Unit #5: Political Participation

Linkage Institution

Channels that connect individuals with the government. Elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Allows those eighteen years old and older to vote

Twenty-Fourth Amendment

Prohibits Congress and the states from imposing poll taxes as a condition for voting in federal elections.

Political Action Committee

Federal Election Campaign Act was a law that created limits on PAC and individual donations to political candidates. Monitored by FEC. No limits on support not directly linked to candidates, referred to as independent expenditures

Party Line Voting

Voting for candidates who belong only to one political party for all of the offices on the ballot

Electoral College

Voters do not cast ballots directly for the president. Voting for a slate of electors pledged to vote for a nominee. Candidate needs 270 votes to win out of 538 total. The House of Representatives decides if no majority is reached. Candidates do not need to win the popular vote. Winner-take-all system. Electors are chosen from party leaders and activists.

Winner-Take-All System

Candidate that receives the most votes at the state level wins all of the electoral votes for that state.

Battleground State

Candidate that receives the most votes at the state level wins all of the electoral votes for that state.

Swing State

A state where levels of support for the parties are similar and elections swing back and forth between Democrats and Republicans.

Super PAC

A state where levels of support for the parties are similar and elections swing back and forth between Democrats and Republicans.

Straight Ticket Voting

Voting for all of the candidates on the ballot from one political party.

Split Ticket Voting

Voting for candidates on a ballot from both political parties.

Party Platform

A set of positions and policy objectives that members of a political party agree to. Voted on at the convention. When they win, they begin the process of governing based largely on the shared platform.

Nomination

The formal process through which parties choose their candidates for office.

Delegate

A person who acts as the voters' representative at a convention to select the party's nominee.

Primary Election

An election in which a state's voters choose delegates who support a presidential candidate for nomination or an election by a plurality vote to select a party's nominee for a seat in Congress.

Open Primary

All eligible voters may vote, regardless of their party affiliation.

Close Primary

Only those who have registered as a member of a political party may vote.

Caucus

A meeting held by party members to discuss issues in the party and upcoming delegates.

Superdelegate

A party leader or activist who can support any one they want and aren't committed to a specific party.

Two Party System

A system in which two political parties dominate politics, winning almost all elections (Democrats and Republicans)

Proportional Representation System

An electoral system for a legislature in which citizens vote for parties, rather than individuals, and parties are represented in the legislature according to the percentage of the vote they receive.

Single Member Plurality System

It's an electoral district that is represented by a single officeholder.

Third Party

a minor political party in competition with the two major parties