Political Participation & Voting

Flashcards about Political Participation & Voting

Traditional Political Participation

Various activities designed to influence government, such as voting, protesting, giving to campaigns, volunteering, and contacting officials.

Conventional Participation

Behaviors that support the system, like voting, contacting officials, campaigns, interest groups, donating money, discussing politics, and community groups.

Unconventional Participation

Behaviors that challenge the government, are confrontational, and can be violent, such as sit-ins, marches, strikes, damaging property, or assassinations.

Suffrage

The legal right to vote, which has expanded throughout American history to include more citizens.

Poll Tax

A tax required to register to vote, eliminated by the Twenty-Fourth Amendment in 1964.

Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 in 1971 due to objections during the Vietnam War.

Online Participation

Interactive political engagement facilitated by online connections to causes, people, events, and information.

Mobilization

The process by which large numbers of people are organized for a political activity, such as ads, calls, emails, campaign events, and fundraising.

Gender Gap

Refers to partisan identification differences between men and women, with women voting Democrat at a higher rate.