Political Participation

political participation

the different ways that individuals take action to shape the laws and policies of a government; #1 is voting

political action committee (PAC)

an organization that raises money to elect and defeat candidates and may donate money directly to a candidate's campaign, subject to limits

linkage institution

channels that connect individuals with government; includes the election process, work of political parties & interest groups, and the media

franchise (suffrage)

the right to vote; individual states determine voting eligibility for their state

15th Amendment

States cannot deny any person the right to vote because of race.

17th Amendment

Established the direct election of senators (instead of being chosen by state legislatures)

19th Amendment

Gave women the right to vote

26th Amendment

allows those 18 yrs and older to vote

24th Amendment

prohibits Congress and the states from imposing poll taxes as a condition for voting in federal elections

poll taxes

payment required by a state or federal government before a citizen is allowed to vote

voter turnout

number of eligible voters who participate in an election as a percentage of the total number of eligible voters; higher educated has higher turnout than lower educated; those over age 50 have higher voter turnout; women tend to have a slightly higher voter turnout; voter turnout is higher in presidential elections (v. mid-term elections)

ways to increase voter turnout

Same-day voter registration; early voting; Mail-in Voting; Online Voting; extended days for voting (v. one day); laws protecting minority voter rights

Voter ID laws

laws requiring that voters show government made ID at polls; advocates argue it decreases voter fraud; critics argue that elderly, poor and some persons of color are less likely to get a good enough ID; determined by each individual state

voter choice

influenced by factors such as party identification, candidate characteristics, contemporary political issues, religious beliefs and affiliation, gender, race/ethnicity

demographic characteristics

measurable characteristics of a population, such as economic status, education, age, race or ethnicity and gender

political efficacy

a person's belief that he/she can make effective political change

Political Parties

organization that tries to influence gov. policy by promoting its ideas and backing candidates for office; work to educate potential voters on issues and policy (very significant to a democracy); represent policy on a vast array of issues (and at local/state/federal levels)

political mobilization

efforts by political parties to encourage their members to vote

registration requirements

the set of rules that govern who can vote and how, when, and where they vote; determined by states

Motor-Voter Law

law passed to encourage more people to participate in voting; allowed people to register to vote while they renewed their license. The thought was that most people renew their license and thus it would give them a chance to register at the same time.

absentee ballot

voting completed and submitted by a voter before the day of an election without going to the polls

rational choice voting

voting based on what a citizen believes is in his/her best interest

retrospective voting

voting based on an assessment of an incumbent's past performance

prospective voting

casting a ballot for a candidate who promises to enact policies favored by the voter in the future

Party-line voting

voting for candidates who belong only to one political party for all of the offices on the ballot

Electoral College

a constitutionally required process for selecting the president through slates of electors chosen in each state, who are pledged to vote for a nominee in the presidential election [if no one gets the majority of vote, the vote goes to House of Representatives]

winner-take-all system

a system of elections in which the candidate who wins the plurality of votes within a state receives all of that state's votes in the Electoral College

Election mandate

US "winner takes all" Electoral College system leads many elected presidents to claim a "mandate" of the people

battleground state

a state where the polls show a close contest between the Republican and Democratic candidate in a presidential election; often a more populous state that can tip the balance of electoral college

swing state

a state where levels of support for the parties are similar and elections swing back and forth between Democrats and Republicans

get-out-the-vote (GOTV)

efforts to mobilize supporters; by political parties or interest groups

Super PACs

an organization that may spend an unlimited amount of money on a political campaign as long as the spending is not coordinated with a campaign

party identification

the degree to which a voter is connected to and influenced by a particular political party; political parties are not mentioned in the Constitution (formed during Washington's adm.)

straight-ticket voting

voting for all of the candidates on the ballot from one political party

split-ticket voting

voting for candidates from different parties in the same election

party platform

a set of positions and policy objectives that members of a political party agree to

US 2 party system

Due to US "winner-takes-all" elections AND Single-member plurality districts

recruitment

the process through which political parties identify potential candidates to run in an election

incumbency advantage

The electoral advantage a candidate enjoys by virtue of being an incumbent, over and above his or her other personal and political characteristics; name recognition; access to voter data; often the most important factor in congressional elections

party coalition

groups of voters who support a political party over time

realignment

when the groups of people who support a political party shift their allegiance to a different political party (eg. white Southerners shifted from Democratic Party to Republican Party after Civil Rights legislation by LBJ)

critical election

a major national election that signals a change in the balance of power between the two parties

era of divided government

a trend since 1969, in which one party controls one or both houses of Congress and the president is from the opposing party; makes it more difficult to get federal judges confirmed

nomination

the formal process through which parties choose their candidates for political office

soft money

Campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities.

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold)

Banned soft money donations to political parties; also imposed restrictions on 527 independent expenditures (issue ads only, not direct advocacy for a candidate). Declared unconstitutional by Citizens United case.

527 groups

Independent groups that seek to influence the political process but are not subject to contribution restrictions because they do not directly advocate the election of a particular candidate.

501(c) groups

Tax-exempt organizations that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to promote "social welfare." They may advocate for or against candidates, but political activities cannot become their primary purpose. They can keep their donors and names of members secret.

Citizens United v. FEC

A 2010 decision by the United States Supreme Court; money is an expression of Free Speech protected by the 1st Amendment and so cannot be limited by federal law. "Corporate Personhood", Leads to creation of SuperPACs and Interest Groups' attack ads on opponents

primary election

an election in which a state's voters choose delegates who support a presidential candidate for nomination or an election by a plurality vote to select a party's nominee for a seat in Congress

open primary

a primary election in which all eligible voters may vote, regardless of their party affiliation

closed primary

a primary election in which only those who have registered as a member of a political party may vote

caucus

a process through which a state's eligible voters meet together to nominate a candidate for office

nomination convention

An official public meeting of a party to choose candidates for office; delegates tend to be more ideological, dedicated, active members of the party

Picking a Vice President

Presidential candidate chooses someone who will balance the ticket (regional, ideology) and appeal to voters

superdelegate

a delegate to the Democratic national convention who is there by virtue of holding an office

front-loading

a decision by a state to push its primary or caucus to a date as early as possible to gain more influence in the presidential nomination process

national convention

a meeting where delegates officially select their party's nominee for the presidency

candidate-centered campaign

a trend in which candidates develop their own strategies and raise money with less influence from the party elites; the candidate's appeal to voters is stronger than party experience

two-party system

a system in which two political parties dominate politics, winning almost all elections; US's single-member system supports a 2-party democracy (winner-takes-all)

single-member plurality system

an election system for choosing members of the legislature where the winner is the candidate who receives the most votes, even if the candidate does not receive a majority of the votes; this keeps the US in a 2-party system

third party

a minor political party in competition with the two major parties; very difficult to win House or Senate seats due to winner-take-all principle

Dealignment

Weakening of partisan preferences that points to a rejection of the 2 major parties and a rise in the number of Independents

theory of participatory democracy

the belief that citizens impact policymaking through their involvement in civil society (voting, campaigning for a candidate, grassroots lobbying, protest, civil disobedience)

pluralist theory

the theory that political power is distributed among a wide array of diverse and competing interest groups

elitist theory

a theory that the wealthy elite class has a disproportionate amount of economic and political power

free riders

individuals who enjoy collective goods and benefit from the actions of an interest group without joining

Interest Groups vs. Political Parties

-Interest Groups are focused on one idea that all members believe in, endorse candidates

-Political Parties are very general, will take anyone, nominate candidates

Interest Groups

organization of people who share political, social or other goals; and agree to try to influence public policy to achieve those goals; First Amendment's freedom of speech

Federalist 10

An essay composed by James Madison which argues that liberty is safest in a large republic because many interests (factions) exist. Such diversity makes tyranny by the majority more difficult since ruling coalitions will always be unstable.

single-issue groups

associations focusing on one specific area of public policy, often a moral issue about which they are unwilling to compromise

lobbying

interacting with government officials in order to advance a group's public policy goals

revolving door

the movement of individuals between positions in government and lobbying positions

amicus curiae brief

a brief filed by someone who is not a party to a case in an attempt to persuade the Court to agree with the arguments set forth in the brief

iron triangle (issue network)

the coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals

grassroots lobbying

mobilizing members to send messages that reiterate the group's demands to their senators and representatives (via phone calls, emails, social media)

Civil Disobedience

A form of political participation that reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer the consequences.

news media

includes newspapers, magazines, radio, television, internet sources, blogs, social media postings that cover important events

agenda setting

the media's ability to highlight certain issues and bring them to the attention of the public

investigative journalism

an approach to newsgathering in which reporters dig into stories, often looking for instances of wrongdoing

media consolidation

the concentration of ownership of our news sources into the hands of fewer and fewer corporations; has led to an increased similarity of network news coverage

partisan bias

the slanting of political news coverage in support of a particular party or ideology; political commentary on cable news and social media

horse-race journalism

coverage of political campaigns that focuses more on the drama of the campaign than on policy issues; coverage of public opinion polls that indicate which candidate is most likely to win