PoliSci Exam 3

2016 elections-

-59% of African Americans voted -47% of Hispanic/Latino -49% of Asian Americans -65% of White -Ethnic minorities are underrepresented when it comes to voting Electoral gap: some groups are systematically underrepresented in the voting process -There isn't a lot of political figures coming from ethnic minorities 18-35: 49% voted 71-up: 71% voted

political participation

-who participates? Older, wealthier, more-educated people tend to vote more, mostly white -does it matter?

Factors that encourage the creation of social movements

1. Social distress caused by economic, social, and technological change helped create the conditions for the rise of social movement 2. Availability of resources like leaders of the organization, attention, money 3. The right timing for the movement is important 4. Shared sense of grievance. 5. A catalyst event to set movement in motion

responsible party voting model

Def: (prospective voting model) the notion that a political party will take clear and distinct stands on the issues and enact them as policy once elected to office. They are "responsible" because they offer a real choice on important issues. .PS: Positions must differ significantly from the other party and citizens must clearly understand these positions to vote. Increases intensity of political conflict because the winning party has little to compromise with the other party. Party in power will pass the policies it wants, ignoring the objections and suggestions of the other party. Often, the result is gridlock if one party is not able to win the presidency and the majority of both congressional chambers.

minor parties :

Def: a political party whose electoral strength is so small as to prevent its gaining control of a government EX:Protest parties, Ideological parties, Single issue parties, Splinter parties PS: Minor parties usually organize and mobilize around a single issue or position, putting pressure on candidates from major political parties to address these issues.

electoral rules, and why they matter

Def: structural factor in determining what kind of party system the government has. electoral rules are correlated with distinct patterns of redistribution and regulation in an electoral system, particularly in advanced democracies. PS: which rules are chosen have important consequences for nation's politics and impact the number of political parties in the country.

participation and voting

PS: you can donate, protest, call the senator, write letters, blogs. Voting is how you use your voice

Tactics of social movements

Social movements use unconventional and often disruptive tactics to attract attention to their causes. ● mass participation/attention ● marches/endorsements/sit-ins/boycotts/strikes/riots/propaganda

Civil disobedience

breaking a law purposefully that is believed to be unjust, refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest.

proportional representation

def: (book Def)The awarding of legislative seats to political parties to reflect the proportion of the popular vote each party receives.(US does not use this but many western democratic nation) citizens typically vote for the party rather than the candidate and parties are represented in the legislature in rough proportion to the percentage of the popular vote the party receives in the election. Each political party is represented in legislature in proportion to the percentage of vote that they receive in election. Meaning; let's say there are 100 politicians, party wins 40% in votes, so they win 40 seats in made up legislature. PS: voters with strong views on an issue can vote for a party that closely represents their views.+ more people vote + equal representation + less chance of partisan gridlock +cuts polarization, smaller parties vote because their votes can win their parties seats in the legislature

political ideology

def: A coherently organized set of beliefs about the fundamental nature of a good society and the role that government ought to play in achieving it. PS:important because it forms the basis and justification for political decisions

Grass roots

def: A grassroots movement is one which uses the people in a given district, region, or community as the basis for a political or economic movement.[1] Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at the local, regional, national, or international level. Copied straight from wikipedia just saying PS: grassroots organizations play an important social and political role. They serve as a burr in the side of political elites. Grassroots organizations will use whatever leeway they perceive to bring their problems into the public forum and to mobilize others to work for change.

party platform

def: A party's statement of its positions on the issues of the day passed at the quadrennial national convention (Democratic and Republican Conventions held before presidential voting) PS: A party can change their platform to reflect the preferences of the public as a way to win elections

campaigning for office

def: A political campaign seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referendums are decided. PS: Campaigns are a very important part of your work as a community activist. Campaigns are often the main way that you interact with the public and get your organization's message out to people. ... You can also use campaigns to pressurise decision-makers, to educate the public and to change behaviour.

history of the two-party system

def: A political system in which two parties view on relatively equal terms to win national house elections and in which each party governs at one time or another (the US is the closest in having a pure two party system than any other democracy in the world) PS: Most other democracies have multiparty systems.

electoral competition model

def: A theory of elections in which parties move toward the median voter or the center of the political spectrum in order to capture the most votes PS: both parties are likely to end up standing for the same policies. According to this theory, if either party moves even a little bit away from the median, the other party would win more votes. It will not matter which party wins the election because the policies of what the majority of voters want will be enacted. Electoral competition is one of the main ways elected officials are influenced by public opinion.

main parties

def: Democratic (liberal), Republican (conservative) PS: These two parties have all of the power in elections, power is divided between the two

money and elections

def: Elections are the fundamental connection between voters and elected officials in republican government. PS: Fundraising money is crucial because it finances advertising and pays for campaign workers across the country. Raising money from donors is a clear sign to members of the party and the news media that a candidate ought to be taken seriously. If a candidate can't raise money, they're not taken seriously. Without money the candidate cannot pay for advertising or other campaign expenditures.

electoral college

def: Representatives selected in each of the states, their numbers based on each state's total number of its senators and representatives; a majority of Electoral College votes elects the president. PS: it almost always ensures that American citizens choose their president more or less directly, though two recent exceptions have left some wondering whether splits between the Electoral College

Suffrage

def: The ability to vote; PS: firmly in place for most adult white males in the United States.

liberal

def: The political position, combining both economic and social dimensions, which holds that the federal government has a substantial role to play in providing economic justice and opportunity, regulating business in the public interest, overcoming racial discrimination, protecting abortion rights, and ensuring the equal treatment of gays and lesbians. PS:

conservative

def: The political position, combining both economic and social dimensions, which holds that the federal government ought to play a very small role in economic regulation, social welfare, and overcoming racial inequality, that abortion should be illegal, and that family values and law and order should guide public policies PS:

turnout and causes of low turnout

def: The proportion of either eligible or all voting-age Americans who actually vote in a given election; the two ways of counting turnout yield different results. Causes: Voting is on a tuesday (inconvenient) -Voting is a choice -Americans think their vote doesn't matter -Limited ideological choice PS:

electoral reward and punishment

def: The tendency to vote for incumbents when times are good and against them when times are bad; same as retrospective voting. Voters make retrospective evaluations about how well the party in power has governed in previous years and decide if they want its members to continue in office. PS: Politicians who want to stay in office have strong incentives to promote prosperity and address the current problems. It requires very little of voters to be informed, however, it only removes unpopular leaders after disasters happen without guaranteeing the next leaders will be better.

winner-take-all single-member district

def: Winner is the person that takes most votes, not necessary the majority. Like in house of representatives of congressional or states, one person is elected. Maine and Nebraska are the two exceptions and allocate their electoral votes by congressional district PS: minor parties have no representation, a vote for a minor party is a wasted vote, so this make people to vote for the major parties. They articulate new ideas.

elections and democracy

def: democracy cannot occur without free, open, and fair elections. Voters must have a voice, and there must be different choices to choose from. PS: Over time, more and more citizens have been allowed to vote (suffrage)

franchise

def: legal right to vote PS: has been taken away from certain groups of people (disenfranchisement) ex prohibiting slaves, native american, women, white men without property from voting. The extension of the franchise has been a lengthy and uneven process, spanning 200 years.14 Still, more Americans now have the right to vote than ever before

Mass mobilization

def:The process of involving large numbers of people in a social movement. PS: Allows ordinary people who have no political power or money to voice their demands.

American social movements

def:contribute to democracy by increasing the visibility of important issues, encouraging wider participation in public affairs, often creating new majorities. PS: -Social movements try to bring about social change through collective action.

Scope of conflict

the number of groups involved in a political conflict (narrow scope- small # of groups and vice versa) the sense that an individual can affect what gov does

Major social movements in the U.S.

● Civil Rights(Equal treatment for African Americans) -> Black Lives Matter/Stonewall Gay Rights ● Women's Suffrage/Rights -> Me Too ● Tea Party (2000-09) ● Gay rights movement ● Tea party of Boston movement ● The labor movement ● The populist movement ● The abolitionist movement ● Anti-war movement