AP Gov Unit 5 - Incomplete

15th Amendment

citizens shall not be denied the right to vote on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude

19th Amendment

citizens shall not be denied the right to vote on account of sex

23rd Amendment

for presidential and vice-presidential elections, Washington DC shall appoint a number of electors no more than the least populous state (3 electoral college votes)

24th Amendment

citizens shall not be denied the right to vote by reason of failure to pay any tax

26th Amendment

citizens 18 years of age shall not be denied the right to vote on account of age

Rational choice voting

voting based on what a citizen perceives to be in their own individual best interest

Retrospective voting

deciding whether a party or candidate in power should be elected baked on their recent track record

Prospective voting

voting based on campaign promises and predictions of how a candidate will perform in the future

Party-line voting

supporting candidates from the same political party for every single office on the ballot

Ticket-splitting

opposite of party line voting

Influences on voting behavior

personality or competence of a candidate, their character, and the most important political issues of the day

Voter turnout is highest in … because of …

presidential elections … increased media attention and funding, only once every four years, feels more important

Structural barriers to voter turnout

voter registration procedures (strict deadline before an election → lower turnout. Same-day registration or automatic registration → high turnout)

Voter ID laws

require strict govt-issued IDs. makes turnout lower, especially for young and low-income voters

Political efficacy

citizen’s belief that their political participation actually matters and influences govt

How does education influence voter turnout

more education means more likely to vote

How does age influence voter turnout

older citizens vote significantly more

How does income influence voter turnout

wealthier individuals have higher turnout rates

How does gender influence voter turnout

women vote more than men

How does marital status influence voter turnout

married people have higher turnout rates than unmarried people

How does religious affiliation influence voter turnout

more active participants in religious communities have higher turnout

How does race influence voter turnout

white voters have historically higher turnout. Blacks fluctuate on candidate, hispanic and asian are lower

Ways to improve voter turnout

automatic or same day registration, online voter registration, universal mail-in voting, ease photo ID laws

National Voter Registration Act (Motor-Voter Law)

goal was to increase citizen participation and alleviate the burden of making a special effort to register to vote. Requires state to offer voter registration at state-run agencies like the DMC (had little impact)

Help America Vote Act

goal to modernize voting process and eliminate structural barriers. It upgraded voting technology and some other aspects to make voting easier for disabled people.

Voter ID Laws

36 states require voters to show ID (driver’s license, utility bill, etc)

What is a Linkage institution?

the channels and structures that connect everyday citizens to their government and policymakers

Types of linkage institutions

1. Elections → most direct method for citizens to cast ballots and voice preferences 2. Political parties → they mobilize voters, recruit candidates, and run campaigns to win public office and align gov action with a shared platform 3. Interest Groups → advocate for specialized issues and raise funds to push specific concerns 4. The Media → inform public about political events and act as watchdog over the gov actions, and set political agenda

Political parties

organized groups of people with similar political ideologies who work to elect candidates to public office who will represent those ideologies

National Convention

held every four years to nominate candidates for pres and VP

Party caucuses

closed meetings of party members to set legislative agendas, select committee members, and choose leadership

Candidate centered politics

individual candidates and personal brands take center stage over political party

Two ways to contribute money to political campaigns

1. Direct contributions to either candidate’s campaign or the political party, which can be used any way party sees fit or 2. Contributions to groups (like PACs) that make independent expenditures to express political views to aid a candidate’s campaign, but can’t coordinate with campaign

Campaign finance rules for spenders and donors (individuals and interest groups)

affect whether, how much, and when they can spend

How are campaign finance rules controversial?

seen as going against free speech because citizens have right to express themselves

Federal Election Campaign Act

requires all candidates running for federal office to disclose who had contributed money to their campaigns and how much they have spent

Federal Election Commission

enforces limits on campaign contributions

Super PACs

don’t donate directly to campaigns, collect contributions from many sources, may accept donations of any size but can’t contribute directly to a party or candidate