Studied by 20 people
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
Note 
Flashcard (20)