AP Gov Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs

Amicus curiae briefs

"Friend of the court" briefs where outsiders (like interest groups) give their opinion to influence a court case.

Caucus

small meeting where party members debate and vote on who they want as their candidate.

Political Socialization

the process by which people form their ideas about politics and acquire their ideas about government

Core Values

the primary or dominant values that are accepted throughout an organization

Individualism

a social theory favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control

Equality of Opportunity

a widely shared American ideal that all people should have the freedom to use whatever talents and wealth they have to reach their fullest potential

Free Enterprise

an economic system in which private business operates in competition and largely free of state control

Rule of Law

principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern

Closed primaries

Elections where only registered party members can vote for their party’s nominee.

Coattail effect

When a popular candidate helps other candidates from the same party win elections.

Litigation

Using the court system to make or change laws.

Lobbying

Trying to influence lawmakers by providing information or persuading them.

Benchmark Polls

used by politicians before entering a race to see the public's opinion

Tracking Polls

tracks public opinion

Open primaries

Elections where any voter can choose which party’s primary to vote in, regardless of their registered party.

Exit Polls

polls conducted as voters leave polling places on election day

Push Polls

polls that ask for reactions to hypothetical, often false, information in order to manipulate public opinion

Party platforms

A party’s official beliefs and policy goals.

Random Sample

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

Party-line voting

When someone votes only for candidates from their own party.

Mass Survey

a way to measure public opinion by interviewing a large sample of the population

Focus Group

small groups that hold conversations about candidates

Patronage

Giving government jobs to supporters as a reward.

Pluralism

The idea that different groups compete for power, ensuring no one group dominates.

Plurality

Getting the most votes but not necessarily a majority (over 50%)

Political Ideologies

sets of political values held by individuals regarding the basic goals of government and politics (liberal/conservative)

Political Action Committees (PACs)

Groups that raise and donate money to candidates to influence elections.

Liberal Ideology

progressive, things are good lets get better, human rights, more government involvement to help citizens

Conservative Ideology

traditional, business/econ, law & order, more self-reliance/less government involvement

Political efficacy

A person’s belief that their vote matters and can create change

Limited Government

A government restricted by laws and the Constitution to protect individual freedoms

Democratic Party

typically more liberal

Republican Party

typically more conservative

Critical elections

Elections that create major political shifts, often leading to new party coalitions.

Libertarian Ideology

least amount of government possible, personal freedom

Dealignment

When people stop identifying with a political party and become independent.

Divided government

When different parties control different parts of the government (e.g., one party has the presidency, the other has Congress).

Electorate

All the people eligible to vote.

Faithless elector

An Electoral College member who votes against their pledged candidate.

"Free rider" problem

When people benefit from a public good or policy without contributing to it.

Fixed terms

Set lengths of time that officials serve before re-election (e.g., the president serves a fixed 4-year term).

Front-loading

When states hold their primaries earlier in the election season to gain more influence.

Gatekeeper

The media deciding which stories are important and what gets covered.

Rational-choice voting

When people vote based on who best benefits them personally.

Realignment

When voters shift their support from one party to another, changing political trends.

Referendum

When voters directly approve or reject a law instead of lawmakers deciding.

Retrospective voting

Voting based on how well a politician or party performed in the past.

Revolving door

When government officials leave their jobs to work for lobbying groups, or vice versa.

Safe seat

A district where a certain party is almost guaranteed to win.

Scorekeeper

The media tracking political reputations and elections like a scoreboard.

Hard money

Political donations that are tightly regulated by law.

Horserace journalism

News coverage that focuses on who is winning rather than policy issues.

Incumbency advantage

The benefits politicians already in office have over challengers in elections.

Incumbent

A person who currently holds a political office.

Initiative

A process where citizens can propose new laws and vote on them.

Iron triangle

A relationship between Congress, interest groups, and bureaucracies that influence policy.

Issue ads

Political ads that promote a policy issue rather than a specific candidate.

Linkage institutions

Ways people connect with the government, like elections, media, and political parties.

Single-member district

An election system where one person wins per district, usually by getting the most votes

Soft money

Donations to parties instead of candidates, often used to get around campaign finance laws.

Sound bite

A short, catchy political statement that the media plays repeatedly.

Suffrage

The right to vote.

Superdelegate

A party leader who gets to vote in the Democratic National Convention, unbound by primary results

Swing states

States that can be won by either party in an election, making them highly contested.

Watchdog

The media keeping an eye on government and exposing corruption.

Winner-take-all voting system

A system where the candidate with the most votes wins everything, instead of splitting votes proportionally