AP Gov-Unit 5

24th Amend

Outlaws poll taxes

single-issue parties

Parties that concentrate on only one public policy matter that they wish to address or reform Ex: prohibition party

17th Amend

Popular Election of Senators; expands republic/elite democracy

bundling

Raising large sums of money from multiple donors for a candidate.

Professional Associations

Represent white-collar professions and are concerned with business success and laws that guide trade; most have defined membership and fees

think tanks

Research institutions, often with specific ideological goals

public interest groups

Seek a collective good, advocate for the public good

C-SPAN

The cable network that provides gavel-to-gavel coverage of congressional floor proceedings, committee hearings, and special events.

grassroots lobbying

When an interest group tries to inform, persuade, and mobilize large numbers of people (outsider technique)

19th Amend

Women's suffrage

political analysis

a form of journalistic expression that explores and provides opinions on a topic in depth to help citizens understand potential effects of policy

business roundtable

a group of the most influential business leaders in the US

pluralism

a multitude of views that ultimately results in a consensus on some issues; increases competition between interest groups

provisional ballots

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

national association of manufacturers

advocates for manufacturers; pushed for creation of US Chamber of Commerce to protect business interests

Citizens United v. FEC

allows corporations and unions to spend money on "electioneering communications" (political ads); overturned parts of the BCRA

blanket primary

allows voters to cast votes for candidates in multiple parties

open primary

allows voters to declare party affiliation on election day

winner-take-all system

an election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins; makes voting for independents feel like throwing your vote away

Super delegates

an unelected delegate who is free to support any candidate for the presidential nomination at the party's national convention regardless of who their state voted for in the primary (democrats)

autopsy report

analyses why the party failed to win elections

dark ads

anonymously placed status updates, photos, videos, or links that appear only in the target audience's social media news feeds but not in the general feeds to manipulate emotions and sway votes

prospective voting

anticipate the future and consider how candidates may affect their lives

lobbying

attempting to influence policy makers

Honest Leadership and Open Government Act

banned all gifts to congress from lobbyists; must report bundling

splinter parties

break away from one of the major parties; harms the party they leave

hard money

campaign contributions donated directly to candidates and subject to FEC regulations

Joint fundraising committees

can be created by two or more candidates, PACs or party committees to share the costs of fundraising, and split the proceeds

war chest

candidate funds

party realignment

change in electoral forces due to change in party identifications, marked by critical elections

national chairperson

chief strategist and spokesperson who runs the party machine

midterm elections

congressional elections that do not coincide with a presidential election and therefore have lower turnout

linkage institutions

connects the people to the government Ex: political parties, interest groups, elections, and media

Asian Voters

conservative values align with their business and ethical beliefs

republican party

conservative; strong national defense; decreased gov. spending and regulations

retrospective voting

consider candidate track records and accomplishments

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)

created a superfund for environmental disasters

absentee ballots

decrease voting lines and employees needed, while increasing voter turnout

Hispanics voters

democratic Latinos, but more republican Cubans; have less turn out than African Americans

Speechnow v. FEC

determined superPACs should be unlimited

gender gap

difference in political views between men and women and how they're expressed; women are more democratic

investigative reporting

digs deep to expose corruption in government and other institutions, often causing citizens to call for new policy

voter registration

enrollment on the electoral roll; assigns voters a polling place

Office of Civil Rights

established by 1957 CRA and addressed discriminatory voting registration

Associated Press (AP)

established news bureaus (offices beyond headquarters) and standardized unbiased reporting

Federal Communications Act

established the FCC to regulate electronic media and prevent monopolies

McGovern-Fraser Commission

examines, considers, and rewrites convention rules to ensure minorities are represented by the democratic party

CNN (Cable News Network)

first 24 hour television news service launched by Ted Turner in 1980

Fairness Doctrine

former federal policy requiring television and radio broadcasters to present contrasting viewpoints on controversial issues of public importance.

astroturf lobbying

gains the appearance that people are concerned about an issue, but an interest group is really behind the impression

National Convention

gathers party leaders and vote for candidates

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

gov. agency that helps protect consumers by regulating financial products and services, like mortgages, credit cards, and student loans.

Public Citizen

group of lawyers founded by Ralph Nader for consumer support and open government

voting blocs

groups that tend to vote in noticeable patterns

ideological parties

have a consistent ideology and set of beliefs across issues Ex: libertarians

young voters

have a lower turnout and a lack of strong views, while older voters are more reliable and conservative

Catholics voters

historically democratic; straddle liberal and conservative

Americans for Democratic/Conservative Action

ideological organizations that rate members of congress

super PACs

independent PACs formed by anyone and can collect funds from anyone to make unlimited donations, but cannot directly donate to candidates or parties

trade associations

interest groups composed of businesses in specific industries

issue networks

interest groups temporarily work together for a specific issue and dissolve when it's solved

American Federation of Labor

labor union that supports fair and safe labor; democratic

voter apathy

lack of concern for election outcome

Evangelical voters

largest religious group; conservative; republicans

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

limits how much party organizations can give candidates

rational choice voting

making decisions based on their own benefit, carefully weighing all choices

platform committee

members appointed by candidates and runner ups write the party platform at the national convention

primary elections

members of the same party running against each other for the nomination

1965 Voting Rights Act

most effective legislation for Black voting; states with low turnout are monitored by the Department of Justice; required preclearance for new voting laws

hyperpluralism

multiple competing interest groups cause gridlock and grants more power to large funded groups (elitism)

grassroots campaigning

narrowly targeting opinion leaders and those connected to lawmakers to influence others

Nonconnected PACs

no sponsoring organization and often form around a single issue that can solicit funds from anyone to donate directly to candidates

rank and file voters

nominate candidates for the primary

501c3 organizations

nonprofit group that may legally address political matters but may not lobby or campaign; donations to it are tax deductible

Jews voters

not many of them, but they have high participation and are more liberal

political reporting

objectively reports just the facts for the general public

political commentary

opinion based news on political issues, building arguments on evidence and assumptions Ex: editorials, op-eds

caucuses

party members select the best candidate through a series of discussions and votes

free riders

people who benefit from an interest group without making any contributions

voter turnout

percent of voters who actually vote

Gov printing office (GPO)

permanent federal agency that prints government publications

connected PACs

political action committees funded separately from the organization's treasury through donations from members; can donate directly to candidates

candidate centered

politics that focuses directly on the candidates, their particular issues, and character, rather than on party affiliation; candidates less dependent on party elites

party line voting

process in which voters select candidates by their party affiliation (party identification)

Common Cause

public interest group that sought to create a "true citizen's lobby"

suffrage

qualifications for voting

McCutcheon v. FEC

removed BCRA limit on how much individuals could donate to multiple candidates in a 2yr cycle; increased Joint Fundraising Committee donations

adversarial press

reporters continually question government officials, their motives, and their effectiveness

Role of Media

scorekeeping, gatekeeping, and digging for the truth

political efficacy

sense that your vote makes a difference

Help America Vote Act (HAVA)

set national voting and election standards, such as electronic voting and handicap accessibility

501c4 organizations

social welfare organizations can lobby and campaign, but can't spend more than half of expenditures on political issues

front-loading

states schedule primaries and caucuses earlier to boost political clout and tourism

Shelby County v. Holder

struck down voting rights act preclearance requirement

democratic party

support environmental protections, strong minority rights, and increased government services

narrowcasting

targeting media programming at specific populations within society

franking privilege

the ability of members to mail letters to their constituents for free

coattail effect

the added votes received by congressional candidates of a winning presidential party

electorate

the large percentage of citizens who vote

voting eligible population

the number of citizens eligible to vote

franchise

the right to vote

revolving door

the tendency of public officials, journalists, and lobbyists to move between public and private sector (media, lobbying) jobs

Protest Parties

third parties that arise in response to issues of popular concern that have not been addressed by the major parties Ex: Greenback party

Federal Election Campaign Act

tightened reporting requirements and limited candidates' expenditures

leadership PACs

type of nonconnected PAC started by any current or former elected official and can raise money from the general public to directly donate to other candidates

psychographic segmentation

uses personality, lifestyle, and social class data to group people and understand WHY they vote a certain way

closed primary

voters must declare their party affiliation in advance of the election, typically when they register to vote

Oregon v. Mitchell

voting age requirement doesn't reply to state elections

super tuesday

when the race narrows on fewer nominees and lots of primaries take place

platform

written list of beliefs that take voter opinions into account

National Voter Registration Act

"Motor voter Act" decreased the effort it takes to register by increasing the number of locations for voting

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

- Banned soft money donations to political parties - increase limits on hard money donations - PACs can't pay for ads near election time - candidates must state they approve the message

1932 Realignment

- New Deal Coalition - Democrats finally take over the federal government - first time most AAs voted democrat

Buckley v. Valeo

- agreed that unlimited donations cause unfair elections - congress can't limit campaign spending or how much candidates donate to themselves

1968 Realignment

- begins era of divided government - Democrats lost the south with CRA of 1964 - party dealignment increases number of independents

1800 realignment

- formation of the National Republican Party - Jacksonian democracy

1896 Realignment

- realigned voters along economic lines - Dems favored Big Business regulation while Repubs opposed regulations

1860 Realignment

- republicans split on slavery - Lincoln (3rd party) wins presidency - free soil party - GOP dominated politics with AA support - Dems. strong in the south

purpose of political parties

1. Mobilization and education of voters 2. Creation of party platforms 3. Candidate recruitment and campaign management 4. Implement public policy

26th Amend

18 year olds can vote

US v. Harris

1st amendment ensures any group the right to lobby

Australian ballot

A secret ballot printed by the state.

Big 3 Networks

ABC, CBS, and NBC set the tone for TV journalism

American civil liberties union

An organization formed during the Red Scare to protect free speech rights, fair trials, and racial justice

Whigs

Anti-Jackson political party that supported loose interpretation and abolitionist; became the eary "republican party"

15th Amend

Black men can vote; first constitutional mandate affecting state voting requirements

soft money

Campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities.

democratic/republican national committee

Complex network dedicated to furthering party goals and meet every 4 years at national conventions to sharpen policy and increase influence

23rd Amend

DC can vote in presidential elections

New Deal Coalition

Democratic group of the urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals.