AP Gov Ch. 5 Quiz

rational choice voting

voting based on what a citizen believes is in their best interest

party line voting

voting for a candidate because of their party affiliation

retrospective voting

voting for a candidate because you like their past actions in office

prospective voting

voting for a candidate because you favor their ideas for handling issues

Voting amendments

15th - all men can vote regardless of race

17th - direct election of senators

19th - women's suffrage

24th - no poll tax

26th - lowered voting age to 18

voter apathy

the lack of interest among the citizenry in participating in elections

voter alienation

voter who feels no connection with any of the candidates

two-party system

a political system dominated by two major parties

third parties

minor political parties in a two-party system, often play spoiler by taking votes away from the 2 major parties

winner takes all system

a candidate that receives the most votes wins all of the delegates/electoral college votes

linkage institution

channels that connect citizens to the government

candidate centered campaigns

election campaigns and other political processes in which people vote for the candidate, not the party

party realignment

replacing of a majority o party with a minority party or a shift in voter demographics between the parties

coalition building

parties try and appeal to all types of groups to win the election

iron triangle

a close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

lobbying

engaging in activities aimed at influencing public officials, especially legislators, and the policies they enact

primary campaign

run against people from own party to see who will be the next candidate

political action committee(pac)

a committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money

super PACs

a type of independent political action committee which may raise unlimited sums of money as long as they do not coordinate with the candidate

Citizens United v. FEC

money or political donations are a protected form of speech, companies have similar rights as individuals

confirmation bias

a tendency to search for information that confirms one’s preconceptions

media literacy

ability to analyze the media outlets and determine any potential biases

media bias

when the media is trying to push a particular belief on its viewers

5 Core Values

• individualism

• equality of opportunity

• free enterprise

• rule of law

• limited government

Liberty v. Order

finding the balance between security and still guaranteeing personal freedoms

familial socialization

family has the largest influence on ideological beliefs

Benchmark Poll

a poll taken at the beginning of a campaign to gauge the level of support for a candidate

Tracking Polls

polls taken during the campaign to track the support of a candidate and their policies

Entrance/Exit Polls

polls conducted outside a voting center on election day to track the results

generational effect

the impact of historical events experienced by a generation upon their political views

life cycle effect

the impact of a person’s age and stage in life on his or her political views

margin of error

the measure of accuracy of a public opinion poll (how far could the numbers be off)

random sampling

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

liberal ideology

a political view that the government should protect individual freedom and civil rights

conservative ideology

an ideology that advocates minimal regulation of the economy

individualism

being able to rely on one’s self rather than requiring help/helping the community

equality of opportunity

a widely shared American ideal that all people should have the freedom to use whatever talents and wealth they have to reach their fullest potential (The American Dream)

free enterprise

individuals own and control the factors of the economy

rule of law

principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern

limited government

the idea that certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens