AP Government- Unit 5 Political Participation

Rational Choice Voting

Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen's individual interest

Retrospective Voting

Voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office.

Prospective Voting

Voting for a candidate because you think he or she will do a good job in that position.

Political efficacy

belief that ordinary citizens can influence the government

Candidate Centric Campaigns

focus is on the candidate, not necessarily the issues or party stance

Interest Groups

An organized group that tries to influence the government to adopt certain policies or measures.

Political Action Committees

A committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations.

linkage Institutions

structures within a society that connects the people to the government. These institutions include: elections, political parties, interest groups, & the media.

Iron Triangle

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

"Free rider" problem

The problem faced by unions and other groups when people do not join because they can benefit from the groups' activities without officially joining. The bigger the group, the more serious the problem.

Single Issue groups

Groups that have a narrow interest tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics. These features distinguish them from traditional interest groups.

Ideological Movements

Groups of individuals that share a common ideology and believe they cannot work through government

Social Movements

group of diffusely organized people or organizations striving toward a common goal relating to human society or social change, or the organized activities of such a group: EX: civil rights

Professional Organizations

usually a nonprofit organization seeking to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals engaged in that profession and the public interest they can back certain candidates.

incumbency advantage

The electoral advantage a candidate enjoys by virtue of being an incumbent, over and above his or her other personal and political characteristics

Open primaries

A primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place.

Closed primaries

A primary election in which voting is limited to already registered party members.

Caucuses

A meeting of people, often in an auditorium or church basement, where they vote on who they would like their party's nominee to be.

Party Conventions

Meeting of delegates at the state or national level. Used for business and maybe nominations.

winner-take-all system

An electoral system in which the winner of the popular vote in a state receives all the electoral votes of that state

Bipartisan

Supported by two parties

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act 2002

an amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act - banning the spending of soft money and to reduce attack ads-"Stand by your ad"- The candidate approves this message.

15th Amendment

States cannot deny any person the right to vote because of race.

17th Amendment

Established the direct election of senators (instead of being chosen by state legislatures)

19th Amendment

Women's right to vote

24th Amendment

Abolishes poll taxes

26th Amendment

Can vote at age 18

Media bias

occurs when the media in the United States systematically emphasizes one particular point of view in a way that contravenes the standards of professional journalism.

Soft money

Funds obtained by political parties that are spent on party activities, such as get-out-the-vote drives, but not on behalf of a specific candidate.

Super PACs

a type of independent political action committee which 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

Party Platform

A political party's statement of its goals and policies for the next four years

Hard money

Money that can be traced through the finance disclosures of the FEC

voter turn out

The number of eligible voters who actually vote in an election.

Citizens United V. Federal Election Commission

Court case: Supreme Court decided that corporations have 1st amendment right to support political candidates through financial support

Voting Rights Act of 1965

a law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to African-American suffrage

party-line voting

casting votes for only candidates of one's party

voter registration

a requirement that citizens register to vote before the election is held.

Political Parties

groups that help elect people and shape policies, their main goal is to win elections

Primaries

an election in which voters choose candidates to represent each party in a general election

mid-term election

an election that takes place in the middle of a presidential term

"Stand-by-your-ad" disclaimer

requires candidates in the United States for federal political office, as well as interest groups and political parties supporting or opposing a candidate, to include in political advertisements on television and radio "a statement by the candidate that identifies the candidate and states that the candidate has approved the communication.

horserace journalism

the claim that the media is more interested in covering a campaign like a horserace focusing more on who is ahead rather than in-depth coverage of issues.

Media as Gatekeeper

The media decides which stories and issues are important enough to receive public attention and which aren't.

partisan news

media outlets that cover and present the news from a specific political point of view