AP Gov - Unit 5

At the time the Constitution was ratified, who was entitled to vote (by state legislatures)?

white men who owned property

Which amendments impacted voting rights?

• 15th - Black men’s suffrage

• 17th - Direct election of senators

• 19th - Women’s suffrage

• 24th - Abolished poll taxes

• 26th - Lowered voting age to 18

rational choice voting

person votes based on their individual self-interest and carefully studies the issues and candidates

retrospective voting

person votes based on the recent track record of candidate

prospective voting

person votes based on predictions of how a candidate or party will perform in the future

party line voting

person votes for all the candidates of the voter’s party

Voter turnout is based on…

1. Structural barriers

2. Political efficacy

3. Demographics

4. Type of election

structural barriers

a policy or law that prevents people from voting or encourages people to vote

• voter ID laws

political efficacy

• a citizen’s belief about whether their vote matters

• politician performance

demographics

senior citizens and white people tend to vote more

type of election

national elections have greater voter turnout than state/local elections

Which factors influences how a person votes?

• party identification

• candidate characteristics

• political issues

• demographics

linkage institutions

a societal structure that connects people to their government or the political process

• political parties

• interest groups

• elections

• media

political party

an organization defined by a certain ideological belief that puts forward candidates for election

What do political parties do?

• mobilize and educate voters

  • canvassing campaigns

• write and publish party platforms

• find quality candidates

• provide campaign management support for their candidates

How have parties changed over time?

• candidates are prioritized over party

• platforms that appeal to more coalitions

• changing party structure

coalition

a certain demographic group

What are some ways parties can change their structure?

• party realignment

• changes in campaign finance laws

• changes in communication and data technology

party realignment

a shift in the coalition of voters supporting a party

campaign finance laws

how much money can lawfully be given to candidates

Why can’t third parties win major elections?

Winner-take-all voting districts and the incorporation of third party agendas into two major parties’ platforms

Winner-Take-All Voting Districts

e.g. Electoral College

Why do interest groups exist?

They educate voters and office holders on the interest group’s chosen issue, engage in lobbying (holding meetings with policy makers to try to influence them to pass favorable legislation), help draft legislation, and mobilize members to pressure government.

Iron Triangle

Strong, mutually beneficial relationship between an interest group, a congressional committee, and a government agency

How do members of congressional committees benefit from interest groups?

• provided with policy information

• provided campaign donations

Issue Networks

Temporary groups of interest groups, agencies, committees, and outside groups that come together for one specific legislative goal

What influences interest group activity?

• inequality of political and economic resources

• unequal access to decision makers

• free rider problem

What are the steps to electing a president?

• Primaries or caucuses

• National conventions

• General elections

• Electoral College

primary election

Members of a party vote on which candidate they want to represent them in the general election

open primaries

a registered voter can vote in either party’s primary, but not both

closed primaries

a voter votes for their registered party

caucus

voters discuss and debate together, and vote publicly

general election

each party’s chosen candidates run against each other to become president

incumbent

current holder of an office who is seeking re-election

incumbency advantage

• already won an election, know how it’s done

• name recognition, known quantity

• established funding

• safe districts

How many electoral votes are needed for a candidate to win?

270/538

congressional/midterm elections

happens every 2 years

• length of election cycle

• complexity of campaigns (professional consultants)

• canvassing