American Government Exam 3: Voting, Media, Parties, and Interest Groups

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms, constitutional amendments, institutions, and concepts in American Government Topic 3, including voting and elections, public opinion, the media, political parties, and interest groups.

15th Amendment

A constitutional amendment ratified in 1870 establishing that the government cannot deny voting rights based on race, color, or previous enslavement.

19th Amendment

A constitutional amendment ratified in 1920 establishing that the government cannot deny voting rights on the basis of sex.

26th Amendment

A constitutional amendment ratified in 1971 ensuring that citizens age 18 and older cannot be denied the right to vote because of age.

Popular vote

The total number of individual ballots cast directly by voters in an election.

Electoral vote

The votes cast by designated state electors to choose the president; winning requires a majority of at least 270 out of 538 total electors.

Political efficacy

An individual's belief that they understand politics and have the capacity to influence government decisions.

Incumbent

An official who currently holds a political office.

Divided government

A condition in which one political party controls the presidency while an opposing party controls at least one chamber of Congress.

American political culture

The widely shared beliefs and values about political life in the United States, including liberty, individualism, democracy, equality of opportunity, and the rule of law.

Public opinion

The collection or aggregate distribution of people's views and preferences regarding political leaders, policies, and public issues.

Political socialization

The lifelong process through which individuals acquire and develop their political attitudes, values, and beliefs.

Agents of socialization

The social institutions and individuals—such as family, school, peers, religious institutions, media, and life experiences—that shape political views.

Margin of error

A statistical estimate reflecting sampling error in public opinion polls, which can typically be reduced by larger random samples.

Gatekeeping

The media process in which editors, producers, and platforms determine which events and issues are selected to receive public news coverage.

Agenda setting

The media's ability to influence the perceived importance of issues by giving them frequent and sustained coverage.

Framing

The way a news story is structured, contextualized, and presented, shaping how the public interprets that issue.

Priming

Media coverage that elevates the prominence of particular issues, shaping the standards by which citizens evaluate political candidates and leaders.

Horse-race coverage

A style of campaign journalism that emphasizes poll numbers, candidate standings, and competitive strategy rather than comprehensive policy analysis.

Muckraking

Investigative journalism focused on discovering and exposing corruption, institutional abuses, or official wrongdoing.

Yellow journalism

Sensational, exaggerated, or distorted news reporting designed primarily to attract readership.

Political party

An organized coalition that seeks to win elections, place its candidates into public office, and shape government policy.

Winner-take-all (plurality) system

An electoral system in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins the seat, even without securing an outright majority.

Proportional representation

An electoral system in which legislative seats are allocated to political parties in proportion to the percentage of the vote each party receives.

Party platform

A formal written statement setting forth a political party's core philosophy, goals, and official positions on major policy issues.

Interest group

An organized group of individuals who share common objectives and work to influence public policy without running candidates for public office.

Collective good

A shared benefit that cannot easily be withheld from nonparticipants and whose consumption by one individual does not reduce its availability to others.

Free rider

A person who gains the benefits of a collective good or group action without contributing time, effort, or financial resources toward securing it.

Amicus curiae brief

A 'friend-of-the-court' document submitted by an outside person or group not party to a lawsuit to provide information, expertise, or arguments to judges.

Iron triangle

A stable, mutually beneficial policy-making alliance formed among an interest group, a congressional committee or subcommittee, and an executive government agency.

Direct lobbying

Advocacy that involves communicating directly with public officials, staff, or regulatory agencies through meetings, policy drafting, and formal testimony.

Grassroots lobbying

An indirect lobbying strategy that mobilizes constituents and the general public to contact their elected representatives to exert pressure on policy decisions.