AP U.S. Government Unit 2: Core American Values, Political Socialization, and Political Ideology

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards for AP U.S. Government Unit 2 covering core American values, political socialization, public opinion polling, voter behavior, and constitutional voting amendments (AMSCO Chapters 12–15).

Absentee ballot

A ballot completed and submitted by a voter prior to election day, typically mailed in because the voter cannot be present at the official polling place.

Australian ballot

A government-printed ballot of uniform dimensions and appearance cast in secret, adopted to reduce election fraud and intimidation associated with party-printed ballots.

Bandwagon effect

A shift of voter support toward a candidate or issue primarily because public opinion polls or media coverage indicate that the candidate or position is winning or leading.

Benchmark Poll

The first major poll conducted in a political campaign to measure baseline name recognition, public perception, and initial support for a prospective candidate.

Civil Rights Act of 1957

Federal legislation establishing the Civil Rights Commission and a Civil Rights Division within the Department of Justice to protect voting rights, marking the first federal civil rights law since Reconstruction.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark legislation outlawing segregation and discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in public accommodations, voter registration, and federally funded programs.

Conservative/conservatism

A political ideology emphasizing limited governmental intervention in the economy, support for traditional social values, national defense, and individual accountability.

Electorate

The total body of individuals eligible to vote in a given election.

Entrance Poll

A survey conducted with voters immediately before they enter a polling site or caucus to record choices and identify early voting motivations.

Equality of opportunity

The core American value that every individual must be given an equal chance to succeed and advance without artificial or institutional barriers, without guaranteeing equal results.

Exit poll

A survey administered to a sample of voters immediately after they cast ballots on election day, used by media networks to project winners and analyze voting demographics.

Franchise

The statutory or constitutional right to vote in public elections.

Free enterprise

An economic system grounded in private property, private business operations, and voluntary market transactions, largely free from governmental price controls and intervention.

Gender gap

The measurable statistical difference between men and women in their political views, partisan identifications, and voting choices.

Generational Effects

The lasting political attitudes and behaviors formed across a particular birth cohort as a result of living through critical historical events (e.g., the Great Depression or the 9/11 attacks) during early adulthood.

Globalization

The process of increasing economic, political, and cultural integration and interdependence across international borders.

Grandfather clause

A legal exemption used historically in the South that permitted men to vote without taking literacy tests or paying poll taxes if their ancestors were eligible to vote prior to 1867, disenfranchising Black citizens.

Ideology

A structured and coherent system of values, beliefs, and philosophies concerning society, the economy, and the proper role of government.

Individualism

The core American principle emphasizing personal freedom, self-reliance, and the primacy of the individual's rights over collective or governmental authority.

Liberal/liberalism

A political ideology supporting active governmental involvement to promote economic and social equality, protect civil liberties, and regulate markets for the common welfare.

Libertarian/libertarianism

A political ideology emphasizing minimal governmental involvement in both economic affairs and private social choices, maximizing individual autonomy.

Lifecycle Effects

The gradual changes in political priorities, views, and voter participation that occur naturally as an individual advances through the stages of life.

Limited Government

The foundational constitutional doctrine that governmental power is restricted by law and constitutional checks to safeguard fundamental individual rights.

Literacy tests

Discriminatory reading and civic comprehension exams once administered at voter registration sites to disenfranchise minority voters, primarily African Americans.

Majoritarian

Relating to or upholding a political system or philosophy that governs in accordance with the interests and decisions of a numerical majority of citizens.

Midterm election

Congressional and state elections held every four years at the midpoint of a U.S. president's term in office.

Moderate

A person whose political views occupy a middle ground between conservative and liberal positions, rejecting extreme ideological stances.

Motor Voter Act

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993, requiring state agencies to provide voter registration opportunities when eligible citizens apply for or renew a driver's license.

Non-response bias

A polling error that arises when individuals selected for a survey refuse to take part, and those who decline hold significantly different views from those who respond.

Party-line voting

The pattern of voting exclusively for candidates from a single political party across every contest on a ballot.

Political culture

The deeply rooted, widely shared collective beliefs, attitudes, and values that define how politics and government should function in a society.

Political efficacy

A citizen's trust and faith in their capacity to understand, participate in, and influence political processes and public policy.

Political Ideology

A comprehensive set of normative principles, doctrines, and beliefs regarding the proper purpose, scope, and function of government.

Political socialization (agents of)

The lifelong process and societal institutions (such as family, schools, peers, religious groups, and media) through which individuals acquire their political beliefs and values.

Poll tax

A state fee formerly mandated as a prerequisite to register to vote, enacted in Southern states to suppress voting among African Americans and low-income citizens.

Poll weighting (stratification)

A statistical adjustment applied to survey samples to ensure that respondent demographics precisely reflect the known proportions of the broader population.

Populist/Populism

A political stance claiming to champion the rights and interests of the common people against an elite establishment or ruling class.

Prospective voting

A voting model where an elector casts a ballot based on forward-looking expectations of how a candidate or political party will govern in the future.

Provisional ballot

A ballot cast by an individual whose voter eligibility cannot be verified at the poll; it is counted only after election officials verify the voter's registration status.

Public opinion

The distribution of shared views, attitudes, and beliefs held by a society's adult population regarding public issues, officials, and political events.

Public opinion poll

A scientific methodology used to measure public attitudes and preferences by questioning a representative sample of individuals.

Public policy

An official course of action, law, regulation, or funding decision taken by governmental bodies to address a public problem.

Push polling

A campaign tactic disguised as an objective poll, which feeds voters biased, manipulative, or false information to sway their voting decision.

Random sample

A sampling technique in which every single person in the target population has an equal mathematical likelihood of being selected.

Rational-choice voting

A voting behavior model in which an individual votes for the candidate or policy that provides them with the greatest personal benefit.

Representative Sample (Universe)

A small group of respondents whose demographic composition mirrors the key characteristics of the entire population (the universe) under study.

Retrospective voting

A voting model in which voters evaluate a candidate or incumbent party based on their past actions, performance, and track record in office.

Rule of law

The constitutional principle that all people, government officials, and private entities are accountable under established laws that are applied equally and fairly.

Sampling error (Margin of error)

A statistic expressing the expected range of discrepancy between survey sample results and the actual views of the entire population.

Social desirability bias

The tendency of survey respondents to give answers that conform to perceived social norms rather than disclosing their true, socially disapproved feelings.

Structural barriers to voting

Systemic legal, institutional, or administrative rules—such as strict voter ID requirements, limited polling sites, and registration deadlines—that make voting more difficult.

Suffrage

The legal entitlement to participate in political elections through voting.

Ticket-splitting

The act of voting for candidates representing different political parties for various offices on the same ballot.

Tracking Poll

A continuous polling method where a standard set of questions is asked of respondents over successive days to chart shifts in public sentiment over time.

Valence issues

Political concerns upon which the general public shares broad consensus (such as economic prosperity or lower crime rates), leaving disagreement centered on which party can best address them.

Voter apathy

A general state of indifference, disinterest, or lack of concern among eligible voters toward elections and public affairs.

Voter registration

A state-mandated process requiring citizens to enroll on an official registry before they are authorized to cast a ballot in an election.

Voter turnout

The percentage of the voting-eligible population that actually casts ballots on election day.

Voting blocs (who votes & who votes for whom)

Distinct segments of the population defined by identifiable characteristics (such as age, race, religion, or gender) that demonstrate predictable, collective voting behavior.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Federal legislation eliminating discriminatory voter registration practices, such as literacy tests, and authorizing federal oversight of elections in historically suppressive jurisdictions.

Wedge issues

Polarizing and sharply divisive political issues strategically deployed by campaigns to split an opposing party's coalition or mobilize their own base.

15th Amendment

Constitutional amendment ratified in 1870 preventing federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

17th Amendment

Constitutional amendment ratified in 1913 providing for the direct popular election of United States Senators by the voters of each state.

19th Amendment

Constitutional amendment ratified in 1920 securing women's suffrage by prohibiting the denial of voting rights based on sex.

23rd Amendment

Constitutional amendment ratified in 1961 granting residents of the District of Columbia the right to vote in presidential elections by allocating D.C. electoral votes.

24th Amendment

Constitutional amendment ratified in 1964 prohibiting the use of poll taxes or any other tax as a condition for voting in federal elections.

26th Amendment

Constitutional amendment ratified in 1971 lowering the mandatory minimum voting age from 21 to 18 years old across federal, state, and local elections.