Unit 5 AP Gov

FD = Foundational Document RSC = Required SCOTUS Cases

Suffrage

the right to vote in political elections

Electorate

All of the people entitled to vote in a given election

Franchise / disenfranchise

the right to vote in political elections(Suffrage)

17th Amendment

Passed in 1913, this amendment to the Constitution calls for the direct election of senators by the voters instead of their election by state legislatures.

President Andrew Jackson

The electorate expanded during the Jacksonian Era because most states dropped property-holding requirements for voting. Since the nation's founding, voting had been tied to property ownership.

15th Amendment

Citizens cannot be denied the right to vote because of race, color , or precious condition of servitude

19th Amendment

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1920) extended the right to vote to women in federal or state elections.

23rd Amendment

Gives Washington DC electoral college votes as if it were a state (DC still has no representation in Congress)

26th Amendment

States cannot deny the right to vote based on age (18+)

Structural barriers - literacy tests, poll taxes, grandfather clause, white primary

Legal barriers that engaged in voter suppression.

Guinn v. United States

15th amendment declared the grandfather clauses in the Maryland and Oklahoma constitutions to be repugnant to the Fifteenth Amendment and therefore null and void.

Smith v. Allwright

A supreme court case in 1944 that ruled that it was unconstitutional to deny membership in political parties to African Americans as a way of excluding them from voting in primaries.

24th Amendment

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1964) eliminated the poll tax as a prerequisite to vote in national elections.

Voting Rights Act 1965

A law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to African-American suffrage

Voter turnout

the percentage of eligible citizens who actually vote in a given election

Voting-eligible v. Voting-age

Voter apathy

a lack of interest to vote, a "Whatever" attitude

Political efficacy

The belief that one's political participation really matters - that one's vote can actually make a difference

Rational-choice voting

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

Retrospective voting

The notion in political science that voters make their decisions in a given election by reflecting on the performance of the party in power over the past four years.

Prospective voting

Voting based on the alleged promises of any given candidate.

Party-line voting

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

Demographic voting blocs

a group of voters that are strongly motivated by a specific common concern or group of concerns to the point that such specific concerns tend to dominate their voting patterns, causing them to vote together in elections

Gender

the socially constructed roles and characteristics by which a culture defines male and female

Age

The number of years that a person has lived.

Race

A group of human beings distinguished by physical traits, blood types, genetic code patterns or genetically inherited characteristics.

Religion

the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. i.e. Christian, Judaism, Hinduism, etc...

Profession

a paid occupation, especially one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification.

Motor-voter law

a bill passed by congress in 1963 to ease the process of voting registration.

Voter registration

The process at which a US citizen can become eligible to vote. Established to reduce voter fraud rates.

Absentee ballot

a ballot completed and typically mailed in advance of an election by a voter who is unable to be present at the polls.

Provisional ballot

a vote that is cast but not counted until determination is made that the voter is properly registered

Voter ID laws

laws that require a person to provide some form of official identification before they are permitted to register to vote, receive a ballot for an election, or to actually vote

Precincts, polling places

Precincts are small voting districts with a polling place in or near them.

Precinct election boards supervise the voting process, opening and closing the polls at times set by State law.

Precinct boards must also ensure that ballots and voting devices are available and that only qualified voters cast ballots. They often count votes as well.

Each party can have a poll watcher at a polling place to monitor the process.

Role of states versus federal govern in elections

the federal government has a limited jurisdiction over elections, only being able to enlist the fec to enforce federal campaign finance laws, while the states have the authority to decide the time, place, and manner at which elections are held.

initiatives and referendums

voters engage in making or ratifying legislation at the state level only

Primary elections & caucuses

It happens in January to June. It is when the candidates campaign to against members of their own party for the nomination for the Presidency.

closed primary

A primary in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote

open primary

A primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place

blanket primary

a voting process in which voters receive a long ballot containing the names of all contenders, regardless of party, and can vote however they choose

Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary

First two nominating contests that hold a lot of importance for presidential candidates

National Party Conventions

Each party holds a national convention to select a final presidential nominee. State delegates from the primaries and caucuses selected to represent the people will now "endorse" their favorite candidates and the final presidential nominee from each party will be officially announced at the end of the conventions.

Delegates

a person sent or authorized to represent others, in particular an elected representative sent to a conference. Serves as one of the 538 electors in the electoral college.

General election

election in which voters decide which candidates will actually fill elective public offices

Swing states

In a presidential race, highly competitive states in which both major party candidates stand a good chance of winning the state's electoral votes.

Electoral college

the body of electors who formally elect the United States president and vice-president

Winner-take-all v. proportional

candidate with most votes wins vs each party running receives proportion of votes based on how many they won

Plurality

Candidate or party with the most votes cast in an election, not necessarily more than half.

Safe Seat & Open Seat

A congressional seat that is likely going to be reoccupied by an incumbent congressman vs a seat that doesn't have an incumbent running.

Midterm elections

congressional elections that do not coincide with a presidential election; also called off-year elections

Incumbency advantage

institutional advantages held by those already in office who are trying to fend off challengers in an election

coattail effect

The boost that candidates may get in an election because of the popularity of candidates above them on the ballot, especially the president.

House districts (Congressional districts)

electoral divisions for the purpose of electing members of the United States House of Representatives.
-chosen by the party in power to skew the results

FECA 1971 and 1974

Created FEC, Required disclosure of contributions and expenditures, provided limitations on contributions and presidential election expenditures. Provided subsidies for presidential candidates

FEC

Federal Election Commission; manages and reports the finances of federal elections

PACs

Political Action Committees, raise money for candidates &/or parties

Super PACs

Pacs that accept donations of any size and can endorse candidates. Their contributions and expenditures must be periodically reported to the FEC.

RSC(Citizens United v. FEC)

A 2010 decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that independent expenditures are free speech protected by the 1st Amendment and so cannot be limited by federal law. Leads to creation of SuperPACs & massive rise in amount of third party electioneering (Citizens for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow)

SC(Buckley v. Valeo)

1974 campaign finance case declared some federal limits on campaign contributions in FECA violated First Amendment (ex. maximum spending limit and limits on candidates' spending their own money).

Matching funds

Contributions of up to $250 matched from the presidential Election Campaign Fund to candidates for the presidential nomination who qualify and agree to meet various conditions, such as limiting their overall spending.

Hard money

Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed.

Soft money

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

BCRA 2002

banned soft money contributions to national political parties from corporations and unions; independent expenditures by corporations, labor unions, trade associations, and nonprofit organizations are sharply restricted, The elimination of "soft money"

Mobilize voters

get out the vote drives, voter registration

educate voters

Parties inform people by presenting information about issues or beliefs through pamphlets, newspapers, radio, TV, speeches, and conventions.

Party platform

A political party's statement of its goals and policies for the next four years. The platform is drafted prior to the party convention by a committee whose members are chosen in rough proportion to each candidate's strength. It is the best formal statement of a party's beliefs.

National convention

The meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party's platform.

candidate recruitment

Recruit candidates-Done by political parties.
Find people interested in running for public office

Campaign management

guide users through marketing campaigns by performing such tasks as campaign definition, planning, scheduling, segmentation, and success analysis

Media strategy

choosing the media that will bring the most effective advertising message to the targeted consumer

RNC/DNC

The DNC is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic party on a day-to-day basis and is responsible for developing and promoting the Democratic political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. The RNC performs the same functions for the Republican Party.

Party chairperson

the chairman of the national committee of the political party who usually acts as the head of the party's permanent organization and has general direction of party strategy especially during election campaigns.

Hill committees

The name applied to the four party committees, one for each party in each house, charged with aiding candidates for Congress

Critical elections

An electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party. Such periods are sometimes marked by a national crisis and may require more than one election to bring about a new party era.

Party realignment

dramatic shifts in partisan preferences that drastically alter the political landscape

Party dealignment

the gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification.

Divided government

one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress

Issue ads

Ads that advocate policy positions rather than explicitly supporting or opposing particular candidates

Independent expenditures

Expenses on behalf of a political message that are made by groups that are uncoordinated with any candidate's campaign.

Splinter-Third Party

splits away from one of the major parties because of some disagreement
ex: teddy roosevelt breaks away from Republicans and forms progressive party; wins 88 electoral

Economic protest

Parties rooted in poor economic times, lacking a clear ideological base, dissatisfied with current conditions and demanding better times

Single-issue

parties that concentrate on a single public policy matter

Single-member district

electoral district from which one person is chosen by the voters for each elected office

Traditional news media

-Newspaper
-Wire services and news syndicates
-PR newswire (PRN)
-Magazine
-Radio and television
-Public service announcement (PSA)
-Video news release (VNR)
-Cable and satellite

Modern print media

newspapers
periodicals
jounrnals
newsletters

Big three networks

The original television broadcast networks: NBC, CBS, and ABC.

Political reporting

it may make a difference in some elections, but not in presidential ones

FOIA

Freedom of Information Act, requires disclosure of all governmental information unless exempt under Act.

C-SPAN

Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, shows activity in congress at all times

objective reporting

Reporting only the facts with no opinion or bias.

commentary

discussion and analysis of evidence in relation to the claim which may identify patterns, describe trends, and/or explain relationships

Scorekeeper

The role played by the national media in keeping track of and helping make political reputations.

Gatekeeper

The media can influence what subjects become national political issues and for how long.

watchdog

The role played by the national media in investigating political personalities and exposing scandals.

FCC

Federal Communications Commission

AFL-CIO

1955 two larger labor unions united. American Federation Labor- Congress of Industerial Organization.

US Chamber of Commerce

American lobbying group that represents the interests of many businesses and trade associations.

NAACP

Interracial organization founded in 1909 to abolish segregation and discrimination and to achieve political and civil rights for African Americans.

NOW

a leading feminist organization; National Organization of Women (1966) wanted Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to enforce its legal mandate to end sex discrimination

Sierra Club

America's oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization founded in 1892 in San Fransisco, Cali first President was John Muir group was pushed by the wealthy bc they wanted to conserve the nature (despite all the land the already own and "corrupted") for their later generations