Political participation

14th Amendment

1868: Everyone born in the US is granted citizenship and due process

15th Amendment

1870: Prohibits denying any vote based on race

17th Amendment

1913: Direct election of senators by popular vote

19th Amendment

1920: Gives women the right to vote

24th Amendment

1964: Banned poll taxes in federal elections

26th Amendment

1971: Makes the voting age 18 from the previous 21

Voting Rights Act

1965: Banned discriminatory voting practices like literacy test. It required federal preclearance for places with a history of discrimination and enforced the 15th Amendment

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold)

2002: Banned soft money to national parties and restricted "electioneering communications" ads close to election; parts were later weakened by Citizens United

Suffrage

The right to vote

Poll tax

A fee required to vote, used to keep black citizens from voting

Rational choice voting

Voting for the candidate whose policies benefit you most

Retrospective voting

Judging a candidate or party on past performance

Prospective voting

Voting based on what a candidate promises to do

Straight-ticket voting

Voting for the same party

Voter turnout

Number of people who cast their vote as a %

Structural barriers

Laws and rules that make voting harder

Political efficacy

The belief that you have a role to play in our democracy and can make change

Voter ID laws

Laws requiring identification at the polls

Absentee, mail, and early voting

Ways to vote without going to the polls = convenient

Voter registration methods

Ways to register - in person, online, motor voter, same day

Midterm election

An election held midway through a president's term

Party identification

A person's psychological attachment to a party

Linkage institutions

Channels that connects people to government

Political party

An organization that seeks to win elections and control gov

Party platform

Party's official statement of its position and goals

Candidate recruitment

Parties finding and encouraging people to run for office

Mobilization

Persuade supports to go out and vote

Candidate-centered campaign

Run around the individual candidate, with own staff, money, image

Critical election

An election that triggers a realignment, long lasting shifts in loyalty

Realignment

Sharp, lasting shift in party ideologies, demographics, bases, triggered by an critical election

Demographic coalition*

A group of voters that share traits (race, age, religion, income) and tend to vote for the same party

Voter data management*

Parties and campaigns collecting and analyzing voter data to target outreach and turnout

Third party

A party outside the 2 major ones, which rarely wins but can influence the debate or acts as a spoiler

Winner-take-all system

The candidate with the most votes win, and everyone else gets nothing

Proportional representation

Seats are awarded to parties based on their share of the votes which supports many parties

Two-party system

System dominated by 2 major parties, which winner takes all elections tend to produce

Interest group

Organized group that tries to influence public policy

Lobbying

Directly contacting officials to influence legislation or decisions

Amicus curiae brief

A "friend of the court" brief from non-party offering arguments to influence a court decision

Iron triangle

The stable, mutually beneficial relationship among a congressional committee, a federal agency, and an interest group

Issue network

A looser, wider web of groups, experts, and officials who share an interest in a policy area

Free rider

Someone who benefits from a group effort without joining or contributing

Selective benefits

Perks only members get (discounts, magazines, insurance), which encourage people to join

Single-issue group

A group focused narrowly on one issue, such as abortion or gun rights

Social movement

A broad, sustained effort by many people to bring about social or political change

Protest movement

A movement that uses demonstrations, marches, and civil disobedience to draw attention to its cause

Professional organization

Group of people in a profession (AMA, NEA) that sets standards and lobbies on the profession's behalf

Incumbency advantage

The edge current office holders have from name recognition, fundraising, and the perks of office

Open primary

Any registered voter can vote in either party's primary

Closed primary

Only voters registered with a party can vote in that party's primary

Caucus

A meeting where party members discuss and publicly choose candidates or delegates

Party convention

A meeting where delegates formally nominate the presidential candidate and adopt the platform

General election

The final election in which the parties' nominees compete for office

Electoral College

System in which state electors, not popular vote, choose the president. A candidate needs 270 of 538 electoral votes to win

Professional consultants

Paid experts (pollsters, ad makers, strategists) who run modern campaigns

Election cycle

Recurring timeline of an election, from primaries through the general election

Canvassing

Going door to door or calling to talk to voters directly

Soft money

Unregulated money given to parties for "party-building" rather than directly to candidates, BCRA largely banned it at the federal level

Political action committee (PAC)

An organization that raises money from members and donates it to candidates, subject to contribution limits

Super PAC

A PAC that can raise and spend unlimited money to support or oppose candidates, but can't coordinate with campaigns

Agenda setting

The media's power to decide which issues the public pays attention to

Investigative journalism

In-depth reporting that uncovers wrongdoing or hidden info

Horse-race journalism

Coverage focused on who's winning and losing (polls) rather than policy

Media bias

Perceived slanting of coverage towards a particular view

Partisan news

News outlets that openly favor one party or ideology

Ideologically oriented programming

Shows that present news and commentary from a particular view

Consumer-driven media

Media that shapes content to attract audiences and advertisers, which can favor entertainment over substance

Credibility

How trustworthy and reliable a news source is

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

2010: The Court held that the 1st Amendment protects political spending by corporations and unions, so the government can't limit it. This led to Super PACs. It's seen as a free speech win and increased the role of outside money in elections. Critics argue it lets wealthy interest dominate which connects to Federalist No. 10 worry about factions.