote for that party's candidate

political ideology

description of one's beliefs about the purpose and scope of govt that is categorized on a left to right continuum of liberal and conservative

political parties

made up of citizens with common ideologies who aim to control the govt to promote their ideals

interest groups

made up of citizens with common ideologies who aim to influence govt through lobbying

What do political parties provide?

organization to the federalist political system, social cues to citizens on who to vote for, and organized political debate

responsible party model

candidates should represent everyone, not just the people who voted for them

rational party model

political ideology functions on a continuum with moderates falling in the middle - the distribution of voters along this continuum creates a bell curve

critical elections

an election following a crisis that shifts voter loyalty from one party to another

realignment

when voter loyalty shifts after a critical election

ticket-splitting

when voters vote for multiple parties on one ballot

single-member districts

the candidate who wins the most votes wins the election, making it difficult for third parties to win because voters feel like voting for them is a waste

prospective voting

casting a vote based on the consequences of the vote

retrospective voting

casting a vote based on candidates' past actions

single issue voters

voting based on one issue that is typically controversial

wedge issue voters

controversial issues that a political party uses to attract voters from opposing parties

swing voters

voters who are undecided at the beginning of a campaign

front-loading

when states hold a primary election before other states, allowing them an influence on the outcome of other states' primaries

open primaries

voters do not need to be registered party members to vote

closed primaries

only voters registered as Democrat or Republican can vote

semi closed primaries

voters registered as Independent can vote

caucus

public meeting of voters that select a candidate for the general election

electoral votes needed to win a presidential election

270

who decides the winner if there is not one in the electoral college?

House

winner-takes-all

winner in a state is awarded all electoral votes; makes it possible for a candidate to win the popular vote but not the electoral vote

congressional district method

winner in each district is awarded one vote, then the statewide winner is awarded the last two votes

Buckley v Valeo

set a limit on hard money that can be contributed to campaigns

hard money

contributions coming from individuals, political actions committees (PACs), and parties

Bipartisan Reform / McCain-Feingold Act

outlaws soft money

soft money

contributions from individuals, parties, or groups to promote general election activities but not intended to directly support individuals

Citizens United v Federal Election Committee

unions or corporations can spend unlimited amounts of money on campaigns as long as they remain politically independent

what affects voter turnout?

registration laws
declining loyalties to the two major political parties
low levels of voter mobilization
low levels of social connectedness

Civic virtue

more concerned with the good of the country rather than our own good

What are some demographic groups?

age
income
race/ethnicity
education
sex/gender

What is the most important factor that affects how people vote

party indentification

what is the most common type of primary system in the states?

closed primary

who is the general election guided by?

electoral college

what is the electoral college

Constitutional compromise between those who wanted people to directly elect the president and those who wanted congress to elect the president

Hyperpolarization

Ideological differences between the two major political parties is at an all-time high

What does hyperpolarization create?

Grindlock and little change

Hyperpartisanship

Commitment to a party so strong that it can transcend other commitments

Negative partisanship

Idea that loyalty to a political party is driven by the hatred of another political party

what are some results of political shifting

ticket splitting
candidate or issued centered elections
divided government

Candidate or issue-centered elections

individual candidate or issue is more important than the party label

Divided government

The white house and one or both house of Congress are controlled by different political parties

Why does America have a 2-party political system?

Electoral structure

Single-member district plurality (SDMP)

candidate that has the most votes wins the election

Laws for ballot access

Independent candidates have to get signatures to show up on the ballot

Why was the Bill of Rights added?

To placate the anti-federalists
To secure ratification of the Constitution

What did Ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868 do?

helped address the question of whether the states comply with the Bill of Rights
Bill of Rights became applicable to the states