AP Gov Unit 5 Vocab

Free Press

An uninhibited institution that places an additional check on government to maintain honesty, ethics, and transparency; later preserved through the First Amendment.

Horse Race Journalism

The tendency of the national media to focus on who is winning at any given time during a presidential campaign, rather than candidates’ policies or qualifications.

Gatekeeper

The process through which certain individuals or groups (MEDIA) control access to information, resources, or decision-making within an organization.

Super PACs

The newest kind of political action committee, whose creation resulted from the Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC and the U.S. District Court ruling in Speechnow v. FEC.

Political Action Committees (PACs)

Formal groups formed around a similar interest.

Winner-Take-All System

An electoral process where the candidate who receives the most votes in a particular state wins all of that state's electoral votes.

Swing State

States where both major political parties have similar levels of support among voters, and have less predictable voting patterns.

Ideological Groups

Interest groups formed around a political ideology.

Public Interest Groups

Geared to improve life or government for the general public, rather than for a narrow private/corporate interest.

Single Issue Groups

Groups focused on just one topic.

Professional Associations

Organizations formed by individuals in specific industries or professions.

Lobbying

Applying pressure to influence government.

Iron Triangle

The relationship among these three entities—an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group. The three-way interdependent relationships are so strong. The three points of the triangle join forces to create policy.

Issue Network

Committee staffers, academics, advocates, leaders of think tanks, interest groups, and/or the media. These diverse individuals collaborate to create specific policy on one issue.

Grassroots Lobbying

When an interest group tries to inform, persuade, and mobilize large numbers of people.

Linkage Institutions

Channels that connect people with the government.

Political Party

An organization of people with similar ideological beliefs that seeks to influence government by electing its members to public office.

Split Ticket Voting

Voting for candidates of different parties on the same ballot.

Party Platform

A written list of beliefs and political goals.

Primary Election

A preliminary election in which voters select candidates to run for office in the general election.

Open Primary

A type of primary election where voters are not required to be registered with a specific political party to participate in that party's primary.

Closed Primary

A type of electoral process in which only registered members of a political party can participate in selecting that party's candidates for the general election.

Proportional Representation

An electoral system in which seats in a legislative body are allocated based on the proportion of votes each political party receives.

Single Member Districts

An electoral district that elects one representative to a legislative body.

Twenty-Sixth Amendment (1971)

Citizens “eighteen years of age or older” shall not be denied the right to vote by the states or the United States “on account of age.”

Twenty-Fourth Amendment (1964)

Citizens shall not be denied the right to vote by the states or the United States “by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.”

Voter Turnout

The number of voters who actually cast votes as a percentage of the voting-age population (everyone at or over the age of 18).

Political Efficacy

The belief that you can influence politics. A citizen’s sense that their vote makes a difference.

Rational Choice Voting

A voter who has examined an issue or candidate, evaluated campaign promises or platform points, and consciously decided to vote in the way that seems to most benefit the voter.

Retrospective Voting

Citizens look backward to consider candidates’ track records.

Prospective Voting

Citizens anticipate the future, and consider how candidates or proposed ballot initiatives might affect their lives or the operation of government.

Party-Line Voting

Voters consistently support candidates or policies based on their political party affiliation.