Political Participation Flashcards

Flashcards about Political Participation

Political Participation

Ways voters get involved in the political process, including ideology, efficacy, structural barriers, and demographics.

15th Amendment

Voting right to Black males.

17th Amendment

Popular elections of US senators.

19th Amendment

Suffrage to women.

24th Amendment

Declared poll taxes void in federal elections.

26th Amendment

Lowered voting age to 18 year-olds.

Voting Rights Act 1965

Helped end formal & informal barriers to voting for Black people.

National Voters Registration Act 1993

Makes it easier for voters to register to vote by requiring states to allow citizens to register when applying for or renewing a driver's license.

Rational Choice Voting

Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen's best interest.

Retrospective Voting

Voting whether a candidate should be re-elected based on recent past.

Prospective Voting

Voting based on predictions of how a candidate will perform in the future.

Party-Line Voting

Voting for candidates of one party for all public offices at the same level of government.

Compulsory Voting

Laws that require citizens to register & vote in local & national elections.

Midterm Elections

Congressional elections that occur in even-numbered years between presidential elections.

Political Efficacy

Citizen's belief that their vote matters & can influence government policies.

Linkage Institutions

Groups in society that connect people to the government & facilitate turning people's concerns into political issues.

Party Platform

Goals outlining a party's position on issues & political priorities.

Campaign Finance

Funds raised to promote candidates, parties, or policy initiatives.

Candidate-Centered Campaigns

Focus on candidates, their personalities & issues, rather than parties they represent.

Critical Election

Election that leads to major party realignment in the number of key supporters from one party to the other.

Dealignment

Individual loses their loyalty to one party without developing loyalty for another.

Direct Primary

Current process by which parties choose their party's candidate for national office.

Micro-Targeting

Using computer models to identify voters who might support a candidate.

Political Action Committees (PACs)

Organizations representing an interest group or corporation that raises money with the goal of supporting or defeating candidates.

Political Machine

Early organization with the goal of enriching party leaders, party workers, & citizen supporters through government contracts & jobs.

Realignment

Major change in composition of party coalitions, often brought on by a new/pressing issue.

Super PACs

May raise unlimited funds in support of a candidate as long as they don't coordinate with the candidate directly.

Independent Candidate

No formal affiliation with a political party.

Proportional System

An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded in proportion to the percentage of votes garnered by a party in an election.

Third Party

Not Democrat or Republican.

Two-Party System

Electoral system in which 2 major parties dominate voting at all levels.

Winner-Take-All

Electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the party who received the most votes.

"Free Rider" Problem

Problem of group behavior that occurs when an individual can receive a public benefit without making a personal contribution of money or effort.

Lobbying

Seeking to influence a public official on an issue.

Inside Strategies

Working inside of DC with direct lobbying, drafting legislation, and suing the government.

Outside Strategies

Working outside of DC with campaign contributions, media coverage, and encouraging constituent mobilization.

Salience

Degree to which the general public is aware of a policy issue.

Caucus

Party members choose nominees for political office.

Closed Primary

Primary election limited to registered members of a political party.

General Election

Election decides which candidate will fill an elective post.

Popular Vote

Total or percentage of votes won by each candidate.

Primary Election

Election decides which candidate party will send to the general election.

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

Banned soft money & reduced attack ads.

Soft Money

Money spent in support of a candidate without directly donating to the campaign.

"Media as a Gatekeeper"

Media draws public & government attention to certain issues.

Framing

Way media portrays an issue.

Ideologically-Oriented Programming/Partisan News Sites

Media caters to specific ideology.

Media Consolidation

Few large companies have acquired majority news sources.