Test 2 on Gov

Agenda-setting Effect: Media's power to influence what issues people think are important by choosing what to cover. Example: Increased news coverage of crime making people think crime is a top problem.

Buckley v. Valeo: Supreme Court case ruling that campaign spending is protected speech but contributions can be limited. Example: The decision allowing unlimited candidate self-funding while restricting donations.

Campaign Finance Rules: Laws governing how political campaigns can raise and spend money. Example: The rule limiting individual donations to $3,300 per candidate per election.

Challenger: A candidate running against a current officeholder. Example: A new candidate trying to unseat a sitting senator.

Closed Primary: Primary election where only registered party members can vote. Example: Only registered Democrats being able to vote in Democratic primary.

Conservative: Political viewpoint generally favoring limited government, traditional values, and free markets. Example: Supporting lower taxes and less business regulation.

Critique of Pluralist Theory: Criticism that some groups have more power than others, making the system unequal. Example: Wealthy interest groups having more influence than poor communities.

Electoral College: System where state electors, not the national popular vote, choose the president. Example: A candidate winning the presidency by winning key states despite losing the popular vote.

Electioneering: Campaign activities by interest groups to help elect or defeat candidates. Example: An environmental group running ads supporting pro-climate candidates.

Free Media: News coverage candidates get without paying for it. Example: A candidate's speech being covered on the evening news.

Free-rider Problem: When people benefit from group efforts without contributing to them. Example: Someone benefiting from a union's negotiated raise without paying dues.

Framing Effect: How the way media presents an issue shapes how people think about it. Example: Describing immigration as either an "economic opportunity" or "security threat."

Gerrymandering: Drawing district boundaries to give one party an unfair advantage. Example: Packing opposition voters into few districts to minimize their representation.

GOTV (Get Out The Vote): Organized efforts to increase voter turnout among supporters. Example: Volunteers calling voters on Election Day to remind them to vote.

Grassroots Mobilization: Organizing regular citizens to influence government through collective action. Example: Environmental groups organizing voter letter-writing campaigns to Congress.

Groups Tending Democratic: Demographics that typically support Democratic Party include young voters, racial minorities, urban residents, and highly educated professionals. Example: African American voters consistently voting 90%+ Democratic.

Groups Tending Republican: Demographics that typically support Republican Party include white rural voters, evangelical Christians, and higher-income individuals. Example: Rural white voters voting predominantly Republican.

Ideology: A set of connected political beliefs and values that shape how someone thinks society should work. Example: Believing in either more or less government involvement in the economy.

Incumbency Advantage: Benefits sitting officeholders have in elections over challengers. Example: A congressman using their office resources and name recognition to help win reelection.

Inside Lobbying: Direct contact with government officials to influence policy. Example: An oil company representative meeting with senators to discuss energy policy.

Interest Group: Organization that tries to influence government policy without running candidates. Example: The National Rifle Association lobbying for gun rights.

Learning Effect: How people gain political knowledge from consuming news media. Example: Learning about a new law by watching the evening news.

Liberal: Political viewpoint generally favoring government action to achieve equality and social progress. Example: Supporting universal healthcare coverage.

Litigation: Using lawsuits and court action to achieve political goals. Example: Civil rights groups suing to challenge discriminatory laws.

Main Factors of Turnout: Key elements affecting voter turnout include education, age, income, election type, and ease of registration. Example: Higher income and education levels typically correlating with higher voting rates.

Media Bias: The tendency of news organizations to present information in ways that favor certain political views. Example: A news channel giving more positive coverage to one political party over another.

Mobilization: Efforts to get supporters actively involved in political activities. Example: A campaign organizing volunteers to knock on doors.

Momentum (in elections): The boost a candidate gets from early victories or positive press coverage. Example: A presidential candidate winning Iowa and getting a surge of support in later primaries.

News Content Determinants: News content is shaped by factors like ownership, profit motives, audience preferences, and news values. Example: A media company covering celebrity gossip over policy because it attracts more viewers.

Objective Journalism: Reporting that attempts to present facts without taking sides or showing personal opinions. Example: A reporter presenting both Democratic and Republican viewpoints on a bill equally.

Open Primary: Primary election where voters can participate regardless of party registration. Example: Independent voters being allowed to vote in a party's primary.

Open Seat: An election where no incumbent is running. Example: A race where the current officeholder is retiring.

Paid Media: Political advertising that campaigns pay for. Example: A TV commercial bought by a campaign.

Party Identification: A person's psychological attachment to a political party. Example: Someone consistently feeling connected to and voting for Republican candidates.

Party Organizational Structure: The hierarchy of political parties from national committees down to local precincts. Example: The Republican National Committee coordinating with state and local party offices.

Party Realignment: A major, lasting shift in which groups support which political parties. Example: Southern states switching from Democratic to Republican support in the 1960s-70s.

Personal Characteristics Affecting Participation: Individual traits like age, education, wealth, and civic engagement that influence political activity. Example: College graduates being more likely to vote and contact elected officials.

Political Party: An organization that seeks to win elections and control government to implement its policies. Example: The Democratic and Republican parties.

Political Socialization: How people develop their political beliefs and values through influences like family, education, and media. Example: A child learning about voting from watching their parents participate in elections.

Popular Vote: The total number of votes cast by citizens nationwide. Example: A candidate winning the most total votes nationally but losing the Electoral College.

Presidential General Election Strategy: Campaign's plan for winning 270 electoral votes through targeting specific states and demographics. Example: Candidates focusing resources on swing states rather than solid red/blue states.

Presidential Nomination Rules: Complex system of delegate allocation and primary/caucus scheduling that determines party nominees. Example: Iowa and New Hampshire having first nominating contests.

Priming: When media coverage of certain issues influences how people evaluate political leaders. Example: Heavy coverage of foreign conflicts making voters focus more on a candidate's foreign policy experience.

Proportional Representation: Electoral system where parties win seats in proportion to their share of votes. Example: A party winning 30% of votes getting 30% of parliament seats.

Public Interest Groups vs Private Interest Groups: Groups representing broad public causes versus specific industry or economic interests. Example: Environmental groups (public) versus oil industry associations (private).

Public Opinion Survey: A scientific method to measure what the public thinks about political issues. Example: Gallup polls asking 1,000 Americans their views on the president's performance.

Reapportionment: The redistribution of congressional seats among states based on population changes. Example: A state gaining or losing House seats after the census.

Recruitment: Process of parties finding and encouraging candidates to run for office. Example: Local party leaders asking a successful businesswoman to run for city council.

Redistricting: The process of drawing new congressional and legislative district boundaries. Example: States redrawing district lines after each census.

Single-member Districts: Electoral system where each district elects one representative by plurality vote. Example: Congressional districts each sending one person to the House of Representatives.

Super PAC: Independent political committee that can raise unlimited money but can't coordinate with candidates. Example: A group spending millions on TV ads supporting a candidate without their involvement.

Swing State: State where neither party has a clear majority, making it crucial in elections. Example: Florida's electoral votes being heavily contested in presidential races.

Trustworthiness of Surveys: The reliability and accuracy of public opinion polls based on their methodology and sampling. Example: A poll being considered trustworthy because it surveyed 1,500 random people versus an unreliable Twitter poll.

Turnout Differences by Election Type: Voter participation varies significantly between presidential, midterm, state, and local elections. Example: 60% turnout in presidential elections versus 30% in local elections.

Voter Choice Criteria: The main factors voters consider when choosing candidates (party identification, issues, candidate characteristics, and retrospective voting). Example: A voter choosing based on the economy's performance under the current administration.

Voter Registration: The process people must complete to become eligible to vote. Example: Filling out a form with your address and ID information at the DMV.

Voter Turnout: The percentage of eligible voters who actually vote in an election. Example: 66.8% of eligible voters participating in the 2020 presidential election.

Winner-Take-All Rule: System where candidate with most votes gets all of a state's electoral votes. Example: A candidate winning Florida by 1% but getting all its electoral votes.