AP Gov Unit 5 Vocab Terms

Amicus curiae brief

"friend of the court" brief filed by an interest group to influence a Supreme Court decision.

Dealignment argument

contention that parties are less meaningful to voters, who have abandoned the parties in greater numbers to become independents.

Divided government

government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls the Congress (i.e. holds a majority of seats in the House and Senate).

Access points

Places where citizens and groups are able to connect with elected officials and/or bureaucrats to try and influence public policy

agenda-setting

Determination of policy priorities

balancing the ticket

occurs when a presidential nominee chooses a vice president running mate who has different qualities in order to attract more votes for the ticket.

bipartisanship

support from both parties for policy, e.g., a bipartisan foreign policy.

blanket primary

election to choose candidates that is open to independents, and that allows voters to choose candidates from all the parties.

Litigation

the act or process of carrying out a lawsuit.

Lobbying

attempting to influence policy makers.

Nonpartisan elections

elections in which candidates are not identified by party membership on the ballot - typically local offices i.e. school board, city council, judge

Candidate-centered campaigns

Focused on the personal appeal of the individual candidate rather than the positions and philosophies embraced by the party with which the candidate is identified.

caucus

local party meeting to choose a candidate (an alternative to a primary election) OR a meeting of individuals who share a common characteristic, such as the Congressional Women's Caucus)

Photo opportunity

a staged campaign event that attracts favorable visual media coverage, e.g., a candidate reading to a group of school children.

Coattail effect

the positive influence of a popular presidential candidate on the election of congressional candidates of the same party.

Political Action Committees (PACs)

interest groups that raise funds and donate to election campaigns.

Revolving door

the cycle in which a person alternatively works for the public sector and private sector, thus blurring the individual's sense of loyalty.

Closed primary

party election to choose candidates that is closed to independents. Voters may not cross party lines.

Coalitions

a group of individuals or smaller groups united in support of a common cause (even if they don't have any

other areas of agreement)

Committee leadership system

Theory that congressional committees are the primary drivers of policymaking within Congress (as opposed to the party leadership system)

Direct election

election of an official directly by the people rather than by an intermediary group such as the Electoral College

Unit rule

an abandoned rule of the Democratic Party national convention in which the candidate with the most delegates from a state won all of the state's convention votes.

Direct primary

election in which the people choose candidates for office.

Fixed terms

terms of office that have a definite length of time, e.g., two years for a member of the House.

Frontloading

scheduling presidential primary elections early (e.g., February or March) in an election year.

General election

election in which the officeholders are chosen. Contrast with a primary election, in which only the candidates are chosen.

Hard money

campaign contributions donated directly to candidates.

Issue advocacy ads

ads that focus on issues and do not explicitly encourage citizens to vote for a certain candidate.

Issue Network

an informal and loosely organized coalition of individuals and groups with a common interest who jointly advocate for and endeavor to implement preferred policy.

Linkage institution

any entity that connects people to policymakers and enables them to communicate their preferences, such as political parties, interest groups, and the mass media

Midterm elections

The general elections held halfway through a Presidential term, involving all of the House of Representatives seats and approximately one-third of Senate seats, as well as some state and local races.

Mobilization

The process of ensuring your supporters show up and vote on election day or take action to try to influence policy.

Open primary

election to choose candidates that is open to independents, and in which voters may choose candidates from any one party.

Partisan

strongly affiliate with a party

Party leadership system

Theory that political parties are the primary drivers of policymaking within Congress (as opposed to the committee leadership system)

Party platform

a list of positions and programs that the party adopts at the national convention. Each position is called a plank.

Plurality

more votes than anyone else, but less than half, e.g., Clinton won a plurality (43%) popular votes in 1992, but not a majority. Plurality elections such as those for Congress are won by the person with the most votes, regardless if he/she has a majority.

Realigning ("critical") election

an election in which there is a long term change in party alignment, e.g., 1932.

Safe seat

an office that is extremely likely to be won by a particular candidate or political party.

Winner-Take-All voting system

a system in which a candidate who receives a majority of the popular vote, or a plurality of the popular vote (less than 50 percent but more than any other candidate), becomes the winner or takes all of the state's Electoral votes

Soft money

campaign contributions that are not donated directly to candidates, but are instead donated to parties.

Structural barriers to voting

Official laws and/or policies that diminish participation in elections, such as registration requirements, voter identification laws, and voting procedures and locations.

Superdelegate

a delegate to the Democratic national convention who is there by virtue of holding an office.

Super Tuesday

a Tuesday in early March in which many presidential primaries, particularly in the South, are held.

Swing states

states that do not consistently vote either Democratic or Republican in presidential primaries.

Voter Turnout

information about the quantity and/or demography of voters who participated in a given election

SuperPACs

a political organization that may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but is not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates

Leadership PACs

Political action committees set up by political leaders as a means to finance the campaigns of political allies whom they believe will reciprocate with support for their own political ambitions.

horserace journalism

a practice which journalist and reporters use in regards to government coverage and campaign coverage with emphasis on who is gaining or losing, not on what is being done about issues.

political participation

The many different ways that people take part in politics and government

political efficacy

citizens' trust in their ability to change the government and belief that they can understand and influence political affairs

Fifteenth Amendment

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Seventeenth Amendment

allowed americans to vote directly for U.S senators

Nineteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment adopted in 1920 that guarantees women the right to vote.

Twenty-fourth Amendment

Prohibits poll tax in federal elections

Twenty-sixth Amendment

Changed the legal voting age from 21 to 18.

retrospective voting

Grandfather Clause

A clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867.

literacy test

A test given to persons to prove they can read and write before being allowed to register to vote

poll tax

A tax of a fixed amount per person and payable as a requirement for the right to vote

voter identification laws

laws requiring citizens to show a government-issued photo ID in order to vote

Voter registration laws/Motor Voter

National Voter Registration Act allows American citizens to register to vote when they are issued a driver's license

Referendum

a general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision.

Initiative

Procedure whereby a certain number of voters may, by petition, propose a law or constitutional amendment and have it submitted to the voters.

Political Parties

organized groups that attempt to influence the government by electing their members to important government offices

Interest groups

organization of people who share political, social or other goals; and agree to try to influence public policy to achieve those goals

Iowa Caucus

The first caucus of the presidential campaign season, which is closely watched and strongly contested.

New Hampshire Primary

traditionally, these are the first of the public votes for the new presidential election. it occurs in Jan. of the election year

Third Party Candidate

a candidate that is not associated with one of the two major political parties.

independent candidate

a candidate who runs in a general election without party endorsement or selection

Faithless Elector

An elector who votes for someone other than the candidate who won the most votes in the state in a presidential election

grassroots lobbying

indirect lobbying efforts that spring from widespread public concern

National Popular Vote

The total vote count of the whole country in a general election for president

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002

banned soft money contributions to national political parties from corporations and unions; independent expenditures by corporations, labor unions, trade associations, and nonprofit organizations are sharply restricted

Dark Money

political money where the donors of the money do not have to be disclosed

attack ads

Campaign advertising that criticizes a candidate's opponent-typically by making potentially damaging claims about the opponents background or record- rather than focusing on positive reasons to vote for the candidate

opposition research

Attempts by a candidate's campaign or other groups of supporters to uncover embarrassing or politically damaging information about the candidate's opponent.

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

A decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that independent expenditures are free speech protected by the 1st Amendment and so cannot be limited by federal law. Leads to creation of SuperPACs

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

Ideologically oriented programming

TV and radio news programs that cater to audiences with a particular ideological perspective.

sound bite

a short, pithy comment that is likely to attract media attention, e.g., Ronald Reagan saying, "A recession is when your neighbor loses his job, a depression is when you lose your job, and recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his job."

adversarial press

a kind of journalism or a journalistic role where the journalist adopts an oppositional and combative style of reporting and interviewing