AP gov unit 4 terms

Agenda: The list of issues or topics that are prioritized and discussed by government officials or political leaders.
Example: Climate change is on the government's agenda for the upcoming year.
Census: A survey conducted to count and gather information about a population, often used to allocate resources or political representation.
Example: The U.S. conducts a census every 10 years to determine the population of each state.
Civil Disobedience: The act of peacefully protesting or disobeying laws considered unjust, typically without using violence.
Example: Martin Luther King Jr. used civil disobedience to protest segregation.
Conservative: A political belief that emphasizes tradition, limited government, and less change in society.
Example: A conservative might support lower taxes and less government intervention in the economy.
Demography: The study of populations, including factors like age, race, and income.
Example: Demography helps explain voting patterns in different regions based on age groups.
Exit Poll: A survey of voters taken after they vote in an election, used to predict the outcome before the official count is finished.
Example: Exit polls showed that younger voters favored the candidate who focused on climate change.
Gender Gap: The difference in voting patterns between men and women.
Example: There is often a gender gap, with women voting more for candidates who support healthcare reform.
Liberal: A political belief in progress, social equality, and government intervention to address societal problems.
Example: A liberal might advocate for increased government spending on education and healthcare.
Libertarian: A political ideology that advocates for minimal government intervention in both personal and economic matters.
Example: Libertarians often argue for legalizing marijuana and reducing taxes.
Melting Pot: A term used to describe the blending of various cultures and ethnicities into one cohesive society.
Example: The U.S. is often called a melting pot due to its diverse population.
Minority Majority: When a group that was once a minority becomes the majority in a given population or area.
*Example: In some U.S. states, Hispanic populations are projected to become the

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easier to understand explanations adn a little more info

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Certainly! Here’s a more detailed yet easy-to-understand version of the definitions with examples:

Agenda: The list of important issues or topics that politicians or leaders want to address or focus on.
Example: The president’s agenda includes healthcare reform, tax cuts, and environmental protection.
Census: A survey where the government counts the people living in a country or area and gathers basic information about them (like age, race, etc.). It helps decide how many representatives each state gets.
Example: In the U.S., every ten years, the census is used to count how many people live in each state to determine the number of members in the House of Representatives.
Civil Disobedience: When people intentionally break laws they think are unfair, usually through peaceful protests, to bring attention to social or political issues.
Example: Rosa Parks used civil disobedience when she refused to give up her seat on a bus, helping spark the civil rights movement.
Conservative: A person or group who prefers traditional values and policies, often wanting less government involvement in people’s lives and the economy.
Example: Conservatives might argue for lower taxes, less government regulation of businesses, and a stronger focus on military defense.
Demography: The study of the characteristics of populations, like their age, race, income, or where people live. It helps understand trends and needs in society.
Example: Demographers might study the aging population to plan for more healthcare services for older people.
Exit Poll: A survey conducted right after people vote in an election to predict the results before the official count is complete.
Example: After voting, people may be asked who they voted for in an exit poll, and those results can give early predictions about who will win.
Gender Gap: The difference between how men and women tend to vote or feel about certain issues.
Example: In many elections, women may vote more for candidates who support healthcare reform, while men might favor candidates who focus on lower taxes.
Liberal: A person or group that believes in change, social equality, and that the government should help solve society’s problems, like poverty and healthcare.
Example: Liberals typically support policies like universal healthcare and higher taxes on the rich to help fund social programs.
Libertarian: Someone who believes that people should have maximum freedom and that the government should interfere very little in both personal life and the economy.
Example: Libertarians argue that people should be free to make their own choices, such as deciding what they want to do with their bodies or how to spend their money.
Melting Pot: The idea that different cultures and ethnicities blend together into one unified society.
Example: The United States is often described as a melting pot because people from many different countries live together and contribute to the country’s culture.
Minority Majority: When a group of people, who were once a minority, becomes the largest group in a particular area.
Example: In certain areas of the U.S., Latino populations are expected to eventually become the majority as their numbers grow.
Political Culture: The shared beliefs, values, and attitudes about government and politics that a group or society holds.
Example: In the U.S., political culture is often based on values like individual freedom, democracy, and equality.
Political Ideology: A set of beliefs or ideas about how government should work and what policies are best.
Example: A person who believes in social equality and higher government involvement in the economy may identify as a liberal, while someone who prefers limited government might identify as conservative.
Political Participation: The ways people get involved in politics, like voting, protesting, or running for office.
Example: Voting in an election is a common form of political participation.
Political Polarization: The growing divide between two political parties or groups, where people’s opinions are becoming more extreme and less likely to meet in the middle.
Example: In the U.S., political polarization has increased, with people strongly identifying as either Democrat or Republican, and fewer people agreeing on common ground.
Political Socialization: The process by which people learn and develop their political beliefs, usually from family, school, media, and experiences.
Example: A child might learn political views from their parents or from what they hear in the media.
Polling: A method used to gather opinions from a group of people (a sample) to predict how the larger population feels about certain issues or candidates.
Example: Polls before an election can show which candidate is likely to win based on a sample of voters.
Progressive: A person or group that believes in making changes in society to promote fairness, social justice, and progress.
Example: Progressives support policies like raising the minimum wage, improving education, and tackling climate change.
Populist: A person or political movement that claims to represent the common people, often by opposing elites or the establishment.
Example: Populist politicians often speak against big corporations and the wealthy, claiming they control too much of the government.
Protest: A public demonstration or action showing disagreement with certain policies, laws, or situations.
Example: People protested to demand higher wages for workers during a labor strike.
Public Opinion: The general views or beliefs of the people about political issues, politicians, or government policies.
Example: Public opinion surveys might show that most people are concerned about healthcare costs.
Random Digit Dialing: A method of selecting a sample for a poll by randomly calling phone numbers to ask for opinions.
Example: Pollsters might use random digit dialing to contact a variety of people for a political poll.
Reapportionment: The process of adjusting the number of representatives each state has in Congress based on population changes from the census.
Example: If a state’s population grows, it may gain more representatives in the House of Representatives.
Sample: A small group selected from the larger population to represent the views or opinions of that population.
Example: A poll might survey 1,000 people to represent the opinions of millions of voters.
Sampling Error: The difference between the results from a sample and what the results would be if the entire population were surveyed.
Example: A poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3%, meaning the results could be a little higher or lower than the actual opinion of the whole population.
Buckley v. Valeo: A landmark Supreme Court case that ruled that spending money on political campaigns is a form of free speech protected by the Constitution.
Example: This case led to the rise of SuperPACs, which can spend unlimited money on political ads.
Campaign Strategy: The plan a candidate or political party uses to win an election, including their messaging, target audience, and outreach efforts.
Example: A candidate might focus their campaign strategy on appealing to younger voters by talking about issues like student debt.
Caucus: A meeting of party members to choose candidates or decide on policies.
Example: Iowa holds a caucus where voters gather in groups to support their preferred candidate in the presidential race.
Citizens United v. FEC: A Supreme Court case that allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited money on political campaigns, as it was considered a form of free speech.
Example: This decision led to the creation of SuperPACs, which can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money.
Dark Money: Political spending by organizations that don't have to disclose where their money comes from or how it’s being spent.
Example: Some political groups spend dark money on ads without revealing the donors behind them.
Direct Donations: Money given directly to a political candidate or campaign to help fund their activities.
Example: A person might donate $100 directly to a candidate’s campaign for their re-election.
Direct Mail: Political advertisements sent through the mail to potential voters.
Example: A candidate may send flyers to voters promoting their positions on healthcare or taxes.
Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA): A law that regulates how money can be raised and spent in U.S. federal elections, including limiting contributions and requiring disclosure.
Example: FECA requires candidates to report who contributes to their campaigns and how the money is spent.
Federal Election Commission (FEC): The government agency responsible for enforcing campaign finance laws.
Example: The FEC ensures that political campaigns follow the rules about money and donations.
Frontloading: The practice of scheduling primary elections earlier in the year to gain more attention and influence in the presidential race.
Example: States like New Hampshire and Iowa hold their primaries early to shape the election outcome.
Hard Money: Contributions to political candidates that are regulated by law, with limits on the amount.
Example: Hard money can be donated directly to a candidate’s campaign and must be reported to the FEC.
Matching Funds: Government funds that match the donations a candidate receives, typically used to help smaller campaigns.
Example: A presidential candidate who receives small donations might get matching funds from the government to help fund their campaign.
McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA): A law that aimed to limit the influence of money in politics by regulating donations and ads, especially from corporations and unions.
Example: BCRA placed limits on how much money political parties could spend on ads promoting candidates.
McGovern-Fraser Commission: A commission that reformed the way the Democratic Party selects its presidential candidates, making the process more democratic and open.
Example: The commission's changes led to more open primaries and less control by party elites.
National Party Convention: A meeting where a political party formally nominates its presidential candidate and adopts its party platform.
Example: At the Democratic National Convention, the party officially nominates their candidate for president.
National Primary: A proposal for all states to hold their presidential primary elections on the same day, creating a national contest.
Example: Instead of each state holding primaries at different times, a national primary would mean all states vote on the same day.
Nomination: The official selection of a candidate to run for a political office.
Example: The party will hold a nomination process to decide who will represent them in the general election.
Party Platform: A set of official statements and positions a political party supports, outlining their policies and goals.
Example: The party platform might include support for universal healthcare, climate change action, or education reform.
Political Action Committee (PAC): An organization that raises money to help elect or defeat political candidates.
Example: A PAC might raise money to support a candidate who favors policies they agree with.
Presidential Election Campaign Fund: A fund set up by the federal government to provide public funding for presidential campaigns, but candidates must agree to certain limits on their spending.
Example: A candidate who accepts public funding from this fund agrees to limit their private fundraising efforts.
Presidential Primaries: Elections where party members vote to choose their party’s candidate for president.
Example: Voters in New Hampshire participate in the presidential primaries to pick the candidate they want to represent their party.
Regional Primaries: A system where states are grouped by region to hold their primaries on the same day.
Example: Instead of having Iowa vote early, the Midwest might have all their states vote together in a regional primary.
Selective Perception: The idea that people see things in a way that confirms their own beliefs, filtering out information that doesn't fit.
Example: A person who supports a certain political party may only watch news that agrees with their views, ignoring sources with different opinions.
Soft Money: Contributions made to political parties for purposes other than supporting a specific candidate, like advertising or party-building activities.
Example: Soft money can be used to fund ads supporting a party’s policies, but not a specific candidate.
Superdelegates: High-ranking party members, like governors and congresspeople, who have special votes at the Democratic National Convention, regardless of primary results.
Example: Superdelegates are free to choose the candidate they want, even if their state’s primary vote went in a different direction.
SuperPACs: Political action committees that can raise unlimited amounts of money for political causes, but they cannot coordinate directly with a candidate’s campaign.
Example: A SuperPAC might run ads supporting a candidate’s position on taxes without coordinating directly with the candidate.
527 Groups: Organizations that can raise and spend unlimited money on political activities, as long as they don’t directly support or oppose a candidate.
Example: 527 groups can run ads for or against issues, like climate change, without directly endorsing a candidate.
Civic Duty: The responsibility of citizens to participate in government and political processes, like voting or serving on juries.
Example: Voting in elections is a civic duty because it helps decide how the country is run.
Electoral College: A system used in the U.S. to elect the president, where each state’s electors vote based on the popular vote in their state.
Example: Even if a candidate wins the most votes in the U.S., they must win enough states with electors to win the presidency.
Initiative Petition: A process that allows citizens to propose laws or amendments to the constitution by collecting signatures to put an issue on the ballot.
Example: People in a state might use an initiative petition to get a law legalizing marijuana on the ballot.
Legitimacy: The belief that a government’s rule or election process is fair and acceptable.
Example: People believe an election has legitimacy if they trust that it was conducted fairly.
Mandate Theory of Elections: The idea that when a candidate wins an election, they have a clear mandate (authority) to carry out their campaign promises.
Example: If a candidate wins by a large margin, they might claim they have a mandate to push for new healthcare reform.
Motor Voter Act: A law that makes it easier for people to register to vote by allowing registration when getting a driver’s license.
Example: The Motor Voter Act allows citizens to register to vote at the DMV when they apply for or renew a driver’s license.
Party-Line Voting: When voters choose candidates from the same political party for all offices on the ballot.
Example: Voting for all Democrats or all Republicans in an election is party-line voting.
Policy Voting: When voters choose candidates based on their stance on specific issues or policies.
Example: A person who cares deeply about climate change may vote for a candidate who has strong environmental policies.
Political Efficacy: The belief that one’s actions or votes can influence government decisions.
Example: People with high political efficacy believe their vote actually matters in shaping policies.
Prospective Voting: Voting based on what a candidate promises to do in the future.
Example: A person might vote for a candidate who promises to improve education, even if they haven’t done so before.
Rational Choice Voting: Voting based on which candidate will benefit the voter the most, considering policies and promises.
Example: A person might vote for a candidate who supports tax cuts if they believe it will benefit them financially.
Referendum: A direct vote by the people on a specific issue or law.
Example: A state might hold a referendum asking citizens whether to legalize marijuana.
Retrospective Voting: Voting based on how well a candidate or party has performed in the past.
Example: A voter might re-elect a president because they think the economy has improved under their leadership.
Suffrage: The right to vote in elections.
Example: The 19th Amendment gave women the suffrage to vote in U.S. elections.
Voter Registration: The process of signing up to vote in elections.
Example: To vote, citizens must register with their local election office before election day.