Political Participation and Voting Behavior

These flashcards encompass key vocabulary and terms related to political participation and voting behavior, helping students prepare for their exam.

Rational Choice Voting

A voting method where decisions are made based on individual benefits rather than on class, age, ethnicity, gender, or party identification.

Retrospective Voting

Voting for or against a candidate based on past performance in office.

Prospective Voting

Voting for a candidate based on their proposed ideas for future action post-election.

Voter Turnout

The percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election.

Political Participation

Any activity that seeks to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue.

Fifteenth Amendment

Constitutional amendment that granted African American men the right to vote.

Seventeenth Amendment

Amendment that established direct election of U.S. senators by popular vote.

Nineteenth Amendment

Constitutional amendment that granted women the right to vote.

Twenty-Fourth Amendment

Amendment that prohibited the use of poll taxes in federal elections.

Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Amendment that lowered the voting age to 18.

Political efficacy

The level of citizen trust in government and belief in their ability to influence political affairs.

Voter Registration

The process of signing up to be eligible to vote.

Compulsory Voting

Laws that require eligible citizens to vote in elections.

Midterm Elections

Elections that take place two years after a presidential election, involving all members of the House and a portion of the Senate.

Linkage Institutions

Entities that connect citizens to government, such as political parties, media, and interest groups.

Political Parties

Organizations that seek to win elections, hold public office, and enact public policy.

Party Platform

A formal set of principles and policies that a political party commits to support.

Candidate-Centred Campaigns

Campaigns focused on individual candidates rather than party affiliation.

Direct Primary

An election where voters directly choose candidates for office.

Proportional System

An electoral system awarding legislative seats in proportion to the number of votes a party receives.

Winner-Take-All

An electoral system where the candidate receiving the most votes receives all the electoral votes.

Critical Election

An election signaling a significant shift in political loyalties of voters.

Party Realignment

A significant change in party structures, often after a major political event.

Free Rider

An individual who benefits from a resource, good, or service without paying for it.

Ideological/Social Movement

A mass organized effort advocating for social, political, economic, or cultural change.

Incumbency Advantage

The electoral benefit an incumbent candidate enjoys due to their existing position.

Single-issue Parties

Political parties that focus exclusively on specific issues.

Open Primaries

Elections allowing all voters, regardless of party affiliation, to participate.

Closed Primaries

Elections where only registered party members can vote for their party's nominees.

Caucus

A meeting of party members to choose candidates.

National Convention

A major political party gathering held to nominate a presidential candidate.

Electoral College

A body of electors established by the Constitution to elect the president and vice president.

"Stand By Your Ad" Provision

Regulation requiring candidates to publicly express approval of their advertisements.

Popular Vote

The total number of votes cast for a candidate by citizens.

Political Consultants

Experts hired to advise and assist candidates in election campaigns.

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002

Legislation aimed at regulating campaign finance and reducing the influence of money in politics.

Soft Money

Donations to political parties for general purposes, not regulated like individual contributions.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

An organization that collects and distributes contributions to political candidates.

Super PAC

A type of independent political action committee with no limits on contributions.

Gatekeepers

Media professionals who control the flow of news and information.

Horserace Journalism

Media coverage focusing on which candidates are ahead in polls rather than on issues.

Ideologically Oriented Programming

Media designed to appeal to specific ideological audiences.

Media Bias

The perceived or actual partiality or slant in news coverage.

Nomination

The official endorsement of a candidate by a political party.

"Solid South"

Historical term for the consistent support of the South for Democratic candidates.

Two-party System

A political system dominated by two major parties.

Minor/third Parties

Political parties other than the two main parties that influence elections.

Election Campaign

The organized effort to convince voters to support a particular candidate.

Primary Election

An election to choose candidates to run for office in the general election.

Straight Ticket

Voting for all candidates of one party in an election.

Split-ticket

Voting for candidates from different parties in the same election.

First-past-the-post elections

Elections where the candidate with the most votes wins, regardless of majority.

Hard Money

Financing for political candidates that is regulated and limited.

Front-loading

The practice of scheduling primaries earlier in the election cycle.

General Election

The election held to choose among candidates for office, usually four years.

527 groups

Organizations that can receive unlimited contributions for political advocacy without directly supporting candidates.

501 (c) (3)

Tax-exempt organizations that can engage in some political activity as long as it is not their primary purpose.

Mass media

Various platforms for communicating with large audiences like television and social media.

Infotainment

Media content combining information and entertainment.

Federal Communications Commission

U.S. government agency regulating communications in various media.

Political agenda

A set of issues that political leaders or groups prioritize.

Coalition

An alliance of groups for a common purpose.

Earmark

Funds allocated for a specific purpose within broader spending legislation.

Interest group

An organization influencing government policy towards its interests.

Lobbying

The act of attempting to persuade government officials to make policy decisions.

Patron

A supporter or financial backer of an organization.

Issue framing

The way issues are presented and defined by politicians or groups.

Muckraking

Investigative journalism focused on exposing corruption.

Narrowcasting

Media that targets specific audiences while potentially ignoring wider perspectives.

Trade Association

An interest group representing businesses in a specific industry.

Party machine

A political organization utilizing patronage to maintain control over politics.

Plurality election

An election where the winner does not need a majority but simply has more votes than opponents.

Divided government

A situation where different political parties control the presidency and Congress.