AP U.S. Government & Politics Lecture Notes

A collection of vocabulary flashcards based on key concepts discussed in AP U.S. Government & Politics lecture notes.

Citizens United v. F.E.C. (2010)

Supreme Court case ruling that corporate funding of independent political expenditures cannot be limited.

BCRA

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act that banned corporations from certain independent political spending.

Independent Political Expenditures

Spending on political speech that is not affiliated with any candidate's campaign.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

An organization that raises money to support political candidates and campaigns.

Super PAC

An independent-expenditure-only committee that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money.

Rational Choice Voting

Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen's individual interest.

Retrospective Voting

Voting based on the past performance of a party or candidate.

Prospective Voting

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

Voter Suppression

Strategies used to discourage or prevent specific groups of people from voting.

Free Rider Problem

A situation where individuals benefit from the efforts of a group without joining them.

Incumbency Advantage

The electoral edge afforded to those already in office.

Electoral College

The body that officially elects the president, requiring 270 votes to win.

Winner-Take-All

An electoral system where the candidate receiving the most votes gets all the electoral votes from that state.

Hard Money

Contributions made directly to a candidate, regulated by law.

Soft Money

Contributions to political parties for party-building, not regulated.

Agenda Setting

The media's ability to influence the importance placed on issues by policy makers.

Watchdog

Investigative journalism that holds public officials accountable.