AP GOV Unit 4

Political participation - a variety of ways that citizens choose and influence government policy makers

An example of political participation is voting.

Crawford v. Marion County Election Board - upheld the state of Indiana's requirement for voters to show photo-ID in order to vote

Crawford v. Marion County Election board was a controversial case.

Equality of outcome - guarantee of equal wealth for all citizens, regardless of education or job

Democrats want Equality of outcome

Evangelical (Protestant) - conservative Christians who are pro-life on the abortion issue; strong bloc of the Republican Party

Evangelical is a type of Christianity.

Demographics - statistical data related to the population (e.g. age, race, religion, etc.)

Every state has demographics.

Exit Polls (or entrance polls) - polls based on interviews conducted on Election Day as voters are leaving (or entering) their voting precinct

Exit polls are given to try to guess who will win each state before it is announced.

Sampling error- Error in a statistical analysis arising from how unrepresentative a sample may be (errors that occur simply because researchers are not asking everyone)

If sampling errors are made, the poll is not necessarily accurate.

Keynesian economics- Developed by British economist John Keynes during the 1930s to understand the Great Depression...Keynes advocated increased government expenditures and lower taxes to stimulate demand and pull the economy out of the Depression.

Keynesian economics were helpful in recovering from the great depression.

Midterm election- elections held midway between presidential elections (for members of the House of Reps, 1/3 of the Senate, state and local government, etc.). Recently, voter behaviors in midterms often sway away from the party of the president in power, resulting in a gain in seats for the opposing party.

Less people vote in midterm elections.

Libertarians- political ideology espousing an extremely limited role for the government in both social and economic areas; the national government should only do those things that the marketplace cannot handle (ie. national defense, currency, etc.)

Libertarians are 3rd party.

Opinion Poll - a tool used to measure public opinion about issues or candidates

Many people do not answer opinion polls.

Voter Registration - citizens must register to vote (fill out form) before they can vote; #1 predictor of whether someone will actually vote

Many people get registrated yo vote via motor voting.

Prospective issue voting- voting based on predictions of how a party or candidate will perform in the future

Many people vote based on prospective issue voting.

Rational choice voting- voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen's individual interest

Many representatives use rational choice voting.

Ideological - a person with a consistent set of political beliefs; not moderate (e.g. conservative or liberal)

Most adults are ideological.

Political ideology - a consistent set of beliefs about what policies the government ought to pursue

Most adults have a political ideology

Conservative - political ideology espousing a limited role for the government in order to protect individual liberty; most social and economic problems can be solved by the marketplace (supply and demand), private charities, or religious institutions; pro-life (government should make abortion illegal)

Most conservatives are republican.

Liberal - political ideology espousing an active and powerful national government for the purpose of economic equality, environmental regulation, and other social problems; pro-choice on abortion and personal freedom issues

Most liberals are democratic.

Political socialization - the process by which political values are formed and passed from one generation to the next

Most political socialization occurs from Parents to children.

Single- member district- an electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official

North Dakota is a single member district.

Photo ID Voting Requirement - law in some states that requires voters to show a form of identification in order to vote

Photo ID voting requirements are supposed to prevent against voter fraud.

Political culture - a patterned and ongoing way of thinking about how politics and government ought to be carried out

Political culture evolves over time.

Political efficacy - a person's belief that they can make a difference in the political process

Political efficacy is what causes most people to vote.

Retrospective issue voting- voting to decide whether the party or candidate in power should be re- elected based on the recent past

Political parties use retrospective issue voting to determine whether or not to support the candidate again.

Random sample - method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal chance of being selected; essential for accurate polling

Random samples are the best way to get accurate polls.

Equality of opportunity - every person has the same chances in life

Republicans believe in equality of opportunity.

Individualism- the focus on individual rights and responsibilities; each person achieves their own success through hard work; a defining value in the USA

Republicans believe in individualism.

Free Enterprise- one aspect of a market economic system in which private businesses operate in competition with each other and largely free of state control

Republicans like free enterprise.

Scientific poll- a method of selection that gives each person in a group the same chance of being selected

Scientific polls are more accurate.

Suffrage - the right to vote

Several amendments have been made to protect suffrage.

Moderate - A person who is non-ideological; mixed views

Some people think that moderates are indecisive.

Partisan (Partisanship) - strong loyalty to one political party (bipartisanship would be to work with the opposing party on efforts like legislation)

Some people think that partisanship is a good quality.

Supply side economics- An economic theory that suggests that, by lowering taxes on corporations, government can stimulate investment in industry and therefore raise production, which will bring down prices and control inflation.

Some republicans agree with supply side economics.

Disenfranchise - to take away the right to vote by law or intimidation

Southern states disenfranchised African Americans.

Voter Turnout - percentage of voting-age citizens that actually vote in any given election

The 2020 election had the largest voting turnout in recent history.

Gender gap - the difference between men and women in their opinions or voting behavior

The gender gap represents the difference in beliefs between men and women.

Sample size (of a poll) - the number of people that are questioned and included in a poll

The larger the sample size the more accurate the poll.

Margin of error (of a poll) - the difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time; measures the accuracy of a poll...the lower the better

The margin of error shows that polls are not reliable.

Motor Voter Law of 1993 - made voter registration easier by requiring states to allow people to register to vote when getting or renewing their driver's license

The motor voter law is how the majority of people get registered to vote.

National party convention- a national meeting of delegates elected at primaries, caucuses, or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president, ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules

The national party convention picks someone to run for president.

General election- elections in which voters elect officeholders; voters may vote across party lines

The president is elected in the general election.

Public opinion - how people feel or think about political issues or candidates for office

The president's public opinion is usually around 50%.

Primary election- elections in which voters determine party nominees; in some states, open primaries do not require voters to declare party affiliation in order to vote. In states with closed primaries, only registered party members may vote from among the candidates.

The primary elections are more important to communities then the general elections.

Caucus- a meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform

There are caucuses before the primary elections.

Activist (Political Activism) - A person who tends to participate on all forms of politics; influential

There are many activists on both sides of the political spectrum.

(Benchmark) Tracking Poll- Researchers ask people the same or similar questions over time to "track" the path of public opinion

Tracking poll are used to see how opinions change over time.