AP GoPo Unit 5 AP Test Review

Who can Vote?

• Constitution doesn’t say - states choose

  • only (rich) white men unti lthe 15th amendment

  • But congress can let more people vote

Francise

who can vote

Voting amendments

• 15 - eliminated race barriers

• 17 - people can vote for senators

• 19 - women can vote

• 24 - abolished poll taxes

• 26 - 18 y/os can vote

Voting Models

• Rational Choise Voting

• Retrospective Voting

• Prospective Voting

• Party-Line Voting

Rational choice voting

when someone votes on their own self-interest

Retrospective Voting

when people vote based on the recetnt track record of the politician in question

Prospective Voting

When people vote based on the predictin on how a party or candidate will perform in the future

• think about how they will be affected by platform and campaign promises

Party-Line Voting

when people vote along their party

What affects voter turnout?

• Structural barriers

• political efficacy

• demographics

• type of election

Structural Barriers

• Law can prebent or encourage voting

  • ex. voter ID laws

Political Efficacy

the voter’s belief on whether their vote matters or not

• ex. if a prefered candidate sucksc (lwoers)

• is a candidate good (up up)

Demographics

• Old peoople vote more

• Younger people vote less

Type of Election

• more people participate in national elections than state elections

Linkage Institution

Structures that connect people to the government or the political process

• Political Parties

• Interest groups

• Elections

• Media

Political Parties

Organization defined by political beliefs that puts up candidates for election

• goal to win elections

what Parties do

• Mobilize voters

• Write and publish a party platform (the kind of parties the party plans to enact)

• Find quiality candidates (likeable, following, able to unite the party, money)

• Provide campaign management support for their candidate

How Parties change

• How candidates are chosen

  • Past: Party mattered more than candidate

  • Present: Candidate matters more than the party

• Platforms

  • shifted emphasis in priorities

• Altering Party Structure

Coalitions

groups of voters who have similar belifs

Party Realignment

Realining the party

• normallt after a series of losses

• Or a massive politival event

Third Parties

• Smaller parties that always lose

  • Winner-take-all voting discricts (for electorial votes)

  • Adoption of third policy in the larger agendas

Interest Groups

• Educate voters and office holders on issues they are centered around

• Lobbying

• Draft legislation

• Mobilize memebrs to put pressure on or work with legislatures

Lobbying

Holding meeting with policy maker sto influence the to pass legislation in their favor

What can hinder interest groups

• Inequality of political and economic recources

  • Policy makers more likley to take metting with well funded interest groups

• Unequal acess to decision makers

• Free rider problem

Free-Rider problem

More people benefit then people who pay for the benefits

Groups Influecning Policy Outcomes

• Social Movements

• Protest Movements

How we elect the president

• Prmiarty for a candidate to earn nominatons

  • open and close primaries

  • presented at the national convention

• People vote in districts

• Electorial College votes on president (sometimes a winner take all system)

Open primaries

On election day, you can vote for whatever party you want

closed primary

must be registered with a party prior to voting

Caucuses

• Similar to a primary

• In a public disussiondebate to vote for the primary instead of secret ballots

Electorial College

Does the actual vote for the president

• based on voting withing their state/district

• Winner take all system

Congressional Elections

• Every two years

  • midterms and elections during the presidential elections

• Incumbency advantage (~90% win their elections)

• track record advantage

• Established funding

Modern Political Campaigns

• Political funraising (more money spent on campaigns over time)

  • Length of the Election cylce

  • complex campaigns (many people to run the campaign)

  • Advertising

Canvassing

people calling to raise money for the campaign

Campaign Finance

• Spending money connected to free speech

FEC (Federal elections comissions)

Made limits for how much money a person can give to a political candidate, and how much money a candidate can spend on their campaign

Hard Money

Contributions given directly to a candidate

• regulated byFEC

Soft Money

Contricution given to a candidate through a party or interst group who can but advertising on a candidates’s behalf

PACS (Political Action Comitties)

• Organization that raise money to indlucence peope to support a candidate

Connected PACS

• Formed by corporations or other netities like labor unions

• Only colect funds from the members of their organizations

• Money can be donated directly to candidates in limited quanititoes

non=conneced PACS

• Formed indepently of an organization, usually around a specific public interest

• Donations are limited by law

• can accept donations form the public and donate directly to candidates

Super PACS

• can be formed by anyone

• can accept unlimited donations, but can’t coordinate with a candidate

BiPartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA )

• Increased how much hard money can be given to a candidate, and limited the amount of soft money that could be given

• Stand by your ad provision “I approve this message”

CItizen’s United v. FEC

• Corporations are people and have free speech

Watchdog Agency

The media watches what thegov does and holds them accountable

News Events

Imrpotant events the news shares with the people

Investigative Journalism

• longer investigations loking at a cirmustance

• possible exposing some wrong doings

Election coverage/Political Commentary

Covering electins?

Horse-Race Journalism

Caring more about poll numbers than candidates and their platform

Farines Doctrines

• past policy requring public broadcasting to give equal attention to both parties

Media Bias Detection

• Look at the character of the reporting

• Look at the bias of the reporter

what is the main goal of media

audience retention