Unit 3: Political Participation - AP U.S. Government & Politics

Linkage institution

Linkage institution

Elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media that connects individuals with the government.

Social movement

People coming together to make social and political change with the goal of placing issues on the policy agenda.

Suffrage

The right to vote. Article 1 section 4 of the US Constitution gives states the power to regulate their own voting laws! Each state required people to own property, pay taxes, and be paying a tax poll, so most voters were white male landowners.

15th Amendment

1870 - prohibits states from discriminating against prospective voters on the basis of race. However, southern states found ways to cheat and get around this! The Voting Right Act of 1965 secured voting rights of African Americans by protecting their rights to register and vote.

19th Amendment

1920 - gave women the right to vote after their hard work in WW2.

26th Amendment

1971 - lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

Poll Tax

A tax a person is required to pay before he or she is allowed to vote.

Socioeconomic status

More wealthy people are more likely to vote than less wealthy people.

Open Primary

All eligible voters may vote in a party’s primary election, regardless of party affiliation.

Closed Primary

Only voters registered with a specific political party can participate in a primary election.

Semi-Closed Primary

Voters registered with a specific political party and independent voters (non affiliated) can participate in a primary election. Ex. North Carolina.

Pledged Delegate

A delegate that is expected to support the candidate that a state voted for.

Unpledged Delegate

A delegate that is free to support any candidate they want. This is the name for the Republican version.

Superdelegate

A delegate that can choose whichever candidate they want. This is the name for the Democrat version.

Absentee ballots

Allow people to mail in their votes or vote online vs. going to a polling station. This was more popular during the pandemic.

Rational choice voting

Voting for the candidate that supports the policies that are important to you, no matter the political party.

Retrospective voting

Basing your vote on how the candidate has voted on certain policies in the past.

Prospective voting

Casting your ballot based on promises made by a candidate for the future.

Party-line (Straight Ticket) Voting

Voting for all members of a political party only.

Electoral College

What chooses the president. Each state has at least 2 electoral votes (the number of minimum senators), but some states can have more because of having more representatives in the House.

Winner-take all system

Whoever gets the most votes wins all the delegates for that state. Includes the Single-Member Plurality System, and the Majoritarian System.

Battleground states

Also known as “Swing states“, these are states that are more divided on their political views. Candidates focus on these states during an election because they have a chance to win over their support. These state could go either way (Democrat or Republican).

Political parties

Organized groups of party leaders, officeholders, and voters that work together to elect candidates to public office. Some countries have two prominent parties, some have only one,, and some have multiple.

Party platform

A set of principles, goals, and strategies designed to address pressing political issues.

Third parties

Smaller parties that offer alternative ideas and candidates than the two major parties. Winner-take-all makes it too hard for them to win any Electoral College votes. They rarely win a plurality of votes in each state. Ex. Libertarian, Green, and Independent parties.

Two-party system

Has been dominant throughout most of U.S. history as a system. Other countries have multiple or single. In the U.S., it is mostly only Republicans vs. Democrats (Conservative vs. Liberal, Anti-Federalists vs. Federalist).

Single-Plurality voting (first-past-the-post)

A type of Winner-Take-All System, voters have a single vote for one candidate, and the candidate who gets the most votes in a state or congressional district wins the election, even if that person does not get 50% or more of the voters support.

Majoritarian voting

A type of Winner-Take-All System, the candidate must receive 50% or more of the voter’s support.

Proportional representation

Citizens vote for parties, rather than individuals, and parties are represented in the government according to the percentage of voters they get.

Political party

Not plural! It is an organized group of party leaders, officeholders, and voters that work together to elect candidates to public office.

Interest group

A group of people that seek to influence public policy on the basis of a common interest or concern.

Economic interest group

Advocate on behalf of the financial interest of their members. Business groups advocate for the policies that favor their firms or broader corporate interests (tax reforms or reducing the rights of labor unions). Labor groups, like trade unions, advocate on behalf of their workers. Farm groups support subsides and trade policies that benefit American Agriculture.

Public interest group

Act on behalf of the collective interest of a wide range of individuals. Civic rights, liberties, social welfare, education, and the environment.

Single-Issue group

Focus on one specific area of public policy, usually around an issue that the people feel strongly about and that is very controversial, for example, abortion.

Government interest group

Act on behalf of the state, regional, local, or foreign governments.

Collective action

People come together to contribute their energy, time, or money to a larger group pool.

Free rider

People don’t have to contribute to a collective good to benefit from it. These are the people who benefit from the actions of an interest group without joining it.

Lobbying

Interacting with government officials to advance a group’s goals. Involves efforts to shape public policy across all three branches! Interest groups pay a lit to Lobbyists.

Legislative lobbying

Seeks to influence how legislation is written in Congress (lawmaking).

Direct or inside lobbying

Part of Legislative lobbying, contacting members of Congress or their staff directly to advocate for their groups position. Can provide reports and briefs to bring more attention to issues. Interest groups can draft bills and lobby members of Congress to introduce them into legislation and help plan a strategy to make a bill a law.

Grassroots lobbying

Part of Legislative lobbying, mobilizing members to pressure elected representatives through phone calls, emails, or social media. This is one power of the people.

Judicial lobbying

Centers on how laws are interpreted by the courts. Can file lawsuits against the government. Interest groups may weigh in on a case filed by other parties by filing a brief as a “friend of the court“ - known as Amicus Curiae briefs.

Executive lobbying

Focuses on the executive branch agencies that carry out and enforce laws. Interest groups encourage agencies to provide benefits, like subsidies to members they represent, and to issue favorable regulations.

Amicus Curiae

Part of Judicial lobbying, interest groups file these as “friends of the court“, and these reflect a group’s position on issues in attempt to persuade the court to agree with them.

Hard money

Money being spent on a specific candidate’s campaign. Often in the form of advertising. Also in forms of paying for professionals and campaign consultants, and for staff that manage the candidate’s message, coordinate medial strategy, arrange public appearances, conduct polls, and also to get the word out about the campaign’s efforts.

Political action committees (PACs)

Committees set up by corporations, labor unions, or interest groups that raise and spend campaign money from voluntary donations. They have their limits in that they must have at least 50 voluntary members, they must give money to at least 5 federal candidates, and they must not donate any more than $5K to any candidate in any single election.

Soft money

PACs can donate unlimited money to political parties, as long as it is not or a specific candidate! This way they are non-affiliated and don’t have limitations! They call it “party building activities.“

527 organizations

Where soft money can come from, these organizations can spend as much as they want on politics so long as they do not coordinate with a candidate or interest group directly for that person.

Bipartisan campaign reform act

2002 - aimed to limit soft money contributions. Puts limits on “party building activities“ for the national level of political parties, and limits soft money donations. Promotes candidates to always “stand by your ad.“

Super PACs

A group that raises and spends unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions, and individuals, but cannot coordinate its activities with parties or candidate in any way (independent all the way).

501c4 groups

Another alternative to raising money is through these groups. They cannot, however, devote more than 50% of their funds to politics. They are also known as “dark money“ groups because they don’t have to disclose their donors. Ex. NRA, AARP, or civic leagues.

Agenda setting

Ability of the news media, by covering stories about some topics and of others, to shape the public agenda and perspective. It can affect the priority people place on issues.

Horse race journalism

Coverage of political campaigns that focuses more on the drama of the campaign and polling than on policy issues. Means the electorate will have less information on the policy views of the candidates.

Consumer driven media outlets

Media whose content is influenced by the actions and needs of consumers. Leads to an increase in partisan bias, less exposure to opposing viewpoints, increased concern about media bias, and an increase in polarization.

Caucuses

Meetings of eligible voters to select delegates (meetings, then vote, typically for smaller states). Voting is public, not private. Ex. Iowa, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam, North Dakota, and Wyoming.

Holding

Decision of the Supreme Court.

Reasoning

The Court’s explanation for their decision.