Chapter 13: Elections and Campaigns

Political participation

Political participation

the different ways in which individuals take action to shape the laws and policies of a government

Political action committee (PAC)

an organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns

Linkage institution

channels that connect individuals with government, including elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media

Social movement

the joining of individuals seeking social or political change with the goal of placing issues on the policy agenda

Suffrage

the right to vote

26th Amendment

allows those eighteen years old and older to vote

24th Amendment

prohibits Congress and the states from imposing poll taxes as a condition for voting in federal elections

Poll tax

a payment required by a state or federal government before a citizen is allowed to vote

Voter turnout

the number of eligible voters who participate in an election as a percentage of the total number of eligible voters

Demographic characteristics

measurable characteristics of a population, such as economic status, education, age, race or ethnicity, gender, and partisan attachment

Socioeconomic status

a measure of an individual’s wealth, income, occupation, and educational attainment

Political efficacy

a person’s belief that he or she can make effective political change

Political mobilization

efforts by political parties to encourage their members to vote

Registration requirements

the set of rules that govern who can vote and how, when, and where they vote

Absentee ballot

voting completed and submitted by a voter before the day of an election

Rational choice voting

voting based on what a citizen believes is in his or her best interest

Retrospective voting

voting based on an assessment of an incumbent’s past performance

Prospective voting

casting a ballot for a candidate who promises to enact policies favored by the voter in the future

Party-line voting

voting for candidates who belong only to one political party for all of the offices on the ballot

Electoral College

a constitutionally required process for selecting the president through slates of electors chosen in each state, who are pledged to vote for a nominee in the presidential election

Winner-take-all system

a system of elections in which the candidate who wins the plurality of votes within a state receives all of that state’s votes in the Electoral College

Battleground state

a state where the polls show a close contest between the Republican and Democratic candidate in a presidential election

Swing state (Purple state)

a state where levels of support for the parties are similar and elections swing back and forth between Democrats and Republicans

Get out the Vote

efforts to mobilize supporters

Super PAC

an organization that may spend an unlimited amount of money on a political campaign, as long as the spending is not coordinated with a campaign