AP Gov AMSCO Ch 15 Voting Rights and Voting Behavior

Civil Rights Act of 1964

outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin

electorate

the citizens eligible to vote

15th Amendment (1870)

Prohibited voting restrictions based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude (slavery)

Franchise

the right to vote

Grandfather Clause

A clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867.

literacy test

A test given to persons to prove they can read and write before being allowed to register to vote

19th Amendment (1920)

Gave women the right to vote

Party ID

a citizen's loyalty to a specific political party

party-line voting

process in which voters select candidates by their party affiliation

poll tax

A requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote

Preclearance

mandated by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the prior approval by the Justice Department of changes to or new election laws by certain States

prospective voting model

model of voting in which citizens select candidates based on what they promise to accomplish once in office

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

17th Amendment (1913)

Direct election of senators

Suffrage

the legal right to vote

24th Amendment (1964)

Abolishes poll taxes

26th Amendment (1971)

Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18

23rd Amendment (1961)

allowed citizens of Washington, D.C. to vote in presidential elections

Voting Rights Act of 1965

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

white primary

primary election in which Southern states allowed only whites to vote.

absentee ballot

One that allows a person to vote without going to the polls on Election Day

Australian ballot

a government-printed ballot of uniform dimensions to be cast in secret that many states adopted around 1890 to reduce voting fraud associated with party-printed ballots cast in public

gender gap

Difference in political views between men and women

Help America Vote Act of 2002

a federal law meant to reduce barriers to participation in elections

midterm election

Elections held midway between presidential elections.

Motor Voter Law

this was a law to encourage more people to participate in voting. This allowed people to register to vote while they renewed their license. The thought was that most people renew their license and thus it would give them a chance to register at the same time.

National Voter Registration Act of 1993

Allowed people to register to vote when applying for drivers licenses.

political efficacy

The belief that one's political participation really matters - that one's vote can actually make a difference

polling place

the location where voting is carried out

Precincts

voting districts

voter apathy

The lack of interest among the citizenry in participating in elections.

voter registration

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

voter turnout

the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election

voting-age population

citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement

voting blocs

a group of voters that are strongly motivated by a specific common concern or group of concerns to the point that such specific concerns tend to dominate their voting patterns, causing them to vote together in elections

voting eligible population

the number of citizens eligible to vote

Wards

the special districts that a city under mayor-council governmeny is divide into