AP Government

What is political participation?

Any actions citizens take to influence government policy or leaders.

What is a political action committee (PAC)?

An organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns.

What was the Tillman Act of 1907?

The first federal law in the U.S. to prohibit corporations and national banks from making direct financial contributions to federal political candidates.

What did the amendments to FECA after Watergate entail?

Limits were placed on money given directly to candidates by political action committees and individuals.

Who can form a PAC?

Individuals, corporations, and unions.

Can PACs donate directly to a campaign?

Yes, but they are subject to limits.

What is the soft money loophole?

No limits were placed on donations made in support of a candidate that were separate from the candidate's campaign.

What was the significance of Buckley v. Valeo?

It upheld limits on how much money an individual could donate directly to someone else's campaign.

What did the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act aim to do?

Tried to close the soft money loophole by prohibiting issue ads that mentioned a candidate’s name within certain time frames before elections.

What is the Citizens United group?

A tax-exempt non-profit group dedicated to informing the American people about public policy issues related to traditional American values.

What is independent expenditure?

Spending on political communication made independently of a candidate’s campaign.

What are linkage institutions?

Channels that connect individuals with government including elections, political parties, interest groups, and media.

What is a social movement?

Individuals may come together to work towards a shared set of political goals.

What is suffrage/franchise?

The right to vote.

What does the 26th Amendment allow?

Allows those 18 and older to vote.

What does the 24th Amendment prohibit?

Prohibits Congress and the states from imposing poll taxes as a condition for voting.

What was established by the 15th Amendment?

Gave black men the right to vote.

What did the 19th Amendment accomplish?

Granted women the right to vote.

What does the 14th Amendment guarantee?

Anyone born in the U.S. is an American citizen.

What change did the 17th Amendment bring?

It provided for the direct election of senators.

What does the 23rd Amendment address?

Apportions the same number of electors as the least populous state.

What was the purpose of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

Designed to enforce the 15th Amendment and eliminate state-level Jim Crow-era restrictions.

What does the Motor Voter Registration Law allow?

Americans to register to vote when applying or renewing their driver's license.

Why are national elections held on a Monday?

It may discourage voting because it’s a workday.

What does the time, place and manner clause state?

States set rules for elections.

What is rational choice voting?

Voters make decisions based on what they believe is their own best interest.

What is retrospective voting?

Voting to decide whether the party or candidate has performed well in the past.

What is prospective voting?

Voting based on predictions about how a candidate or party will perform in the future.

What is party line voting?

Supporting a party by voting for candidates from that party at all levels of government.

What is the winner-take-all system?

The candidate who wins the plurality of voters within a state receives all of that state's votes in the electoral college.

What are battleground states?

States where polls show a close contest between Democrats and Republicans.

What are swing states?

States where support for parties is equal and can swing back and forth.

What is FECA?

It created the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

What is the FEC?

An independent agency that oversees campaign finance and sets laws requiring disclosure of campaign fund sources.

What was the outcome of Citizens United v. FEC?

The court struck down portions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, ruling that corporations and labor unions are persons under the law protected by the 1st Amendment.

What are super PACs?

Organizations that may spend an unlimited amount of money on political campaigns, as long as that spending is not coordinated with the campaign.

What is news media?

A broad term that includes newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, internet sources, blogs, and social media postings.

What is agenda setting in media?

The role of media in helping determine which issues are worthy of public attention.

What is issue framing?

How the media focuses on an issue, the angle taken on a story, and the details highlighted.

What is mass media?

Sources of information that appeal to a wide audience.

What is a wire service?

An organization that gathers and reports on news and sells the stories to other outlets.

What is broadcast media?

Media that brought political news to people immediately.

What was established by the Radio Act?

The Federal Radio Commission and required broadcasters to obtain a license to broadcast on specific frequencies.

What is the Communication Act?

It created the Federal Communications Commission to oversee the implementation of its provisions.

What was the significance of NYT v. US?

The Supreme Court ruled that the government may not censor stories before they are published unless it endangers national security.

What is media consolidation?

The concentration of media ownership into fewer corporations.

What is partisan bias?

The slanting of political news coverage in support of a particular party or ideology.

What is narrowcasting?

Information selected and tailored for a specific audience.

What is the role of the media as a watch dog?

Acting like a barking dog, investigating and reporting on government activities.

What is horse race journalism?

Coverage of political campaigns that focuses more on the drama of the campaign rather than policy issues.