AP Gov Unit 5: Political Participation

citizens announce their candidacy for the presidency ____ years before the election

1 - 2

first presidential caucus or primary to happen

Iowa Caucus

What is it called when Iowa and New Hampshire have the first two primaries

frontloading

Why do states frontload their primaries?

the earlier they go, the more attention they get from candidates and the media, influencing the nomination process and can influence party nominations significantly

what does the turnout at a caucus look like

there are less people at a caucus than a primary because it takes more time and dedication so only those with strong opinions tend to participate, resulting in heated and passionate debates among attendees

closed primary

only open to members of one political party registered under that label

open primary

any registered voter can vote for any party’s candidate

super tuesday

a day in march where many states hold their primaries to get media attention

pledged delegate

a delegate who is committed to support a specific candidate at a party's national convention

structure of the Iowa caucus

The process by which Iowa voters gather in precincts to discuss and choose delegates for candidates, often involving multiple rounds of voting and debating

lame duck presidency

A period in which a president remains in office after a successor has been elected, often leading to reduced political influence and they have no real power anymore as they wait for their successor to be sworn in

super delegate

at the democratic national convention a delegate who is not pledged to a specific candidate and can support any candidate they choose (often a mayor or party official). They have significant influence in the nomination process

purpose of the national nominating conventions

• announce presidential and vice presidential candidates

• develop party platform

• generate excitement about the candidate and election (media attention)

how do the delegates work at the national nominating conventions

the delegates are proportional to the percentages of the popular vote in the state primaries

how many electors in the electoral college

538

how are the electors of each state distributed

however many representatives they have + 2 to represent the senators

how many electors does DC have

3

how many electors do you get if you win the popular vote in a state?

all of the electors in a state

what is the term describing how electors are won in the US presidential election

winner-take-all system

proportional system

when the amount of delegates you win is proportional to the amount of the popular vote you win

what are the two states that do not use the winner-take-all system

Maine and Nebraska

what are the most important states in a presidential election

swing states

faithless elector

A member of the Electoral College who does not vote for the candidate they pledged to support

how many electoral college votes do you need to win the presidency

270

plurality

The number of votes that is more than any other candidate but not an absolute majority - the candidate with the most votes wins

majority

50% or more

what happens if there is a tie in the electoral college

The decision goes to the House of Representatives, where each state delegation has one vote to determine the president

who decides the vice president in an electoral college tie

senate

why was the elcetoral college originally invented

it was originally a compromise between states with bigger and smaller populations

roles of political parties

• develop party platforms at the national conventions

• raise funds for political purposes

• select candidates at national conventions

• educate voters about candidates and issues

• provide leadership

• provide balance by criticizing the party in power

• to provide basics for citizen participation in government

• provide a label for voters (inferences about candidate based on their party)

influence of third parties

• bring attention to issues that can be adopted by one of the two major parties later on

• play “spoiler” in elections by drawing votes away from major party candidates to influence election outcomes

challenges faced by third parties

• single member districts

• winner-take-all elections

• election winners decided by plurality

• ballot requirements

• campaign finance laws

• presidential debate requirements

• less media attention

• located on extremes of the ideological spectrum

• electoral college deadlcok

how to give more influence to third parties

• multi-member districts and proportional representation

• change ballot requirements

• change campaign finance laws

• ease presidential debate requirements

• require a majority of votes to win in a single member district

single member districts

Electoral districts that elect one representative each, often leading to a winner-takes-all scenario

multi-member districts

Electoral districts that elect multiple representatives, allowing for proportional representation of votes

proportional representation

An electoral system in which parties gain seats in the legislature in proportion to the number of votes they receive, promoting fairer representation for smaller parties

how interest groups try to shape public policy

• lobbying

• electioneering

• public opinion pressures (outsider strategy)

• litigation

lobbying

the attempt to influence government decisions, usually legislation by advocating for specific policies or interests to lawmakers and officials

lobbyist

an individual who tries to influence public policy (legislation) by trying to influence law makers and government officials on behalf of a special interest group

strategies of lobbyists

• meet with lawmakers (insider strategy)

• experts provide information

• gather and present data

• testify at congressional hearings

• create sample legislation

electioneering

actively supporting one candidate or political party during a campaign by engaging in activities such as fundraising, mobilizing voters, and providing resources for campaign efforts

what can interest groups do for a candidate

• endorse them publicly

• raise and contribute money to their campaigns

political action committee (PAC)

the political arm of special interest groups that are set up to raise money and contribute money to political candidates

strategies of public opinion pressures

• grassroots mobilization

• organizing demonstrations

• media attention

• advertisements

• rating systems for legislators

• publishing studies

grassroots mobilization

a strategy that involves engaging and organizing ordinary citizens to advocate for a candidate or issue

litigation (suing)

interest groups may try to influence public policy through legal action

what interest group used litigation in Brown v. Board

NAACP

how are interest groups different from political parties

interest groups usually focus on one issue or interest while political parties develop platforms that cover many different issues

institutional interests

individuals or organizations representing other organizations

membership interests

individuals or organizations representing members

economic interest group

groups that focus on economic politices that affect them

social action groups

groups that want to bring about social change

public interest group

groups that work for the “best interest” of the public or the common good

PAC

• purpose of electing or defeating candidates by raising money and donating it to candidates

• $5000 max can be given to a PAC

• $5000 max can a PAC donate to a campaign

• less independent expenditures

• must publicly disclose where money comes from

Super PAC

• purpose is independent expenditures to promote certain candidates

• no fundraising limits (unlimited)

• not allowed to contribute to campaigns directly

• unlimited independent expenditures because of freedom of speech

• must publicly disclose where money comes from

501c4

• purpose is to donate to super PAC’s

• unlimited fundraising

• give to super packs not campaigns

• dark money

• do not have to disclose where money comes from

roles of the media

• agenda setter

• scorekeeper

• watchdog

• issue framer

agenda setter

influence what subjects become national political issues, and for how long

scorekeeper

tracks the reputation of political candidates and parties through coverage and polls

watchdog

Follow the front-runner candidates closely, searching for any history that will make news. Media maintains close eye on all important happenings of major candidates and holds them accountable for their actions, providing the public with necessary information to make informed decisions

issue framer

TV news influences the standards by which government, presidents, policies, and candidates are judged by shaping how events are presented and interpreted, affecting public perception

selective perception

interpreting what you want to see in the media based on your previous opinions and beliefs

selective exposure

only watching things you already agree with, reinforcing your opinion

intense competition in media

both print and electronic media are under tremendous pressure to be the first to report a story

media conglomerates

mega news empires

consequence of media conglomerates

less pluralism in news since they are all given similar things to report and there is less differentiation of storytelling and opinions

electorate

group of all people casting their votes in an election

franchise

right to vote

suffrage

qualifications for voting

1957 civil rights act

first bill since reconstruction, addressed discrimination in voter registration and established the US office of civil rights

preclearance

put states under federal supervision if they tried to invent legal loopholes to limit black suffrage (voting rights act of 1965)

party identification

when someone aligns with a party and self-identifies as part of the party based on their ideological beliefs

voting age population

everyone who is 18+ years old

voter turnout

number of people that actually cast vote as a percentage of the total voting age population

voter registration

enrollment in the electoral roleto be eligible to vote in elections

what do you have to do to be able to cast a vote in the US

register to vote before the election

national voter registration act (motor voter act)

requires states to offer citizens at state run agencies the opportunity to register to vote (particularly at the Department of Motor Vehicles) to ensure that voter registration is accessible

australian ballots

ballot used today in the US for elections

Ballot must be…

• printed and distributed at public expense

• show all qualifying candidates names

• be available only at polling places

• be completed in private

provisional ballots

used when there are discrepancies at polling places and are set aside until election officials verify that voting occurred at the correct voting place base on the voter’s registration address

absentee ballots

mailing in a ballot if a voter is unable to make it to the poles and is therefore “absent”

there is currently no ______ voting in the US

online

opinions on voter ID laws

conservative are in favor of ID requirements at the polls but liberals are against it because it excludes people (more impoverished people)

voting-eligible population

citizens who could legally vote if they wished

there is higher voter turnout in ________________ than ______________

presidential elections, midterm elections

midterm elections

federal elections that occur midway through a president’s term

voter efficacy

sense that your vote matters and makes a difference in government

voter apathy

lack of concern for the election outcome and low participation in elections

gender gap

the difference in political views between men and women and how these views are expressed at the voting booth

hispanic voting trends

tend to vote democrat and have low voter turnout

african american voting trends

tend to vote democrat and have high voter turnout

voting trends based on age

younger voters have lower turnout than older voter blocs

asian american voting trends

very few in the US, vote conservatively, yet voted obama as a bloc in 2012

evangelical voting trends

hold conservative beliefs and vote republican

catholic voting trends

historically voted democrat but have both conservative and liberal ideologies and now vote both ways

jewish voting trends

high voter turnout, liberal and vote democrat

voting trends of people in business

tend to hold conservative values

democrats win _____ vote and republicans win votes of ________ people

union, business people

women have higher voter turnout than ___

men

older people have higher voter turnout than _______ people

younger