Democracy and Linkage Institutions REVIEW

Fifteenth Amendment

prohibits discrimination of voters based on race

Ninteenth Amendment

granted women the right to vote

Twenty-Sixth Amendment

lowered the voting age from 21 to 18

Twenty-Fourth Amendment

prohibits federal and state governments from imposing poll taxes

Seventeenth Amendment

direct popular election of senators

Fourteenth Amendment

granted birthright citizenship

Rational Choice Voting

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

Retrospective Voting

voting based on assessment of an incumbent’s past performance

Prospective Voting

voting for a candidate who promises to enact policies favored by the voter

Straight Ticket Voting

casting a ballot for all candidates of the same political party

Political efficacy

a person’s belief that he/she can make effective political change (associated with higher levels of education)

Voter Identification Laws

requiring individuals to present specific forms of identification before they can vote in elections. These laws are often designed to prevent voter fraud, but they also have significant implications for voter turnout, particularly among marginalized groups who may lack the required IDs

Absentee Ballots

voting remotely, good for people who can’t go to the polls in person

Linkage institution

channels that connect individuals with government, including election, political parties, interest groups, and the medi

Mobilizing/GOTV

efforts to mobilize supporters, very costly

Front-loading

a state pushing its primary or caucus to as earlyas possible in the election season to gain more infuence in the presidential nominatino process

Third Parties

partiesthat are not de

parties that are not the republican or democratic party, united over a common issue or candidate. they have never won a presidential election

Nomination

the formal process of selecting individuals for specific positions, typically within government and politics. This process is crucial for filling roles such as judges, cabinet members, and other key officials, impacting how power is distributed and exercised. Nominations play a significant role in the system of checks and balances, as they are often subject to approval by the legislative branch, allowing for oversight and influence over the judicial branch's makeup and functioning

Civil Society

A form of political participation seperate from the state (labor unions, think thanks, and service groups)

Single Issue Groups

united around one topic (NRA - gun rights, pro-life/pro-choice groups)

Citizens United v FEC 2010

the Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent political expenditures by corporations, unions, and other groups (struck down the BCRA). The Court held that political spending is a form of protected speech and struck down limits on these independent expenditures.

-tldr corporate identity protects corporations and unions from spending limits

Buckley v Valeo 1976

the Supreme Court ruled that while the government can limit individual contributions to political campaigns to prevent corruption, it cannot limit campaign expenditures, independent expenditures, or a candidate's spending of their own personal funds. The Court established that spending money on political communication is a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment

-tldr limiting political spending (the FEC) violates the first amendment.

Federal Election Campaign Act 1974

made after watergate, it created the federal election commission to enforce finance campaign laws and set up a system for public financing and presidential campaigns. additionally, it put limits on PACs .

(later declared unconstitutional in buckley v valeo) 

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act 2002

placed stricter limits on campaign distributions for individuals and PACs

Campaign Finance Law

-laws that aim to prevent corruption and undue influence by regulating contributions from individuals, organizations, and PACs

-evolved recently bc of Buckley v Valeo allowing for increased spending by corporations and unions 

-also changed by Super PACs that can give unlimited donations but require transparency in spending

Winner take all VS proportional system

Winner-take-all (Single member plurality system): the winner is the candidate who receives the most votes, even if the candidate does not receive a majority of the vote (US System)

Proportional system: citizens vote for parties rather than individuals, and parties are represented according to the percentage of the vote they receive.

Interest groups

voluntary associations of people who come together with the goal of getting the policies that they favor enacted. 

-either collective good/public good which can result in free riders, or for private good

-some have selective benefits

-categories: economic, public interest, single-issue, government

-use lobbying to advance their goals

Federalist 10

James Madison believes that a large republic is the best way to prevent oppressive factions

Amicus Curiae Brief

a brief filed by a third party a case in an attempt to persuade and provide information in hopes the court to agree with the arguments set forth in the brief (Friends of the court brief)

Lobbying

attempting to influence government decisions by communicating with officials on behalf of a group or cause. It is a key way interest groups participate in politics, often involving professional lobbyists who are paid to persuade legislators or other government officials through direct communication, campaign assistance, or even drafting legislation

Free riders

an individual that benefits from a resource, good, or service without paying for it

Iron Triangle

the mutually beneficial triangular relationship between congress members, interest groups, and a bureaucratic agency

Revolving door

the movement of individuals from positions in government to lobbying positions

-pros: lobbying needs the knowledge of former officials

cons: favors wealthy and powerful groups

incumbency advantage

advantages of a candidate running for re-election compared to a challenger.

-name recognition, media, experience, etc.

Open vs Closed primaries

Open: Used to encourage new voters, any registered voter can participate in voting for a candidate, regardless of party affiliation
Closed: Used to maintain party loyalty, only registered party members can vote for their party’s candidate

Caucuses

meetings of members of a political party or faction to discuss and decide on policies, strategies, and candidate selectionsCaucuses can vary in format, including closed meetings where only party members can participate or open gatherings that allow all interested individuals to join.

1. The Iowa Caucus is one of the most notable examples and often serves as the first major contest in the presidential primary season, heavily influencing the momentum of candidates.

2. Caucuses can lead to a more engaged and informed party base as they often involve discussions and debates among participants before a vote is taken.

3. Different parties may employ different caucus rules, leading to variations in how delegates are awarded and how candidates are selected.

4. Caucus meetings are crucial for local party organization, allowing grassroots members to express their views and have a say in the direction of their party.

Critical Elections

election that results in a major and lasting party realignment, fundamentally shifting the political landscape for an extended period. These elections often occur during times of national crisis (e.x. 1860 Abraham Lincoln, 2016 Donald Trump)

Political Action Committees (PACs)

organizations that raise money to elect or defeat candidates and can donate money directly to campaigns.

Electoral College

a process in the constitution for selecting the president through slates of electors chosen in each state, who are pledge to vote for a nominee in the presidential election.

(need 270/538 votes in the electoral college to win the election)

Super PACs

organizations that can spend an unlimited amountof money on a campaign, so long as the spending is not coordinated with a campaign

• a result of the citizens united ruling

Hard Money

regulated, direct contributions to campaigns

• primarily from individuals, donors must be disclosed

Soft Money

Soft money refers to political contributions that are made to political parties for purposes other than supporting a specific candidate, often used for party-building activities, not regulated by the FEC

Dark money

money that comes from undisclosed doors, routed through non-profit groups, do not need to be disclosed

Horse Races

the treatment of political campaigns, particularly elections, focusing primarily on who is ahead or behind in polls and predictions rather than on policy issues or candidate qualifications

Investigative Journalism

news gathered to find instances of wrongdoing

Narrow Casting

opposite of broadcasting, the practice of media and politicians targeting specific, niche audiences with tailored messages, often through platforms like cable TV, the internet, and social media. contributes to political polarization

Media Consolidation

as of late, the concentration of ownership of the media into fewer corporations

Mass Media

mass media refers to all channels of communication that reach large audiences, such as television, radio, newspapers, and the internet, and its role is a crucial linkage institution that connects citizens to government. It acts as a watchdog, agenda-setter, and a primary source of information, but it also faces issues like bias, the rise of social media's echo chambers, and the "horse race" style of reporting that can prioritize sensationalism over substance

Broadcast media

television and radio media, as opposed to print media. could be delivered to larger audiences in less time.

Wire service

an organization that gathers and reports on news and then sells the stories to other outlets

socioeconomic standards

measure of an individuals wealth, income, occupation, and educational attainment

faithless electors

electors who do not vote for the candidate voted for by the majority of state voters (hasn’t changed election result)

superdelegates

democrat delegates who can support any candidate they choose, regardless of the primaries/caucuses (elected officials and party activists)

roles of representatives

-delegate role: carry out constituents wishes

-trustee role: make decisions based on their knowledge and voters should rely on their judgement at times

-politico role: balance their choices with the interest of constituents and their political party

grid lock

during divided government, congress’s ability to legislate is slowed or stopped by its inability to overcome divisions, particularly on partisanship

Period of Divided Government

when the presidency is a different party than the majority in congress

Lame Duck Period

the end of a presidential term when congress may block presidential initiatives and nominees

Describe the voting rights protections in the constitution and in legislation

-The constitution does not guarantee the right to vote

• voting rights were expanded

  • with constitutional amendments (15th race, 19th gender, 26 age)

  • legislation (civil rights act of 1964, voting rights act of 1965)

Describe different models of voting behavior

Rational choice voiting: voting based on what you feel is your best interest

Party Line Voting: voting for the same party across the ballot

Split ticket voting: voting for more than 1 party on a ballot

Prospective voting: voting based on how you feel a candidate or party will perform once in office

Retrospective voting: voting on how you feel a candidate had performed in the past

Describe and evaluate competing models/theories of representative democracy

Participatory democracy: widespread political participation is essential for democratic government (joining civil society groups that are outside of government control)

Pluralist theory: the competition of groups in the policymaking process keeps them in check

Elitist theory: elites have a disproportionate amount of influence in the policymaking process, controlling the policy agenda

Explain the roles that individual choice and state laws play in voter turnout in elections (including how structural barriers and demographics can influence differences in voter turnout in the US and factors that influence voter choice)

-lacking voter efficacy discourages people from wanting to vote

-voter fatigue

-rational abstention

-structural barriers: election day isn’t a holiday, voter eligibility is determined by states,no automatic registration, purging voter rolls