Unit 5 Political Participation Voting & Voter Behavior

Absentee Ballot/Voting

A way people can vote when they can't get to their polling place. They vote on a special form and mail it in.

apathy

lack of interest or emotion

Australian ballot

A government printed ballot of uniform size and shape to be cast in secret that was adopted by many states around 1890 in order to reduce the voting fraud associated with party printed ballots cast in public.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin

15th Amendment (1870)

U.S. cannot prevent a person from voting because of race, color, or creed

Franchise / Suffrage

the right to vote

Gender gap in voting

women vote more than men

Grandfather Clause for voting

Grandfather had to vote for individual to be able to vote

Help America Vote Act of 2002

a federal law meant to reduce barriers to participation in elections

linkage institutions

the political channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the policy agenda

literacy test

A test given to persons to prove they can read and write before being allowed to register to vote

National Voter Registration Act

"Motor voter Act"- required states to allow voters to register when they get their driver's license

19th Amendment (1920)

Gave women the right to vote

party identification

a citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other

political efficacy

The belief that one's political participation really matters - that one's vote can actually make a difference

poll tax

A requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote

Preclearance

mandated by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the prior approval by the Justice Department of changes to or new election laws by certain States

prospective voting

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

provisional ballots are for

if it is not clear if a person is eligible to vote

rational-choice voting

voting-Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen's individual interest

retrospective voting

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

17th Amendment

Established the direct election of senators (instead of being chosen by state legislatures)

24th Amendment

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1964) eliminated the poll tax as a prerequisite to vote in national elections.

26th Amendment

States cannot deny the right to vote based on age (18+)

23rd Amendment

Gives Washington DC electoral college votes as if it were a state (DC still has no representation in Congress)

voter apathy

The lack of interest among the citizenry in participating in elections.

voter registration

A system adopted by the states that requires voters to register well in advance of Election Day. A few states permit Election day registration.

voter turnout

the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election

voting-age population

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

voting blocs

a group of voters that are strongly motivated by a specific common concern or group of concerns to the point that such specific concerns tend to dominate their voting patterns, causing them to vote together in elections

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

Voting Rights Act of 1965

a law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to African-American suffrage

white primary

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