AP Gov Unit 5: Political Participation

suffrage

the right to vote

electorate

the body of people who are entitled to vote in an election

direct primary

allows citizens to nominate candidates

recall

a special election to remove an elected official from office before the end of their term.

(think: “recoiling” someone already in office )

referendum

allows citizens to directly vote on issues called propositions (proposed laws)

initiative

Allows voters to petition to propose issues to be decided by qualified voters

4 main kinds of voting behavior

rational choice, retrospective, prospective, party line

retrospective voting

voting based on what the candidate has done in the past

prospective voting

people voting based on what they believe/ hope for from the candidate in the future

(an eye to the future)

party line voting

people voting only for candidates apart of their political party

rational choice voting

people voting based on their own personal interest/personal gain

Moter Voter Laws

laws designed to enhance voter registration and participation at the state level by just needing a license

factors that lower voter turnout

-lack of political efficacy

-mistrust in government

-not caring(apathy)

-structural barriers

super delegates

elected party officials

kinds of elections that represent partisanship in elections

-maintaining elections

-deviating elections

-critical elections

-realignment elections

-dealignment elections

dealigning elections

happens when party loyalty becomes less important to voters

split ticket voting

the practice of voting for candidates from different parties in the same election. voters care less about party loyalty.

maintaining elections

kinds of elections that reflect paritisanship; majority party maintains power

deviating elections

kind of election that represents partisanship; minority party is winning more support from majority(think: people are deviating towards minority)

critical elections

sharp changes in existing patterns party loyalty (think : c=crazy changes i=in l=loyalty patterns)

realigning elections

minority party wins by creating a new coalition of voters

primary elections

election where voters select candidates from each party to run in the general election.

THINK: Americas Got Talent AUDITIONS: the teams have rounds and select the best performers. the top performers will move into the general election(final round) where it’s decided who gets the grand prize!!

kinds of primary elections

-open primary

-closed primary

-runoff primary

-blanket primary

open primary

voters choose the candidates of either party

closed primary

only registered voters can select the candidates

blanket primary

candidates from ALL parties are in the ballot (think; a blanket that covers everyone) and voters select; top 2 make it to general election(final round)

runoff primary

when no candidate receives a majority vote, the top 2 face off and the winner moves onto the general election (final round)

(think: runoff → faceoff)

presidential preferences primary

a primary where voters express their preference for presidential candidates

front loading

when states move their primaries earlier and earlier on in the election calendar; gives states advantages and sets momentum for the election. this is usually seen in presidential elections

Super Tuesday

a day when multiple states hold primary elections, often with significant delegate allocation.

off-year electitons

elections that happen in odd years when there’s n presidential elections going on. typically state/local elections

mid-term elections

congressional elections that happen the middle of the president’s 4-year term

soft money

donations to political parties that could be used for general purposes

hard money

funds raised for political purposes that are regulated by federal law, typically used for specific campaign expenditures.

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)

banned the use of soft money

Citizens United v. FEC

-Citizens United made an Hilary Clinton add

RULING: the ability of businesses, unions and other groups to fund their own efforts to elect or defeat candidates is protected under 1st amendment

-expanded rights of unions and corporations to spend money on political campaigns and advertisements.

PACs (political action committee)

are organizations that collect and distribute funds to support political candidates, often representing specific interest groups or industries.

superPACs

kinds of PACs that can raise and spend unlimited amounts on political campaigns independently of candidates.

roles of political parties

-party in the electorate

-party in government

-party in organization

party in the electorate

people who identifiy/belong to a political party but don’t work for it

party in government

elected officials who represent the political party

party in organization

all of the people who work to organize parties by strengthening the party, recruiting members, and raising money.

one party system

system where only one party exists and no competition is allowed in elections. (think: it’s a system where it’s only ONE party)

two party system

system where there may be several parties, but there is the main two parties who dominate elections

what kind of party system does the U.S. have?

two party system

think: U.S. has multiple parties like Green party and others, but the main two are Democrat and Republican

single member districts

promotes the two party system; one district = one winner

multi party system

system where there are several major and minor parties who all stand a good chance in elections and can influence outcomes significantly.

what do political parties do?

-recruit candidates

-nominate and support candidates for office

-establish party platforms

-mobilize the electorate (body of people entitled to vote)

-organize the government

facotrs that influence party identification

-ideology

-education

-occupation

-income

-race

-religion

-gender

-family tradition

-marital status

divided government

The president is of a different party than majority of Congress

new deal coalition

FDR unified blacks, labor union workers, Catholics, Jews, and women to create a strong voting bloc for the Democratic party

gridlock

when nothing can get done because different sides/parts (like president and Congress) disagree and block each other. (think: a traffic jam blocks progression of cars

realignment

abandoning ones current party and joining another one, often resulting in significant shifts in voting patterns

dealignment

abandoning one’s party and often become independent (they don’t join another)

what kind of party has never been able to have a candidate of that party be elected as president?

minor/third party

although minor/third parties aren’t successful in presidential elections, which kind of elections are they successful in?

state and local elections. Some third party members have even been elected into Congress too

national convention

A gathering of party delegates to nominate presidential candidates and establish party policies.

general election

FINAL ELECTION that determines which nominee will hold office after the primary elections and national convention

delegates

Individuals chosen by their state to represent their state at the national convention(they act as their state's voice)

way of thinking about the election process

1. in the state level; voters choose a large # of presidential candidates in primaries (either open, closed, blanket, runoff)

2. the field of candidates is narrowed down based on those results

3. at national convention, each party officially selects its nominee(singular) through delegates. The nominee will go on to compete in the general election against the nominee of the other major party (1v1 now)

4. general election determines the winner of the 1v1

national chairperson

The head of a political party.

-responsible for managing the party's operations, including fundraising, strategic planning, and supporting candidates during elections.

soft money

$$$ that is used for political party activities and doesn't have to be controlled/regulated by the FEC

candidate centered campaigns

kind of campaign where the public focus in on the candidate himself/herself, not the party itself

interest groups

PACs

lobbying

a major technique used by interest groups; they “lobby” members of Congress to support their cause

grassroots

A method of mobilizing the public to influence lawmakers by encouraging them to contact representatives regarding specific issues.

litigation

tactic interest groups use; they go the court if they find going to Congress for support unsucessful

(think: l= law → courts)

“free rider”

Someone who is apart of an interest group that benefits from the goods and services of the group while sitting back and allows others to do the work

(think: someone who free rides off of interest groups’ work)

why the free rider problem a problem

interest groups have a hard time increasing their membership

role of the media

-informing the public

-shaping public opinion

-providing a link between citizens and government

specific roles of the media

-watchdog

-gatekeeper(news and reporters decide which events to present)

-agenda setter

-cnn effect

-horse race journalism

-gotcha journalism(exposes scandals or wrongdoings of political figures)

-talking heads(ppl talking from chest up in news)

-feeding frenzy(24/7 news coverage on a specific topic)