Unit 5 - Political Participation

14th amendment

granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S, including formerly enslaved people

15th amendment

Granted African American men the right to vote

17th amendment

Changed the practice for electing Senators from a vote by state legislatures to a direct vote by the people

19th amendment

Granted women the right to vote

24th amendment

Eliminated poll taxes ,a structural barrier to voting

26th amendment

Lowered the voting age to 18

rational choice voting

Refers to individuals who base their decisions on what is perceived to be in their best interest

Retrospective voting

Refers to individuals who decide whether the party or candidate in power should be reelected based on the recent past

Prospective voting

Refers to individuals who vote based on predictions of how a party or candidate will perform in the future

Straight ticket voting

Refers to individuals who vote for all of the candidates from one political party on a ballot

Structural barriers

Polling hours, availability of absentee ballots

Political efficacy

Belief that an individual’s participation in the political process will make a difference

What can influence differences in voter turnout?

Structural barriers, political efficacy, and demographics

Differences in state-controlled elections

Hours polls are open, voter ID laws, variations in funding for polling places, and workers, variations in types of voting allowed (voting by mail, absentee voting, and early voting)

Variations in voter registration laws and proceeds

Registering in-person, online, or automatically

Election type

More turnout for presidential elections than midterm elections

Factors influencing voter choice

Party identification and ideological orientation, candidate characteristics, contemporary political issues, religious beliefs or affiliation, age, gender, race and ethnicity, and other demographic characteristics

Linkage institutions

Political parties, interest groups, elections, media

Functions and impact of political parties on the electorate and government are represented by:

Mobilization and education of voter, party platforms, candidate recruitment, campaign management (fundraising and media strategy), committee and party leadership systems in legislatures

Structure of parties are influenced by:

Critical elections, campaign finance law, changes in communication and data management technology

Critical elections

Elections in which there is a realignment of political party support among voters

What do parties use?

Communication technology and voter data management to disseminate, control, and clarify political messages and enhance outreach and mobilization efforts

Winner-take-all voting districts

Serves as a structural barrier to third-party and independent candidate success

Interest groups

May represent very specific or more general interests, and can educate voters and office holders, conduct lobbying, draft legislation, and mobilize membership to apply pressure on and work with legislators and government agencies

Amicus Curiae Brief

A written document submitted as a “friend of the court” to provide additional information for justices to consider when reviewing a case

Free riders

Individuals who benefit from the work of an interest group without providing financial support

What’s the goal of single-issue groups, ideological/social movements, and protest movements?

To affect society and policy making

Incumbency advantage phenomenon

Benefits current officeholders possess over challengers

Open and close primaries

Voting processes to elect candidates

Caucuses

Closed meetings of party members to select candidates or decide policy

Why may some states not use the electoral college vote

The results may not be the same as the popular vote nationwide

What affects the process and outcomes in U.S congressional elections?

Incumbency advantage phenomenon, open and closed primaries, caucuses, general (presidential and midterm) elections

Benefits and drawbacks of modern campaigns are represented by:

Dependence on professional consultants, rising campaign costs and intensive fundraising efforts, duration of election cycles, impact of and reliance on social media for campaign communication and fundraising

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002

An effort to ban soft money and reduce attack ads with “Stand by Your Ad” provision

Horse race polling

Based more on popularly and factors other than qualifications and platforms of candidates

Nature of democratic debate and the level of political knowledge among citizens is affected by:

Increased media choices, ideologically oriented programming, consumer-driven media outlets and emerging technologies that reinforce existing beliefs, uncertainty over the credibility of news sources and information

Different types of PACs

Influence elections and policy making through fundraising and spending