We the People: Chapter 9

Goes over content and vocabulary included in Chapter 9 of We the People.

political participation

wide range of activities in politics

examples of political participation

include but not limited to: voting, attending campaign events, contributing money, contacting elected officials

insurrection

a violent attack on government; the act of revolting against civic authority or established government.

protest

participation that involves assembling crowds to confront a government or other official organization

suffrage

the right to vote—has expanded throughout American history to more and more people.

turnout

the percentage of eligible individuals who vote

19th Amendment (1920)

granted women the right to vote nationwide

26th Amendment (1971)

Brought the minimum voting age down from 21 to 18 years.

digital political participation

activities designed to influence politics using the internet

examples of digital political participation

including but not limited to: visiting a candidate’s website, organizing events online, and signing an online petition

online mobilization worked effectively through…(3 thrings)

personal networks, emotional appeals, and social pressure

the most common way Americans participate in politics outside of voting

digital participation

social media

key networking tool for running campaigns and winning elections

socioeconomic status

status in society based on level of education, income, and occupational prestige

the most important factor in predicting voter turnout

education

people are more likely to vote if:

they have higher levels of education and higher income.

Age: __ individuals are more likely to vote than __ individuals.

older, younger

Why do older people have higher rates of participation?

They are likely to own homes and pay property (policies they shape/don’t shape will affect these things)

some barriers to African American participation

concentrated poverty, persistent black urban poverty, and resedential segregation

African Americans vote largely as…

a cohesive bloc

the majority of voters in U.S. elections are of what race?

white

To which party do whites tend to vote for?

Repulibcans

To which party do whites with college degrees support?

Democrats

Latinos have historically had __ levels of political participation

low

Women register at rates similar to men but are __ likely to vote.

more

Men typically vote (R or D) at a higher rate; Women vote (R or D) at a higher rate

Republican, Democrat

gender gap

distinctive pattern of voting behavior between men and women.

typical gender gap points in presidential elections

10

midterm elections

congressional elections that do not coincide with a presidential election

primary election

held to select a party’s candidate for the general election

closed primary

primary election in which only voters of the party in which they are enrolled can participate

open primary

primary election in which voters can wait until the day of the primary to choose which party to enroll in to select candidates for the general election.

general election

follows the primary elections and determines who is ultimately elected to office

registration requirements can __ voter turnout

reduce

same-day registration

option to register to vote on the day of the election

early voting

option in some states to cast a vote at a polling place or by mail before the election.

voter identification laws require…

voters to provide proof of identity

voters identification laws may disproportionally reduce turnout of…

racial minorities, the poor, and the elderly

__ and __ governments run elections and create ballots in the U.S.

state and county

Help American Vote Act (2003)

requires states to use computerized voter-registration databases

computerized voter-registration databases had led to concerns over…

cybersecurity

frontloading

when states move their presidential primaries earlier in the calendar

how do delegates determine their vote at a national convention

on the results of state primaries and caucuses

superdelegates

a number of Democratic party leaders and elected officials at just under 15% of all delegates, who can vote as they wish if no candidate wins a mojority of delegates in the 1st round of voting

party platform

put together at a party convention; it is a document that contains party philosophy, principles, and policy positions.

During the general electors, voters do not vote directly for candidates but rather for

“electors",” who go to the electoral college

the number of electors in each states us equal to

their House members + two senators

The winning candidate needs __ / 538 electoral votes.

270

campaign

an effort by political candidates to win support for their quest for political office

incumbent

a candidate running for re-election

Political action committee (PAC)

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

PACs are established by…

Corporations, interest groups, or other advocacy groups establish

527 committees

nonprofit independent political action committees that operates to influence election of candidates for office

PACs and Super PACs are examples of

527 committees

Super PACs

political committee/organization that can raise and spend unlimited sums of money but cannot contribute directly to a candidate campaign or political party

501c(4) committees (dark money)

politically active nonprofits that can spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns and not disclose their donors as long as their activities are not coordinated with the candidate campaigns and political activates are not their primary purpose.

Citizens United and SpeechNow v. FEC (2010)

Allowed unlimited spending by corporations, unions, wealthy individuals, and interest groups (by way of “outside groups”) or groups not directly coordinated with a candidates campaign.

grassroots campaigns

political campaigns that operate on the local level

mass media campaigns

used for both positive and negative advertisement

micro-targeting

sending different campaign ads or messages to different demographic groups of voters.

mobilization and voter turnout greatly increases through

face-to-face interactions

most reliable indicator of which candidate people will vote for

partisan loyalty

issues and policy preferences

some voters cast their ballot for candidates whose positions on important issues they believe to be closest to their own

candidate characteristics

candidate’s race, ethnicity, relation, gender, geographic background, and social background may be factors in voter decisions.

rejectionism

when some partisans refuse to accept validity and legitimacy of a defeat at the polls