Unit 5 AP GOV: Voter Participation

Party-line voting

process in which voters select candidates by their party affiliation

Smith v. Allwright

ruled that white primary was a violation of equal protection clause

Guinn v. United States

said the grandfather clause was unconstitutional

voting eligible population

the number of citizens eligible to vote. Must be 18 and non felon

voter turnout

the percentage of eligible citizens who actually vote in a given election

Suffrage

the right to vote

Prospective voting

voting based on the imagined future performance of a candidate

Retrospective voting

voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office

Voting Rights Act of 1965

1965; invalidated the use of any test or device to deny the vote and authorized federal examiners to register voters in states that had disenfranchised blacks;

political efficacy

A citizen's belief that their vote matters and can influence government policies

Popular Sovereignty

A government in which the people rule by their own consent.

poll tax

A requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote

National Voter Registration Act of 1993

AKA "motor voter act", allowed voters to register to vote when they applied for driver's licenses

electorate

All of the people entitled to vote in a given election

Australian ballot

Ballots that must be printed by the state, show all qualifying candidates names, and be compelled in private

23rd Amendment (1961)

D.C. residents can vote for presidential elections

gender gap

Difference in political views between men and women

17th Amendment

Direct election of senators

19th Amendment (1920)

Gave women the right to vote

Help America Vote Act (HAVA)

Legislation passed in 2002 to aid states in upgrading voting equipment. Changed from punch cards to electronic or mail voting

26th Amendment (1971)

Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18

Personality, integrity, competence and character of candidate

Other factors that can affect how a person vote is cast

24th Amendment (1964)

Prohibits federal and state governments from charging poll tax

15th Amendment (1870)

States cannot deny any person the right to vote because of race.

voter apathy

The lack of interest among the citizenry in participating in elections.

poltical participation

The many different ways that people take part in politics and government

rational choice voting

Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen's individual interest

absentee ballot

a ballot completed and typically mailed in advance of an election by a voter who is unable to be present at the polls.

party identification

a citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other

voting blocs

a group of voters that are strongly motivated by a specific common concern or group of concerns to the point that such specific concerns tend to dominate their voting patterns, causing them to vote together in elections

compulsory voting

a law that requires all citizens in a particular county to vote and pay a fine if they don't vote

provisional ballot

a vote that is cast but not counted until determination is made that the voter is properly registered

Grandfather Clause

allowed people to vote if their father or grandfather had voted before Reconstruction

voting-age population

citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement