Federal Government Exam 3

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100 Terms

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Public opinion
politically relevant attitudes held and openly expressed by people
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Political socialization
the learning process through which beliefs and values that shape individual attitudes are formed and acquired
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Political socialization is characterized by:
* The influence of early childhood learning
* Cumulative effect: early learning affects later learning
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Agents of socialization
these are the set of social and political institutions that help shape the acquisition of political beliefs and values
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Primary socialization agents
interact closely and regularly with the individual, usually early in life.

* Family
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Secondary socialization agents
have a less intimate connection with the individual and are usually more important later in life.

* Coworkers
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Frames of reference
provides an indication of how people think politically. Thoughts based on socialization
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Three major frames of reference
party identification, ideology, and group orientation  
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Party identification
An emotional attachment rather than a formal membership in a political party.
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Selective perception
the process by which people selectively choose from incoming information that support what they already believe
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Ideology
general belief about the role and purpose of government
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Economic liberals
Those who believe government should do more to assist people who have difficulty meeting their economic needs on their own.
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Economic conservatives
Those who believe government tries to do too many things that should be left to private interests and economic markets.
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Social liberals
Those who believe it is not government’s role to buttress traditional values at the expense of unconventional or new values.
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Social conservatives
Those who believe government power should be used to uphold traditional values.
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Populist
an individual who is an economic liberal and a cultural conservative.
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Libertarian
They believe government should refrain from undue intervention in the economic marketplace and in people’s private lives.
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Group Orientation
Many Americans see politics through the lens of the group(s) they identify with
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Economic class
has always been a weaker force in the United States than in Europe.
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Region
defining issue of American politics.
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Race and ethnicity
affect opinions on civil rights and civil liberties issues.
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gender gap
refers to a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in political views between women and men
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Crosscutting groups
groups include individuals who belong to other groups, where they can encounter different opinions.
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Public-opinion polls
the primary method for estimating public sentiment.
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Sample
a small group selected by researchers to represent the entire population
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Probability sampling
a technique used to select a representative sample in which every individual in the population has a known probability of being selected
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sampling error
the error that results from using a sample to estimate the population.

a measure of how accurate that estimate is likely to be.
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Limitations of polling
* Telephone polling
* Unfamiliar issues and “non-opinions”
* Sensitive issues and “socially acceptable” opinions
* Question wording
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Political participation
refers to the electoral and non-electoral activities intended to influence public policy and leadership
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15th Amendment
a state cannot abridge the right to vote “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
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19th Amendment
granted equal rights to women.
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Smith Vs. Allwright
The Court held that in primary elections, states could not restrict voters on account of race.
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24th Amendment
outlawed the poll tax
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Poll tax
a fee that an individual had to pay in order to register to vote.
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26th Amendment
lowered the voting age to 18 years.
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The Voting Rights Act
prohibited discrimination in voting and registration.
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Shelby County v. Holder
Supreme Court invalidated the provision of the Voting Rights Act that included the formula for determining which states and counties were subject to federal oversight.
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Voter turnout
the proportion of voting-age Americans who actually vote
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Voting-age population
the total number of persons in the U.S. who are 18 or older
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Voting eligible population
All U.S. citizens age 18 and over, who are not excluded from voter eligibility due to criminal status 
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Determinants of Voting
* Education and income
* Age
* Civic attitudes (apathy; alienation; civic duty)
* Political interest
* Party identification
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Lobbying
The process by which interest-group members and lobbyists attempt to influence public policy through contacts with public officials.
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Political parties
linkage institutions serving to connect citizens with government

* Attempt to influence the government by getting their members elected to office
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Internal mobilization 
occurs when political conflicts prompt officials within government to mobilize popular support.
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External mobilization 
takes place when a group of politicians outside government organizes popular support to win governmental power.
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The two party system
a political system in which two parties have an opportunity to compete for the control of the government
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Electoral Alignments & Realignments
the transition points when a new party emerges to supplant a ruling party

* 5 realignments in US history
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Federalists
supporters of the constitution during the debate over ratification.

* favored tariffs
* establishment of the national bank
* ties with england
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Jeffersonians
promoted agrarian interests, free trade, and ties with France
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The Second party system
* 1830-1860
* expansion of the right to vote
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Democrats
free trade and policies making it easy to borrow money
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whigs
strong among merchant groups in the Northeast
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The third party system
* 1860-1896
* defeat of the confederacy in 1865
* the reconstruction
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republicans
north party with support from business and middle class
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Democrats
the party of the South
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The Fourth Party System
* 1896-1932
* Emergence of strong protest parties such as the Populist Party
* Populist-Democratic alliance
* The presidency of William McKinley ushered in a 36-year Republican domin
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The Fifth Party System
* 1932-1968
* The Great Depression
* FDR’s New Deal
* The New Deal Coalition
* Civil rights and the Vietnam War
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The Contemporary Party System
1968 to present
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Divided government
occurs when one party controls the White House and the other party controls one or both chambers of Congress
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Single-member districts
an electoral method whereby only one candidate is elected from each district
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Multiple-member districts
a method whereby multiple candidates are elected from each districts
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winner-take-all
electoral system in which the candidate who gets the most votes (the plurality) in an election district is elected to office from that district.
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proportional representation
A form of representation in which seats in the legislature are allocated proportionally according to each political party’s share of the popular vote.
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National convention
takes place every four years; party’s candidates for president and vice president are nominated
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Party platform
contains the party’s philosophy and positions on the main issues
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National Committee
a committee that helps raise funds for presidential elections and organizes the party's national convention
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Primaries
Special elections in which voters select candidates to be the party's nominee for president in the general election.
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Closed primaries
A primary in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote.
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Open primaries
a primary election in which any registered voter can vote in any party's primary.
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General election
an election where all the party winners of the primary election run against each other
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Prospective voting
voting based on the future behavior or performance of a candidate
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Retrospective voting
voting based on the past performance of a candidate
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midterm elections
congressional elections that occur midway between presidential elections
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Straight-ticket voting
A ballot on which all votes have been cast for candidates of the same party
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split-ticket voting
A vote for candidates of different political parties on the same ballot, instead of for candidates of only one party.
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Political action committees
private groups that raise funds for campaigns
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527 committees
nonprofit independent groups that raise and spend money to elect or defeat candidates
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Soft money
money used for voter registration and get-out-the-vote activities
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Independent expenditures
money spent by certain committees formed by individuals or organizations on behalf of a candidate without coordinating with the candidate’s campaign organization
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Citizens United Vs. FEC
the First Amendment prohibits limits on corporate funding of independent broadcasts in candidate elections.
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FEC
an independent regulatory agency whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections
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issue advocacy 
ads that expressed a view about a political issue and mentioned a candidate
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express advocacy
ads that specifically appealed to voters to vote for or against a certain candidate
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Interest Group
a group of people that organizes to be heard by and influence government programs and policies.
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Business and Agricultural Groups
* Have a direct economic interest in government action
* National Petroleum Refiners’ Association
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Labor Groups
* Lobby on behalf of organized labor
* AFL-CIO; United Mine Workers
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Professional Association
* Lobby on behalf of professionals
* Help shape legislative policy, especially at the state and federal legislatures
* Texas Medical Association; American Bar Association
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Public Interest Groups
* Lobby for public concerns not addressed by traditional lobbies
* Consumer and environmental protection groups 
* Sierra Club
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Ideological Groups
* Support a philosophical perspective
* Christian Coalition
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Public Sector Groups
* Represent public sector entities such as cities and universities
* The League of Cities
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Leadership
the decision-making structure of an interest group
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The financial structure
member dues, contributions, sales of services.
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Agency
carries out the interest group’s task.
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Inside lobbying
the interest group’s efforts to develop and maintain close contacts with policymakers
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Outside lobbying
a lobbying strategy in which an interest group seeks to shape the political environment by using public pressure as a means of influencing officials.
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Iron triangle
a stable alliance involving a legislators, executive agencies, and an interest group to promote policies beneficial to a particular interest
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Issue network
a less-stable and open network of public officials and lobbyists who come together in response to a proposed policy affecting each of them.
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Super PACs
An independent political action committee which may raise unlimited sums of money but is not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates.
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501c4
nonprofit groups that also engage in issue advocacy.
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Free-rider problem
people benefit from a collective good without paying a share of the cost to produce that good.