AP GOV unit 4-5

Political Efficacy

Belief that one’s political participation can influence government

Political Socialization

Process through which people develop political attitudes and beliefs

Agents of socialization

People/Institutions that influence political beliefs (family, schools, peers, media, religion, generation effect, life-cycle effect)

Public opinion

Collective attitudes of the population about political issues

Public opinion poll

Survey designed to measure public attitudes

Population

Entire group a poll is attempting to measure

Random Sample

Sample in which members of the population have an equal/known chance of selection

Representative sample

Sample that accurately reflects characteristics of the larger population

Sampling error

Difference between a sample’s results and the true population opinion

Question Wording

Specific phrasing of a survey question that can affect responses

Response bias

Tendency of respondents to give inaccurate or socially desirable answers

Nonresponse bias

Bias resulting when certain types of people are less likely to respond

Random-digit dialing

Selecting telephone nymbers to randomly obtain a sample

Sampling bias

When a sample systemically differs from the population

Push poll

A poll designed [rimarily to influence opinions rather than accurately measure them

Benchmark poll

Initial poll conducted before a campaign to establish a baseline

Tracking poll

Repeated poll used to measure changes in opinion over time

Entrance poll

Survery of voters as they enter a polling place

Exit poll

Survery of voters after they vote

Straw poll

Informal poll that does not necessarily use a scientific sample

Political ideaology

Consistent set of beliefs about government and public policy

Liberalism

Generally favors greater government involvement in addressing economic inequality and providing social programs

Conservatism

Generally favors limited government intervention in the economy, lower taxes, and individual responsibility

Moderate

Political position between liberal and conservation viewpoints

Political polarization

Increasing ideological distance between political groups

Partisanship

Attachment to or identification with a political party

Political participation

Activites through which citizens attempt to influence government

Suffrage

Right to vote

Universal suffrage

Broad voting rights for adult citizens

Voter turnout

Percentage of eligible voters who vote

Motor Voter Act/NVRA

1993 law making voter registration easier, including through diver’s license agencies

Absentee voting

Voting without being pysically present at one’s assigned polling place

Mail-in voting

Voting using a mailed ballot

Polling Place

Location where voters cast ballots

Primary election

Election used to choose a party’s candidate for the general election

Open primary

Voters can participate in a party’s primary without necessarily being registered with that party

Closed primary

Only voters affiliated/registered with the party can participate in the primary

Semi-open primary

Voters who are not affiliated with a party can generally choose a party’s primary, while party-affiliated voters participate in their own party’s primary

Caucus

Local meeting in which party members discuss candidates and/or select delegates; does the same thing as a primary

General election

An election in which voters choose among candidates from different parties

Incumbent

Current officeholder running for reelection; more likely to win than new candidate

Nominee

Candidate officially selected to represent a party in an election

Delegates

Indivudlals selected to represent voters at a party convention

Superdelegates

Democratic Party delegates who historically had greater freedom in choosing a presidential nominee

National convention

Party gathering where presidential candidates are formally nominated and the party platform is adopted

Straight-ticket voting/Party-line voting

Voting for candidates from the same political party across multiple races

Split-ticket voting

Voting for candidates from different political parties in the same election

Ticket

List of candidates running together under a party

Retrospective voting

Voting based on how a candidate/party performed in the past

Prospective voting

Voting based on expectations about what a candidate will do in the future

Party-line voting

Voting consistently for candidates from one political party

Rational choice voting

Voting based on which candidate will benefit the voter specifically the most, not the country or general population;

Candidate-centered voting

Voting based on a candidate’s personal characteristics, record, or campaign rather than primarily party affiliation

Valence Issue

Issue on which most people share the same general goal, such as economic prosperity or public safety, but may disagree about who can achieve it

Plurality

Recieving more votes than any other candidate

Majority

Receiving more than 50% of votes

Winner-take all system

The candidate receiving the most votes in a jurisdiction receives all of that jurisdiction’s electoral votes/delegates

Proportional representation

Seats are distributed according to the percentage of voted recieved

Electoral college

Constitutional system for choosing the president

Elector

Person selected to cast an Electoral College vote

Faithless elector

Elector who votes for someone other than the candidate they were expected/pledged to support

Swing state

State in which either major-party candidate has a meaningful chance of winning

Political party

Organization seeking to influence government by electing candidates

Party organization

Formal structure of a political party

Party platform

Official statement of party positions

Party identification

Individual’s attachment to a political party

Two-party system

Political system dominated by two major parties

Third party

Party other than the two major parties

Minor party

Party with substantially less support than the major parties

Independent

Voter or candidate not affiliated with a political party

Party realignment

Major and lasting shift in party coalitions

Critical election

Election associated with party realignment

Deaignment

Weakening of a traditional party identification

Divided government

Different parties control the presidency and at least one chamber of Congress

Untied government

Same party controls the presidency and both chambers of Congress

Party polarization

Growing ideological distance between political parties

Party coalition

Groups of voters that make up a party’s support base

Interest group

Organization seeking to influence government policy

Lobbying

Attempting to influence government officials

Litigation

Using courts to pursue policy goals

Issue network

Loose network of government officials, interest groups, experts, and others concerned with an issue

Iron triangle

Relationship among interest groups + congressional committees + bureaucracy

Free rider problem

Peopl erecieve benefits from a group’s efforts without contributing

Single-issue group

Interest group focused primarily on one issue

Public interest group

Group claiming to advocate for broader societal interests

Campaign finance

Money raised/spent to influence elections

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

Federal agency that administers and enforces federal campaign-finance laws

Political Action Committee (PAC)

Organization that raises and spends money to influence elections, subject to contribution rules

Super PAC

Political committee that can raise unlimited funds for independent political expenditures

Hard money

Regulated contributions made directly to candidates/parties

Soft money

Money historically provided to parties for purposes outside direct candidate contributions; traditional forms are now heavily restricted federally

Independent expenditure

Political spending not coordinated with a candidate/campaign

Campaign contribution

Money given directly to a candidate or campaign

Campaign expenditure

Money spent by a campaign or political organziation

BCRA

2002 law that restricted certain forms of party soft money and regulated election-related communications

Citizens United v. FEC

2010 case protection independent political expenditures by corporations, unions, and associations under the First Amendment

Mass media

Communication reaching large audiences

News Media

Organizations that gather and distribute news

Social media

Digital platforms allowing people to create/share information

Agenda setting

Media influence over which issues recieve public attention