Unit 5 Test

political participation

actions of private citizens by which they seek to influence or support government and politics

political action committee (PAC)

a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns

linkage institution

forms or means of political participation. They include voting (elections), political parties, interest groups, and the media

social movement

a loosely organized group that uses unconventional and often disruptive tactics to have their grievances heard by the public, the news/media, and government leaders

franchise (suffrage)

the right to vote

twenty-sixth amendment

lowered voting age from 21 to 18

twenty-fourth amendment

prohibited the poll tax

poll tax

a payment required before a citizen is allowed to vote

voter turnout

the number of eligible voters who show up at the polls. Characteristics of a candidate have a significant impact on voter turnout (race, gender, religion, marriage, sexual orientation, and military service)

structural vote barriers

barriers that prevent people from voting, registration, ballot complexity, two-party system, and elections are all considered institutional barriers - they all make voting difficult and can hinder some from voting

demographic characteristics

education (higher levels of education are associated with higher political efficacy), age (older generations vote more), race (voter turnout is correlated with racial identity and ethnic identity), gender (women vote at a slightly higher rate than men)

socioeconomic staus (SES)

a measure of an individual’s wealth, income, occupation, and educational attainment

political efficacy

confidence that one can make effective political change—relates to increased voter turnout

political mobilization

individuals with a strong attachment to a political party are more likely to vote—voting initiatives can be the difference in winning elections. Methods include: sponsoring meetings, requesting contributions, or engaging with potential voters on social media

registration requirements

varies state by state

absentee ballot

a voting ballot submitted by mail before an election. Voters use absentee ballots if they will be unable to go to the polls on election day

rational choice voting

when a citizen votes for a candidate based on self-interest—the candidate has policies that help you in some way

retrospective voting

voting based on a candidate’s past performance or voting record

prospective voting

voting for a candidate who promises to enact policies favored by the voter but does not have any track record of doing so

party-line voting

voting for members of a political party for any political office. People are often not knowledgeable of who many local politicians are and will vote based on party affiliation

electoral college

chooses the president—electors are based on representation in Congress (each state has at least 3 votes)

winner-take-all system

when all of a state's electoral college votes go to the winning candidate (Maine and Nebraska don’t do this)

battleground state

aka swing states. A state in which no candidate has overwhelming support, meaning that any of the major candidates have a reasonable chance of winning the state's electoral college votes

swing state

states where Electoral College votes could go to either candidate—candidates spend more time and money there trying to win over the state

get out the vote (GOTV)

political mobilization efforts that can sometimes be the difference in winning elections

super PAC

A PAC that is allowed to give an unlimited amount of money to a candidate or political party. Money still comes from individual donors, labor unions, and nonprofits. The difference is that they may not act "in concert or in cooperation with" the candidate, the candidate's organization, or a political party. They can donate as much as they like in support but cannot donate directly to

political party

an organized group of party leaders, officeholders, and voters who work together to elect candidates for political office

• Objectives: unite people, establish a platform to streamline the party’s voice, and raise money

party identification

the degree to which a voter is connected to a political party

straight-ticket voting

aka party-line voting—voting for all the candidates on the ballot from one party

split-ticket voting

voting for candidates from different parties in any given election—highlights a growing number of independent-minded voters

party platform

positions and policy objectives that members of a political party agree to—typically announced at a party convention. Candidates use the platform as a framework for governing.

• State-level parties sometimes deviate from the national platform

recruitment

the process by which citizens are selected for involvement in politics

coalitions

groups of voters who support a party or candidate

realignment

when groups of people who support a political party shift their allegiance to another party

critical election

Critical elections are an electoral earthquake where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party. Party realignment is the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.

party era

when one party wins and has control of the executive and legislative branch

era of divided government

when one party controls one or both chambers of Congress and the president is from the opposing party

nomination

the formal process through which declared candidates are chosen for office by their party

delegate

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

incumbent

those already holding office—in congressional elections, incumbents usually win

• voters know what the incumbent did the term prior to the one they are running, and agree or disagree with their beliefs

primary election

an election in which voters decide which of the candidates within a party will represent the party in the general election

open primary

all eligible voters may cast a vote for any party’s candidates, regardless of party affiliation

closed primary

voters must vote for the candidates offered by their affiliated political party—independent voters must choose which party’s ballot they will vote on

caucus

a meeting held to select the favorite candidate—delegates are selected to represent their nomination preference

superdelegate

a delegate that is seated automatically, based on their status as a current or former party leader or elected official

• Free to support any candidate for the nomination

front-loading

a decision by a party to push a primary or caucus to date as early in the election season as possible

national convention

the final phase—a meeting where delegates officially select their party’s nominee for the presidency

midterm election

general elections held 2 years after the 4-year presidential election

• All the seats in the House and 33/34 seats in the Senate are up for reelection

candidate-centered campaign

election campaigns or other political processes in which candidates have most of the initiative and influence

two-party system

creates political choices with clear differences, hopefully reaching a compromise or consensus on issues—the idea that multiple parties could lead to a fragmented and unproductive legislature

proportional representation system

parliamentary systems where parties are represented in the legislature according to the percentage of votes the party receives in a general election

single-member plurality system

candidates can win with a plurality (not a majority)

third party

generally focuses on a single issue, hoping to influence or push the top two to the left or right—oftentimes ignored during presidential campaigns

interest groups

associations of people with the goal of getting favorable policies enacted—an important linkage institution that connects people with the government

social movements

groups that seek to inform the public about an issue and put pressure on policymakers to bring about social change (ex. #metoo, Occupy Wall Street, BLM)

theory of participatory democracy

the belief that citizens impact policy-making through their involvement in political action (sometimes through linkage institutions)

civil society

the formal and informal organizations that are not part of the state apparatus but operate in public

pluralist theory

political power distributed among many competing groups (ex. NRA)—strong, active membership can provide significant political leverage

elitist theory

a theory that the wealthy, elites have a disproportionate amount of economic and political power (ex. Super PACs)—they can and will utilize that power to set the policy agenda

policy agenda

a set of issues, problems, or subjects that gets the attention viewed as important by people involved in policymaking such as government officials and government decision-makers

collective action

when individuals contribute their energy, time, and/or money to a larger group goal

collective good

a public good, such as clean air, that interest groups push for

free riders

individuals may benefit from the actions of an interest group without contributing (ex. Contract negotiations without paying union dues)

selective benefits

perks provided to members that help to increase participation (ex. Discount goods)

economic interest groups

advocate on behalf of the financial interests of their members (ex. Collective bargaining for public employees, trade associations)

public interest groups

act on behalf of the collective interests of a broad group and not just their members (ex. Civil rights)

single-issue groups

focus on one specific issue (ex. Abotrion, animal rights, etc)

government interest groups

act on behalf of local, state, or foreign governments (ex. National Governors’ Association)

lobbying

interacting with government officials in order to advance a group’s public policy goals

legislative lobbying

seeks to influence how legislation is written in Congress

executive lobbying

focuses on how laws are implemented by the bureaucracy

judicial lobbying

centers on how laws are interpreted by the courts

direct lobbying

• occurs by contacting members of Congress and meeting with them—lobbyists prepare research reports and briefs to bring attention to their issues, they may also testify about an issue at committee or subcommittee hearings

  • Lobby government agencies to encourage agencies to issue favorable regulation

revolving door

former government officials or members of Congress are often in high demand by lobbying firms—the movement of individuals with positions in government to lobbying positions (often working on behalf of private-sector interests)

amicus curiae brief

interest groups can file lawsuits or a “friend of the court” brief which describes the group’s position on issues in an attempt to persuade the Court to agree

iron triangle

comprises the policy-making relationship among the congressional committees, the bureaucracy, and interest groups

issue network

an alliance of various interest groups and individuals who unite in order to promote a common cause or agenda in a way that influences government policy

grassroots lobbying

individual members pressure their representatives by contacting them directly through phone calls, email, and social media—may also get the public’s attention through protests or utilizing the media to highlight their demands

• Canvassing (door-to-door) or informing the public by marching, striking, and protesting are methods utilized to pressure political officials to change their policies

protest

a public demonstration designed to call attention to the need for change

civil disobedience

intentionally breaking a law to call attention to injustice—risk is involved as a participant in any movement as lives and livelihoods are often on the line

• The success of any movement depends on whether lawmakers pay attention and if society embraces the demanded change for the long run

news media

a broad term that includes newspapers, magazines, radio, television, internet sources, blogs, and social edit postings

social media

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

agenda setting

the media’s ability to highlight certain issues and bring them to the attention of the public

mass media

the combination of free press, political culture, and investigative journalism, which create information designed to reach a wide audience, including newspapers, radio, television, and internet outlets

wire service

gathers and reports on news and sells the stories to other outlets—created by the Associated Press

investigative journalism

journalists and reporters highlight stories of interest, often looking for instances of wrongdoing—sometimes referred to as “muckraking”

broadcast media

television, radio, or other media that transmit audio and/or video content to the public

media consolidation

 the process by which a few large companies or corporations come to dominate the ownership and control of media outlets, such as television, radio, newspapers, and online platforms

media bias

the bias or perceived bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of events and stories that are reported and how they are covered

horse-race journalism

coverage of political campaigns that focus more on the drama of the campaign than on policy issues

15th amendment (1870)

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

17th amendment (1913)

Direct election of senators (before: state legislatures chose the two senators)

citizens united v. federal election commission (2010)

US constitutional law case, in which the United States Supreme Court held that the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting political independent expenditures by corporations, associations, or labor unions. In a 5-4 decision, the Court held that portions of BCRA violated the First Amendment.

bipartisan campaign reform act of 2002

A law passed in 2002 that banned soft money, put limits on issue advertising, and increased the amount people can donate to candidates; also called the McCain-Feingold bill.

19th amendment

Women were granted the right to vote across the country (some states already allowed women to vote)