AP GOV Unit 5

presidential election

Elections held in years when the president is on the ballot-- far higher voter turnout.

Recall

Procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office-- basically, a reverse election.

retail politics

an approach to campaigning based on direct contact with voters: rallies, door-to-door canvassing, other public events

party platform

A political party's statement of its goals and policies for the next four years. The platform is drafted prior to the party convention by a committee whose members are chosen in rough proportion to each candidate's strength. It is the best formal statement of a party's beliefs.

party chairperson

the chairman of the national committee of the political party who usually acts as the head of the party's permanent organization and has general direction of party strategy especially during election campaigns.

delegate

A person appointed or elected to represent others at a party convention to choose the party's presidential candidate

political participation

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

suffrage

the right to vote

political efficacy

The belief that one's political participation makes a difference.

rational-choice voting

assumes that political actors will make decisions based on their own benefit, carefully weighing all choices

retrospective voting

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

prospective voting

voting based on the imagined future performance of a candidate

party-line voting

process in which voters select candidates by their party affiliation

split ticket voting

voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election (rather than just all candidates from the same party)

voter turnout

The number of eligible voters who actually vote in an election.

structural barriers to voting

Barriers that prevent people from voting, the requirement that one must register, ballot complexity, two-party system, and limits on voting times/places are all considered institutional barriers - they all make voting difficult and can hinder some from voting

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. These generally were used to ensure that new state restrictions on who can vote would apply to Black voters but not white voters.

literacy test

A test given to persons to prove they can read and write before being allowed to register to vote. Also, these really didn't even test "literacy"-- they were created in a way that they could be graded subjectively so the official could easily say who didn't "pass".

poll tax

A requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote, now banned (at least in federal elections) by the 24th Amendment.

white primary

primary election in which Southern states allowed only whites to vote-- legal until 1965 Voting Rights Act

voter registration laws

A system adopted by the states that requires voters to register well in advanced of Election Day, making it more difficult for eligible voters to vote. A few states permit Election Day registration.

midterm congressional elections

Congressional (and other) elections held midway between successive presidential elections-- important, and includes ALL SEATS in the House, but has far lower voter turnout.

referendum

A state-level method (in some states) of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation or a proposed constitutional amendment. Often used when controversial policy questions are being considered- abortion rights, marijuana legalization, etc.

Initiative

A procedure by which voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment.

Precinct

A voting district

civic engagement

individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern-- attending school board or city council meetings, volunteering, etc.

ideological orientation

Ideologies help people make political choices and guide their political actions-- most common are conservative, liberal, and libertarian. These are partly aligned to political parties, but these are really sets of ideas rather than organizations or groups of people.

Political Parties

Groups that help elect people and shape policies by capturing control over parts of the government. These run and fund campaigns, adopt platforms of policy ideas, and hold conventions that nominate candidates.

interest group

An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy by supporting preferred candidates with campaign contributions and using other tactics to influence policy-makers.

linkage institutions

the political channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the policy agenda: media, elections, political parties, and interest groups

electorate

the citizens eligible to vote

voter mobilization

a party's efforts to inform potential voters about issues and candidates and to persuade them to actually vote

invisible primary

The period before any votes are cast when candidates compete to win early support from the elite of the party and to create a positive first impression of their leadership skills.

Iowa Caucus

first state to hold a caucus or primary-- important because it's the earlies concrete signal of the popularity of candidates for president within each party

New Hampshire Primary

First Presidential primary and its winner becomes the media's major attention focus- important because it's the earlies concrete signal of the popularity of candidates for president within each party

swing states

In a presidential race, highly competitive states in which both major party candidates stand a good chance of winning the state's electoral votes. As a result, these states get far more time, attention, and spending on ads from candidates, parties, and outside groups. Currently, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, Arizona

majority

The candidate or party that wins more than half the votes cast in an election.

coattail effect

The boost that candidates may get in an election because of the popularity of candidates above them on the ballot, especially the president.

candidate recruitment

parties often ask viable candidates to run and target seats they see as winnable

campaign management

Guide users through marketing campaigns by performing such tasks as campaign definition, planning, scheduling, segmentation, and success analysis. Heavily reliant on professional consultants in recent decades.

media strategy

the process of analyzing and choosing media for an advertising and promotions campaign

critical election

An election when significant groups of voters change their traditional patterns of party loyalty. For example, Trump won over tons of (now former) Democrats (mostly in Rust Belt and white blue collar voters) in 2016

Realignment

substantial group of voters switches party allegiance, producing a long-term change in the political landscape. For example, Trump won over tons of (now former) Democrats (mostly in Rust Belt and white blue collar voters) in 2016

Dealignment

A decline in party loyalties that reduces long-term party commitment, creating more swing voters/independents

Third Party Candidate

someone who represents a political party that is neither Democrat nor Republican

independent candidate

a candidate who is not associated with any political party

Spoiler Role/Effect

Minor party candidates can pull decisive votes away from one of the major parties' candidates, especially if the minor party candidate is from a splinter party. Voters are reluctant to vote for third party and independent candidates because of this, even if they are their favorite choice, for fear of helping the candidate they dislike the most win.

Faithless Elector

Elector who does not vote for the candidate they promised to vote for. These have never determined outcome of presidential election but is a major problem with electoral college system

proportional voting system

A system in which each party receives a percentage of seats in a representation assembly that is roughly comparable to its percentage of the popular vote, as in many other country's parliamentary systems. Results in less "wasted votes" and multi-party democracies.

single-member district

An electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official, as in the US. Leads to two-party democracies being locked in.

winner-take-all system

An election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins as in nearly all US elections, including state Electoral College competitions, Senate races, and House district races.

single-issue groups

Groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics, for example the National Rifle Association, or National Right to Life Association.

public interest group

an organization that seeks a collective good that will not selectively and materially benefit group members

lobbying

[Usually] paid professionals engaging in activities aimed at influencing public officials, especially legislators, and the policies they enact.

grassroots lobbying

lobbying efforts that spring from widespread public concern-- members of the public visiting, calling, and contacting representatives directly

closed primary

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

Caucuses

meetings where political parties chose their candidates-- requires/encourages more engagement from participants than primaries

party convention

A meeting of party delegates to vote on adopting policy platforms and in some cases to select party candidates for public office.

National Popular Vote Compact

a new plan where states would award their electoral votes to the candidate who gets the most popular votes nationwide. Currently, not enough states have agreed in order to enact this plan. This is essentially a work-around due to the difficulty in amending the Constitution to eliminate the Electoral College.

election cycle

The two-year period between general elections.

war chest

funds collected by a candidate to spend on a political campaign

soft money

Campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities.

hard money

Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed.

Dark Money

political money where the donors of the money do not have to be disclosed

attack ads

Campaign advertising that criticizes a candidate's opponent-typically by making potentially damaging claims about the opponents background or record- rather than focusing on positive reasons to vote for the candidate

issue ads

ads that focus on issues and do not explicitly encourage citizens to vote for a certain candidate

independent expenditures

Expenses on behalf of a political message that are made by groups that are uncoordinated with any candidate's campaign.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

A committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations. More limits in place compared to SuperPACs.

Super Political Action Committee

a type of independent political action committee which may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but is not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates.

horserace journalism

the claim that the media is more interested in covering a campaign like a horserace focusing more on who is ahead rather than in-depth coverage of issues.

Scorekeeper

The role played by the national media in keeping track of and helping make political reputations.

watchdog

The role played by the national media in investigating political personalities and exposing scandals.

adversarial press

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

incumbency advantage

the electoral edge afforded to those already in office, largely due to increased name recognition

open primaries

Elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests.

15th Amendment (1870)

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

19th Amendment (1920)

States cannot prevent a person from voting because of sex.

17th Amendment (1913)

Popular election of U.S. Senators.

24th Amendment (1964)

States cannot require poll taxes of voters in federal elections

26th Amendment (1971)

Lowered voting age to eighteen.

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

Money is an expression, free speech. Resulted in far more money being spent to influence elections by outside groups (as long as they don't coordinate with official campaigns) (2010)

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (2002)

Also known as McCain-Feingold Act. Largely banned party soft money, restored a long-standing prohibition on corporations and labor unions for using general treasury funds for electoral purposes, and narrowed the definition of issue advocacy.

libertarian ideology

An ideology that seeks even more limited government in all facets of society than that promoted by conservatives.

conservative ideology

Holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation, typically in politics or religion.

liberal ideology

A political view that government should protect individual freedom and promote equality, even by the redistribution of wealth

benchmark poll

initial poll on a candidate and issues on which campaign strategy is based and against which later polls are compared

tracking poll

a poll taken for the candidate on a nearly daily basis as election day approaches

exit poll

public opinion surveys used by major media pollsters to predict electoral winners with speed and precision

sampling error

The level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll. The more people interviewed, the more confident one can be of the results.

scientific poll

a representative poll of randomly selected respondents with a statistically significant sample size, using neutral language

focus groups

A strategy to obtain qualitative data, and often test varying messaging strategies, from a small group of people using interview questions

salience

An individual's belief that an issue is important or relevant to him or her.

nonresponse bias

a skewing of data that occurs when there is a difference in opinion between those who choose to participate and those who do not

voter suppression

a strategy used to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing specific groups of people from voting

gerrymandering

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.

redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population. *Can be done fairly OR unfairly [gerrymandering].

Still learning (6)

You've started learning these terms. Keep it up!