First Semester AP Gov Newmark

big sort theory

people sort into ideological groups

political culture

how culture impacts politics

political ideology

a consistent set of beliefs about government

demographics

groups of voters by age race etc.

socio-economic status

how much money one has

equality of opportunity

everyone has equal chances

free enterprise

capitalism & free markets

laissez faire

capitalism; no government aid

individualism

individual > group

limited government

government does not have absolute power; checks & balances

rule of law

authorities are still subject to the law

gender gap

gap in voting between genders

liberal

want more government interference

conservative

want less government interference

political elite

rich & politically active; usually liberal

generational effects

experiences can shape a generation's voting

lifecycle effect

people at different stages of life vote differently

silent generation

oldest generation; more conservative

baby boomers

less trust in government (vietnam); conservative

Gen X

more liberal than boomers, more conservative than Gen Z

Millennials

more liberal; distrust in US foreign policy

Gen Z/Gen Alpha

newest generations; liberal but many voted for Trump

random sample

everyone has equal chance of selection

representative sample

all demographics are represented proportionally

benchmark polls

taken before campaign; determine public opinion on issues

margin of error

error that occurs in polling

random-digit dialing

calling random numbers for polls

weighting

adjusting polls so they are representative

focus groups

groups meant to discuss certain issues

push polls

polls that are worded to push an opinion onto someone

bandwagon effect

people voting for a candidate if they are winning

non-response bias

some voters don't take polls which makes them inaccurate

entrance/exit polls

taken before/after actual voting

tracking polls

taken to determine support for a candidate

skewed question

worded to lead to a certain answer

context effect

how a question is asked can affect answers

question framing

wording questions to get a specific answer

social desirability bias

answering the way you think is socially acceptable

approval rating

how much people approve of who is in office

correlation

things that occur together

moter-voter laws

people can register to vote at the DMV

suffrage

the right to vote

franchise

the right to vote

literacy test

people could only vote if they could read; tricked African Americans

poll tax

people would pay to vote; Democrats would pay white people's tax

grandfather clause

you could only vote if your grandfather voted

white primary

only white people could vote in primaries

Smith v Allwright

got rid of white primary

Voting Rights Act

made to end discrimination in voting

Absentee/mail in ballots

vote from other places

voter ID laws

require ID to vote (some don't have it)

voter-eligible population

everyone who can vote

voter turnout

people who go vote

political efficacy

feeling like your vote matters

voter apathy

not caring about politics

partisanship

divisions between parties

what effect does age have in voting?

older = more conservative

what effect does gender have in voting?

women are more liberal

what effect does race have in voting?

African Americans are more liberal

what effect does education have in voting?

more educated = more liberal

reasons for decline in trust of government

watergate scandal, vietnam war, iran/afghanistan wars

conventional ways of political participation

voting, volunteering, donating money, canvassing, running for office

non-conventional ways of political participation

protesting, civil disobedience, boycotting

political party

an institution to help win elections and push agenda

party machine

party hierarchy

national convention

held to write party platform

ideology

a consistent set of values

populist

conservative beliefs and liberal economics; Christian values

libertarian

liberal beliefs and conservative economics

progressive

social reforms and government regulations

valence issues

issues that everyone agrees on

wedge issues

issues that divide

saliency

significance of an issue

linkage institutions

things that link people to politics

winner take all system

whoever wins the most votes takes all the seats

plurality system

whoever wins the most votes wins

single member districts

only one candidate selected

primaries

voters select candidate; usually more extreme; weakens parties

caucuses

party members select candidate

"loyal opposition"

party not in office exposing scandals

realignment

mass shifting in voter blocs towards the other party

dealignment

people becoming independent

spoils system

whoever is in office can appoint their people to the roles

McGovern-Fraser Commission

creation of primaries; more inclusion

Split-ticket voting

voting for different parties for different roles

straight-ticket voting

voting for the same party throughout

swing staes

states that are close enough they could go either way

ballot access

two main parties are on the ballot; others must collect signatures

what are single member districts bad for third parties?

third parties have a hard time getting the most votes

divided government

congress and white house are not the same party

party dealignment

becoming independent

candidate centered campaign

costs 4 and weaken parties

"personal following"

support based on candidate's personality

party coalition

groups of parties working together to appeal to all voters

superdelegates

delegates who do not need to be elected

why is there an increase in independents?

distrust in government, parties becoming more extreme, independents being more moderate

types of 3rd parties: splinter

form by breaking off of main party

types of 3rd parties: ideological

has third ideology

types of 3rd parties: single issue

form off of a single issue

coattails

presidents who do well bring votes to their party in congress