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news media

A broad term that includes newspapers, magazines, radio, television, internet sources, blogs, and social media postings that cover important events.

social media

Forms of electronic communication that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

agenda setting

The media's ability to highlight certain issues and bring them to the attention of the public.

mass media

Sources of information designed to reach a wide audience, including newspapers, radio, television, and internet outlets.

wire service

An organization that gathers and reports on news and then sells the stories to other outlets.

investigative journalism

An approach to newsgathering in which reporters dig into stories, often looking for instances of wrongdoing.

broadcast media

Outlets for news and other content including radio and television that bring stories directly into people's homes.

media consolidation

The concentration of ownership of the media into fewer corporations.

partisan bias

The slanting of political news coverage in support of a particular political party or ideology.

horse-race journalism

Coverage of political campaigns that focuses more on the drama of the campaign than on policy issues.

interest groups

Voluntary associations of people who come together with the goal of getting the policies that they favor enacted.

social movements

Diffuse groups that educate the public and put pressure on policymakers in an effort to bring about societal change.

theory of participatory democracy

The belief that citizens impact policymaking through their involvement in civil society.

civil society

Groups outside the government that advocate for policy.

pluralist theory

A theory that political power is distributed among many competing groups, which means that no single group can grow too powerful.

elitist theory

A theory that the wealthy elite class has a disproportionate amount of economic and political power.

policy agenda

The set of issues to which government officials, voters, and the public are paying attention.

collective action

Political action that occurs when individuals contribute their energy, time, or money to a larger group goal.

collective good

Also called a public good; a public benefit that individuals can enjoy or profit from even if they do not help achieve it.

free riders

Individuals who enjoy collective goods and benefit from the actions of an interest group without joining.

selective benefits

Benefits available only to those who join the group.

economic interest groups

Groups advocating on behalf of the financial interests of their members.

public interest groups

Groups that act on behalf of the collective interests of a broad group of individuals.

single-issue groups

Associations focusing on one specific area of public policy, often a moral issue about which they are unwilling to compromise.

government interest groups

Organizations acting on behalf of local, state, or foreign governments.

lobbying

Interacting with government officials in order to advance a group's public policy goals.

revolving door

The movement of individuals between positions in government and lobbying positions.

amicus curiae brief

A brief filed by someone who is not a party to a case in an attempt to persuade the Court to agree with the arguments set forth in the brief.

iron triangle

The coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress, and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals.

issue network

The webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and policy advocates.

grassroots lobbying

Mobilizing interest group members to pressure their representatives by contacting them directly through phone calls, email, and social media.

protest

A public demonstration designed to call attention to the need for change.

civil disobedience

Intentionally breaking a law to call attention to an injustice.

political party

an organized group of party leaders, officeholders, and voters who work together to elect candidates to political office.

party identification

the degree to which a voter is connected to and influenced by a particular political party.

straight ticket voting

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

split ticket voting

voting for candidates from different parties in the same election.

party platform

an official set of positions and policy objectives of a political party.

recruitment

the process through which political parties identify poten- tial candidates.

coalition

demographic groups of voters who support a political party over time

realignment

when the groups of people who support a political party shift their allegiance to a different political party.

critical election

a major national election that signals a change in the balance of power between the two parties.

divided government

when control of the presidency and one or both chambers of Congress is split between the two major parties.

nomination

the formal process through which parties choose their candidates for political 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

a primary election in which all eligible voters may vote, regardless of their party affiliation.

closed primary

a primary election in which only those voters who have registered as a member of a political party may vote.

caucus

a process through which a state’s eligible voters meet to select delegates to represent their preferences in the nomination process.

national convention

a meeting where delegates officially select their party’s nominee for the presidency.

candidate-centered campaign

a campaign in which the public’s focus is on the characteristics of the candidate and not on the party.

two-party system

a system in which two political parties dominate politics, winning almost all elections.

proportional representation system

an election 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

an election system for choosing members of the legislature where the winner is the candidate who receives the most votes, even if the candidate does not receive a majority of the votes.

third party

a minor political party in competition with the two major parties.

political participation

The different ways in which individuals take action to shape the laws and policies of a government.

political action committee

An organization that raises money to elect and defeat candidates and may donate money directly to a candidate's campaign, subject to limits.

linkage institution

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

social movement

The joining of individuals seeking social or political change with the goal of placing issues on the policy agenda.

franchise (or suffrage)

The right to vote.

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.

poll tax

A payment required by a state or federal government before a citizen is allowed to vote.

voter turnout

The number of eligible voters who participate in an election as a percentage of the total number of eligible voters.

demographic characteristics

Measurable characteristics of a population, such as economic status, education, age, race or ethnicity, and gender.

socioeconomic status (SES)

A measure of an individual's wealth, income, occupation, and educational attainment.

political efficacy

A person's belief that he or she can make effective political change.

political mobilization

Efforts by political parties to encourage their members to vote.

registration requirements

The set of rules that govern who can vote and how, when, and where they vote.

absentee ballot

Voting completed and submitted by a voter before the day of an election without going to the polls.

rational choice voting

Voting based on what a citizen believes is in his or her best interest.

retrospective voting

Voting based on an assessment of an incumbent's past performance.

prospective voting

Casting a ballot for a candidate who promises to enact policies favored by the voter in the future.

party-line voting

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

Electoral College

A constitutionally required process for selecting the president through slates of electors chosen in each state, who are pledged to vote for a nominee in the presidential election.

winner-take-all system

A system of elections in which the candidate who wins the plurality of votes within a state receives all of that state's votes in the Electoral College.

battleground state

A state where the polls show a close contest between the Republican and Democratic candidate in a presidential election.

swing state

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

Get out the vote (GOTV)

Efforts to mobilize supporters.

super PAC

An organization that may spend an unlimited amount of money on a political campaign, as long as the spending is not coordinated with a campaign.