u5 ap gov vocab

linkage institution

channels that connect individuals to the government

twenty sixth amendment

allows those 18 or older to vote

twenty fourth amendment

prohibits congress and the states from imposing poll taxes as a condition for voting in elections

party line voting

voting for candidates who belong to one political party

electoral college

538 electors chosen by party leaders and activists representing the states of the US to vote for president and vice president

winner take all system

candidate that receives the most votes at the state level wins all of the electoral votes for that state

battleground state

a state where the polls show a close contest between the Republican and Democratic candidates in a presidential election

swing state

a state where levels of support for the parties are similar and elections swing back and forth between republican and democrat

super PAC

an organization that may spend unlimited amounts of money on a political campaign as long as the spending is not coordinated with the campaign

straight ticket voting

voting for all candidates on the ballot from one political party when multiple offices are being decided

split ticket voting

voting for candidates from different political parties when multiple offices are being decided

party platform

a set of positions and policy objectives that members of a political party agree to

nomination

a formal process where parties choose their candidate for office

delegate

person who acts as the voters representative at a convention to select the party's nominee

Primary election

an election in which a state's voters choose delegates who support a presidential candidate for nomination or an election by a plurality vote to select a party's nominee for a seat in congress.

Open primary

all eligible voters may vote despite party affiliation

Closed primary

only those who have registered as a member of a political party may vote

caucus

a process through which a state's eligible voters meet to select delegates to represent their preferences in the nomination process.

superdelegate

a party leader or activist who is not pledged to a candidate based on the outcome of the state’s primary or caucus election.

two party system

a system in which two political parties dominate politics, winning almost all elections.

Proportional Representation System

an electoral system for a legislature in which citizens vote for parties, rather than individuals, and parties are represented in the legislature according to the percentage of the vote they receive.

single member plurality system

each voter is only allowed to vote for one candidate and whoever receives the most voters wins.

third party

a minor political party in competition with the two major parties.

interest groups

voluntary associations of people who come together with the goal of getting the policies they favor enacted.

economic interest groups

advocate on behalf of the financial interests of their members

public interest groups

act on behalf of the collective interests of a broad group of individuals

single issue groups

associations focusing on one specific area of public policy, often a moral issue about which they are unwilling to compromise.

government interest groups

organizations acting on behalf of local, state or foreign governments.

lobbying

interacting with government officials to advance a group's public policy goals.

iron triangle

coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals.

issue network

webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers and policy advocates.

grassroots lobbying

mobilizing interest group members to pressure their representatives by contacting them directly through phone calls, email and social media.

news media

broad term that includes newspapers, magazines, radio, television, internet sources, blogs and social media postings that cover important events.

social media

forms of electronic communication that enable people to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

partisan bias

the slanting of political news coverage in support of a particular party or ideology

horse race journalism

focus on drama of latest polls and campaigns and dramatize who’s winning, leading to Americans not knowing anything substantial about the policy agenda of candidates.