AP gov unit 4 and 5

  1. political socialization influences an individual's political ideology: Family- party identification, School- norms, Peers, Voluntary groups (Churches, Clubs, Sports)

  2. Individualism: responsibility for themselves and the decisions they make (core American political values)

  3. Equality of opportunity: everyone has an equal chance to succeed regardless of race, gender, or religion (core American political values )

  4. Free enterprise/capitalism: (we have no socialism at all), the right to make money and own property (core American political values )

  5. Rule of law: no one, including public officials, is above the law (core American political values )

  6. Limited government: limited to preserving natural rights and civil liberties. Ex. John lock theories, Checks and balances, Enumerated powers of the Constitution. (core American political values )

  7. Liberal: “liberty” of sexual and marital privacy; this in turn reflects a mistrust of a tyranny of the majority, and a need for government to protect minority rights. Ex. individualism: abortion (my body, my choice), but not about welfare, Equity (affirmative action programs)

  8. Conservative: “liberty” to form a business relatively free of government regulation; this reflects a trust in the marketplace and a mistrust of government. Ex. individualism: rough, take care of yourself, but not abortion, dislikes equity, Laissez-faire (free trade)

  9. Libertarian: less government control over social behavior and greater regulation on economy. Ex. Protect private property, Free liberty

  10. Process of scientific polling: random and representative sample, a sample size of at least 1,500, and questions written in neutral language.

  11. Opinion polls: gauging public opinion by questioning a representative sample

  12. Push polls: attempt to push or sway voters with loaded questions (push toward the direction of a candidate)

  13. Benchmark: initial polling for a candidate, usually before they even announce

  14. Tracking: a series of surveys that are given over time (presidential approval)

  15. Entrance: taken before voters cast their votes at a polling place

  16. Exit: taken after voters cast their votes at a polling place (unreliable)

    1. High rates of inaccuracy 

  17. Gallup organization: Didn't call up voters (only rich people had phones) they manually went out to survey people

  18. how political ideologies influence policy: foundation for shaping party platforms and influencing how policymakers approach the creation of laws and regulations. They provide a set of guiding principles that help political actors navigate complex issues, define the scope of government, and propose solutions that reflect their beliefs

  19. impact of voter laws and demographic factors on turnout: voter ID requirements, registration laws, and the availability of early voting can either increase or suppress turnout depending on how accessible they make the voting process. Demographic factors like age, race, income, education, and gender influence the likelihood that individuals from different groups will participate in elections. Policies and practices that lower barriers to voting tend to increase turnout, while those that create barriers can suppress it, often affecting marginalized groups more severely

  20. Caucus:Synchronous rounds of voting are performed via persuasive dialogue, Only registered members of the party can attend

  21. Primaries: Somewhat asynchronous, One-time voting via ballots

  22. Closed primary: only registered voters can participate in

  23. Open primary: voters do not necessarily register as members of the party

  24. functions of political parties: Political parties are focused on winning elections and governing

  25. functions of interest groups: interest groups focus on influencing policy decisions and advocating for specific causes

  26. winner-take-all Electoral College system: the candidate who wins the popular vote in that state gets all of the state's electoral votes. For example, if a candidate wins 51% of the popular vote in a state, they receive all of that state's electoral votes. NC has 16 (2 are senators), Effects: smaller states with fewer electoral votes may feel overlooked in comparison to larger states

  27. Print media(newspaper, etc) influence policy: The first colonial newspaper was printed in 1690, Penny press: New York Sun, sensation, and scandalous, Muckraking- journalist sought to bring down big companies with scandals

  28. Radio news influence policy: conservative talk radio v. National Public Radio, John R. Brinkley and the Birth of Radio News 

  29. On the TV influence policy: Gradually replaced print and radio, Network vs. cable news (Fox News is most popular), C-span

  30. Online media influence policy: The internet, blogs, and social media 

  31. Interest groups: lobbying(attempting to influence lawmakers and government officials to make decisions favorable to their cause) or provide information

  32. Political actors: use PACS to raise and spend money to support candidates who align with their policy preferences

  33. Fiscal policy: makes decisions about how much money is in the economy and how to use. OR. the government uses taxation and spending to attempt to lower unemployment, support economic growth, and stabilize the economy is shaped mostly by Congress and the president

  34. monetary policy: a set of economic policy tools designed to regulate the amount of money in the economy.

  35. Political Socialization: individuals acquire their political beliefs, values, and behaviors. Mainly family Family, and some school School, with Peers and Voluntary groups  (like Churches, Clubs, Sports) having little influence

  36. Political Culture: shared beliefs toward political system

  37. Political Ideology: an individual’s set of beliefs about government and politics.

  38. Political Efficacy: Belief in the political system matters-> high sense of political efficacy (involved in all politics) low political efficacy if not involved

  39. Public Opinion Poll: Opinion polls: gauging public opinion by questioning a representative sample

  40. Margin of Error: reflects the amount of random sampling error in a poll or survey. It indicates the range within which the true value is likely to fall. (smaller = more precise, large = greater uncertainty)

  41. Voter Turnout: percentage of eligible voters who actually vote in an election (higher turn out is higher political efficacy)

  42. Party Realignment: shift in the political landscape, where the dominant political parties, their ideologies, and their voter bases change

  43. Linkage Institution: Linkage institutions are a relationship between citizens and the government. BUT citizens don't include government officials (members of congress, the president, the executive branch, the judiciary branch, the bureaucracy)

  44. Electoral College: system used to elect the President and Vice President of the United States The number of electors in each state is Congressional representatives (Senators + House members). There are 538 electors in total, and a candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. Most states use a winner-take-all system to allocate electoral votes, except for Maine and Nebraska, which use a district system.

  45. Winner-Take-All System: If half +1 then person wins all electoral college votes (16 for NC, and 2 are senators)

  46. Iron Triangle: policy-making system (hyperpluralism is when one corner gets overloaded)

  47. Free Rider Problem: people are getting benefits without actually being part of the group (The solution is selective benefits.)

  48. Citizens United v. FEC: Citizens say prohibiting corporations or labor unions from funding political acts is a violation of freedom of speech , The ruling was that McCain-Feingold is declared unconstitutional for individuals in groups, Gave corporate groups the same freedom of speech as us (Allows for creations of super PACS)

  49. 15th: Voting rights and no one can be denied based on race, color, etc

  50. 17th: 2 senators for each state for 6-year terms 

  51. 19th: women's right to vote 

  52. 24th: No poll taxing, so everyone can vote

  53. 26th: No voting till 18 

  54. Political Party Functions: running candidates, formulating/promoting policy, link between gov. and citizens

  55. Fiscal policy: makes decisions about how much money is in the economy and how to use. OR. the government uses taxation and spending to attempt to lower unemployment, support economic growth, and stabilize the economy is shaped mostly by Congress and the president

  56. monetary policy: a set of economic policy tools designed to regulate the amount of money in the economy

  57. Interest Group Tactics: lobbying(attempting to influence lawmakers and government officials to make decisions favorable to their cause) or provide information

  58. Campaign Finance: legal regulations and rules designed to control how much money can be raised and spent. laws such as the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) and the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA), which set limits on individual contributions, corporate donations, and spending by interest groups

  59. Horse Race Journalism: emphasize polling data, strategies, and campaign dynamics—such as who is ahead or behind—rather than focusing on detailed discussions of the candidates’ positions on issues

  60. PACs: contribute a limited amount of money to influence elections

  61. Super PACs: type of PAC that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on political advocacy, including ads, as long as they do not coordinate directly with a candidate's campaign (came from Citizens United v. FEC (2010) decision, which allowed unlimited independent expenditures to influence elections)

  62. demographic traits affect ideology and participation: Age is younger tends to be more liberal, but less turn out (older is opposite), Religion is christians conservative while jews and muslim more liberal

  63. Sample size: Larger sample sizes generally result in more accurate results because they better represent the overall population.

  64. Random sampling: a method of choosing all poll respondents in a way that does not over- or underrepresent any group of the population.

  65. Barriers to voting: Voter Registration Laws: In many states, voters must register in advance to vote. Some states have restrictive voter registration deadlines, require proof of residence, or have strict address verification rules

  66. Political parties: gain control of the government by winning elections. They nominate candidates, mobilize voters, create platforms to address key issues, and provide leadership once in office (influence elections by organizing campaigns, fundraising, and advocating for policies aligned with their ideology)

  67. Interest groups: focus on influencing policy decisions and advocating for specific causes (litigation (bringing lawsuits to affect policy), and campaign contributions through Political Action Committees (PACs).)

  68. Electoral College works and debates over its fairness: system used to elect the President and Vice President of the United States The number of electors in each state is Congressional representatives (Senators + House members). There are 538 electors in total, and a candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. Most states use a winner-take-all system to allocate electoral votes, except for Maine and Nebraska, which use a district system.

  69. Campaign finance regulations: Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA): Passed in 1971, it established disclosure requirements for campaign contributions and spending, along with limitations on individual donations to candidates.

  70. Buckley v. Valeo (1976): Buckley limits how much a citizen can put into a campaign. He was saying it shouldn't be capped because its free expression (1st amendment) This decision upheld restrictions on individual contributions to campaigns but ruled that spending money in elections is a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment, allowing candidates and interest groups to spend unlimited money on their campaigns.

  71. Citizens United v. FEC (2010): This landmark decision allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts of money on independent political activities (e.g., Super PACs), arguing that limiting these expenditures violated free speech protections.

  72. Federalist No. 10: Factions are inevitable; large republic controls their effects.

  73. The U.S. Constitution: Outlines voting procedures, Electoral College, and institutional roles.

  74. Shaw v. Reno (1993): Racial gerrymandering must meet strict scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause.

  75. function of interest groups: influencing public policy and promote interests

  76. how iron triangles influence policy

  77. the winner-take-all system impacts third-party success: the candidate who receives the most votes in a state wins all of that state's electoral votes. Creates significant challenges for third-party candidates, as they often struggle to gain enough support to secure even a single electoral vote. This system tends to exclude third parties, reinforcing the dominance of the two major parties and discouraging voters from supporting alternatives due to the perception that their votes are wasted.

  78. Electoral College: assigned a number of electoral votes based on its population and representation in Congress. To win the presidency, a candidate needs to secure a majority of these electoral votes (270 out of 538).

  79. popular vote debates: direct vote by citizens, where each person's vote counts equally. The candidate with the most votes nationwide would win the presidency