Voting, Political Parties, and Interest Groups
Iron Triangle
A close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group
Interest groups
A collection of people with the shared goal of influencing public policy and typically seek specific policy goals
Lobbying
A strategy by which organized interests seek to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on members of the legislature.
grassroots lobbying
Efforts by groups and associations to influence elected officials indirectly, by arousing their constituents.
midterm election
Elections held midway between presidential elections.
17th Amendment
Established the direct election of senators (instead of being chosen by state legislatures)
free rider problem
For a group, the problem of people not joining because they can benefit from the group's activities without joining.
19th Amendment (1920)
Gave women the right to vote
linkage institutions
Institutions that connect citizens to government. The mass media, interest groups, and political parties are the three main linkage institutions.
Mobilization
Motivating supporters to vote in an election and, in some cases, helping them get to the polls on Election Day.
testifying
Presenting before state legislature and/or Congress about policies.
26th Amendment
States cannot deny the right to vote based on age (18+)
political efficacy
The belief that one's political participation really matters - that one's vote can actually make a difference
Party dealignment
The gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification.
issue networks
The loose and informal relationships that exist among a large number of actors who work in broad policy areas
15th Amendment (1870)
U.S. cannot prevent a person from voting because of race, color, or creed
rational choice voting
Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen's individual interest
amicus curiae
a brief submitted by a "friend of the court"
platform
a series of statements expressing the party's principles, beliefs, and positions on election issues
social movement
a widely shared demand for change in some aspect of the social or political order
Motor Voter Law
allows people to register to vote while they obtain or renew their license.
bureaucratic agency
an organization (part of the executive branch) that creates rules for a specific policy area
likely voters
are higher income, higher educated, professional, business, and suburban residents.
14th Amendment (1868)
citizenship, due process, equal protection under the law
Congressional Committees
committee deals w/ specific topic, work of congress goes through committees
party realignment
dramatic shifts in partisan preferences that often result in the minority party becoming the majority party
Critical elections
elections that disrupt party coalitions and create new ones in a party realignment
24th Amendment
eliminated the poll tax as a prerequisite to vote in national elections.
Political Parties
groups that help elect people and shape policies
single-issues groups
interest groups that have a narrow interest on which their members tend to take an uncompromising stance
litigation
lawsuit
divided government
one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress
fundraising
the act of collecting or producing money for a campaign donation
legislation
the act of making or enacting laws
coalition building
the banding together of several interest groups for the purpose of lobbying
Gridlock
the inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government
voter turnout
the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election
constituency
the residents in the area from which an official is elected
prospective voting
voting for a candidate because you favor his or her ideas for handling issues
retrospective voting
voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office
party-line voting
voting for candidates from one political party for all public offices
split-ticket voting
voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election