Unit 5 AP Test Review

political participation

The many different ways that people take part in politics and government

voting age participation

citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement

voting eligible population

citizens who have reached the minimum age to be eligible to vote, excluding those who are not legally permitted to cast a ballot

Grandfather Clause

A clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867.

white primary

the practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states' primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation

Australian ballot

a government-printed ballot of uniform dimensions to be cast in secret that many states adopted around 1890 to reduce voting fraud associated with party-printed ballots cast in public

voter identification laws

laws requiring citizens to show a government-issued photo ID in order to vote

activists

people who tend to participate in all forms of politics

political party

a group that seeks to elect candidates to public office

Mugwumps/ progressives

Republican party faction of the 1890s to the 1910s, composed of reformers who opposed patronage

critical/realignment period

a period when a major, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties

closed primary

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

open primary

a primary election where all voters (regardless of party membership) may vote for the party's nominee

Super delegates

party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses

invisible primary

process by which candidates try to attract the support of key party leaders before the election begins

national conventions

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

national committee

delegates who run party affairs between national conventions

congressional campaign committee

a party committee in Congress that provides funds to members and would-be members

national chair

day-to-day party manager elected by the national committee

political machine

a party organization that recruits members by dispensing patronage

partisan identification

a voter's long-term, stable attachment to one of the political parties

partisanship

another name for partisan identity

two-party system

An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections.

plurality system

an electoral system in which the winner is the person who gets the most votes, even if he or she does not receive a majority; used in almost all American elections

caucus

a meeting of party followers in which party delegates are selected

momentum

when a candidate wins (especially an upset win), she or he tends to do better than expected in future contests. Sometimes called the bandwagon effect

battleground states

the most competitive states in the presidential election that either candidates could win AKA swing states

retrospective voting

voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office

prospective voting

voting for a candidate because you favor his or her ideas for handling issues

valence issues

an issue on which everyone agrees, but the question is whether or not the candidate embraces that view

positional issues

issues in which rival candidates have opposing views and that also divide voters

incumbent

the person already holding an elective office

incumbency advantage

the tendency of incumbents to do better than otherwise similar challengers, especially in congressional elections

Gerrymandering

the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent

surge and decline

Tendency for the president's party to do better in presidential years when he is at the top of the ticket (the surge), but to do worse when he is not because many voters are less enthusiastic and stay home (the decline).

coattails

the alleged tendency of candidates to win more votes in an election because of the presence at the top of the ticket of a better-known candidate, such as the president

political election committee

committees set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group, that raise and spend campaign money from voluntary donations

independent expenditures

Spending by political action committees, corporations, or labor unions that is done to help a party or candidate but is done independently of them.

soft money

funds obtained by political parties that are spent on party activities, such as get-out-the-vote drives, but not on behalf of a specific candidate

527 organizations

organizations under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code that raise and spend money to advance political causes

super PAC

a group that raises and spends unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but cannot coordinate its activities with campaigns in any way

501(c) groups

A social welfare organization that can devote no more than 50 percent of its funds to politics. Sometimes referred to as "dark money" groups because they do not have to disclose their donors.

interest group

An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy

lobbyist

person who tries to persuade someone to support a particular cause on behalf of an interest group

free rider problem

the tendency of individuals to avoid contributing to public goods

public good

something of value that all individuals share, whether or not they contribute to it (such as clean air or water)

incentive

something of value one cannot get without joining an organization

solidarity incentive

the social rewards (sense of pleasure, status, or companionship) that lead people to join political organizations

material incentives

money or things valued in monetary terms

purposive incentive

a benefit that comes from serving a cause or principle

ideological interest groups

political organizations that attract members by appealing to their political convictions or principles

public interest lobbies

a political organization whose goals will principally benefit nonmembers

social movement

a widely shared demand for change in some aspect of the social or political order

political cue

a signal telling a legislator what values are at stake in a vote, and how that issue fits into his or her own political views on party agenda

ratings

assessments of a representative's voting record on issues important to an interest group

earmark

a provision in a law that provides a direct benefit to a client without the benefit having been reviewed on the merits by all of Congress

grassroot lobbying

using the general public (rather than lobbyists) to contact government officials about a public policy

sound bite

a radio or video clip of someone speaking

blog

A series, or log, of discussion items on a page of the World Wide Web

fake news

Manufactured stories typically designed to support a particular point of view or candidate

trial balloon

Information leaked to the media to test public reaction to a possible policy

selective exposure

consuming only those news stories with which one already agrees

agenda setting

ability of the media to affect the way people view issues, people, or events by controlling which stories are shown and which are not

priming

the ability of the news media to influence the factors individuals use to evaluate political elites

framing

the way an issue is posed; how an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgments.

watchdog

the press's role as an overseer of government officials to ensure they act in the public interest

game frame

the tendency of media to focus on political polls and strategy rather than on the issues

horse race journalism

news coverage that focuses on who is ahead rather than on the issues

adversial press

the tendency of the national media to be suspicious of officials and eager to reveal unflattering stories about them

equal time rule

An FCC rule that if a broadcaster sells time to one candidate, it must sell equal time to other candidates.