Unit 3

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

helps people with disabilities achieve a full and equal opportunity to vote. Its protections apply on Election Day and during early voting processes and include provisions for voter registration, site selection, and casting of ballots.

Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA)

ensures that the right to vote is not tied to a citizen’s ability to read, write, pass an interpretation test, or achieve a certain level of education.

*In addition, voters who are blind or who possess another disability may receive assistance from a person of their choosing when voting.

*Allowing federal government oversight of voter registration in states that had disenfranchised minority voters.

*Reinforces 15th amendment

Military and Overseas Voting Empowerment Act of 2009 (MOVE)

requires states to develop procedures allowing military and overseas voters to request registration applications, absentee ballot applications, and election information electronically. States must send absentee ballots no later than 45 days before an election.

15th amendment

The amendment prohibits states, including those in the north, from denying the right to vote on account of race, color, or prior enslavement. Black men over the age of 21 can now vote. (1870)

19 amendment

The amendment grants women the right to vote. (1920)

23 amendment

Residents of Washington, D.C. can participate in presidential elections. (1961)

24 amendment

This amendment bans the use of poll taxes in federal elections. (1964)

26th amendment

This amendment, passed in the wake of the Vietnam War, lowers the voting age from 21 to 18. It is ratified in just two months. (1971)

The Indian Citizenship Act

This Act grants full citizenship to all Native Americans born in the U.S. However, voting rights are still determined by the states and Native Americans face discrimination at the polls. (1924)

In 1788

The U.S. Constitution is ratified. States retain the right to set their own voting laws. In most cases, white men over the age of 21 who own property can vote.

Despite 15th amendment

Jim Crow laws that enforce literacy tests, poll taxes, and the grandfather clause as well as outright intimidation and violence disenfranchise (or stop) African Americans from voting. Government institutions like the Supreme Court uphold many of the laws. (1877–1968)

absentee ballot

Paper ballot sent by mail that is used by voters who will not be able to vote in person on Election Day (like military personnel stationed overseas). The absentee ballots are mailed before Election Day and counted on Election Day.

acceptance speech

speech delivered by a candidate when accepting a political party’s nomination for the national presidential election

absolute majority

more than 50% of the votes cast

bipartisan

supported by members of the two major political parties (the Democrats and the Republicans)

blanket primary

primary election in which the names of all the candidates for all the parties are on one ballot

ballot

official paper or electronic form on which voters indicate choices of candidates and ballot measures

campaign

process of gathering public support for a candidate

campaign season

period of time that candidates work to inform the public and gain support prior to the election

candidate

person running for elected office

caucus

meetings where political party leaders and supporters choose candidates through discussion and consensus

centrist

having beliefs that are in the middle, between conservative and liberal

delegates

people chosen to represent each state at a political party’s convention. The more votes given to candidates through caucuses and primaries, the more delegates candidates recieve. If a candidate has the most delegates through the nation, they become the party’s running candidate.

closed primary

a primary election in which only the voters who have registered as belonging to a particular political party can vote

congressional district

an area within a state from which a member of the House of Representatives is elected. There are 435 Congressional districts.

conservative/right

believing in the value of established and traditional practices in politics and society

contributor/donor

a person or organization that donates money to a candidate’s campaign

convention

meeting where a political party chooses its presidential candidate

Election Day

the Tuesday after the first Monday in November

Electoral College

A group of people chosen from each U.S. state who meet to elect the nation’s President and Vice President based on the votes of all the people in each state

Exit poll

set of questions that people are asked after voting. Exit polls (surveys) are used to predict the winners before the polls (places where people vote) close.

G.O.P. (“Grand Old Party”)

the nickname used for the Republican Party

Inauguration Day

the day a new president and vice president are sworn into office (January 20)

incumbent

person who is currently in office

independent/nonpartisan

person who is not associated with any political party

liberal/left

believing that the government should be active in supporting social and political change

midterm election

general election that does not occur during a presidential election year; offices on the ballot include some U.S. Senate seats, all House of Representative seats, and many state and local positions

minority party

political party that is represented by less than 50% of the members in the Senate or the House of Representatives

nominee

the candidate a political party chooses, or nominates, to run in the general election

partisan

relating to a particular political party personal appearance event that a candidate attends in person

Political Action Committee (PAC)

organization that is formed by an individual or special interest group to raise money for political campaigns

political party

group of people with similar beliefs about government, like the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. (4 different types of political party systems)

popular vote

tally (count) of how many votes each candidate has received in the presidential election

primary election

election in which people vote for the presidential candidate they want to represent their political party in the national election

primary season

the months during which states hold primary elections or caucuses

record

information about how a politician has voted on bills; also, their statements made about issues while serving in office

referendum

proposed law that people vote on directly (also called a ballot measure, initiative, or proposition)

running mate

candidate who is running for office with another candidate on the same ticket (for example: president and vice president)

swing voters

voters who do not have a commitment to a particular political party

No political parties

Most of these countries are not democracies, so citizens have limited influence on the government.

single-party system

One major political party. China is a communist state with one political party, called the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Technically there are a few other parties, but they are all controlled by the CCP. In most single-party systems, it is illegal to oppose the main political party.

Multi-party systems

Where three or more political parties share power. In many of these countries, lawmakers are elected by proportional representation—each party gets a number of seats that corresponds to the amount of support the party gets from voters. Often no party has a clear majority, so parties must work together in government.

Two-party system

with two major political parties that hold most of the power. Other parties exist, and they sometimes gain enough support to win a few seats in the nation’s legislature, but they never get enough representation to have any national influence.

Open

For the primaries and caucuses, any registered voter regardless of political affiliation can vote/participate

Caucus Closed

Registered voters can only participate if they are registered members of that party.

Primary semi-open

Any registered voter must declare which party’s ballot they want before entering the voting booth.

Primary semi-closed

Registered party members vote using their party’s ballot. Unaffiliated voters may participate by choosing one party’s ballot.