Unit 5: Political Participation
soft money
Campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities.
social movement
the joining of individuals seeking social or political change with the goal of placing issues on the policy agenda
agenda setting
the media's ability to highlight certain issues and bring them to the attention of the public
revolving door
the movement of individuals between positions in government and lobbying positions
recruitment
the process through which political parties identify potential candidates
franchise (suffrage)
the right to vote
registration requirements
the set of rules that govern who can vote and how, when, and where they vote
partisan bias
the slanting of political news coverage in support of a particular party or ideology
party identification
the degree to which a voter is connected to and influenced by a particular political party
era of divided government
a trend since 1969, in which one party controls one or both houses of Congress and the president is from the opposing party
political participation
the different ways that individuals take action to shape the laws and policies of a government
nomination
the formal process through which parties choose their candidates for political office
Citizen United v. Federal Election Commission
A 2010 landmark Supreme Court case that ruled that individuals, corporations, and unions could donate unlimited amounts of money to groups that make independent political expenditures.
swing state
a state where levels of support for the parties are similar and elections swing back and forth between Democrats and Republicans
Civil Disobedience
A form of political participation that reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer the consequences.
Federalist 10
An essay composed by James Madison which argues that liberty is safest in a large republic because many interests (factions) exist. Such diversity makes tyranny by the majority more difficult since ruling coalitions will always be unstable.
17th Amendment
Established the direct election of senators (instead of being chosen by state legislatures)
19th Amendment
Gave women the right to vote
battleground state
a state where the polls show a close contest between the Republican and Democratic candidate in a presidential election
two-party system
a system in which two political parties dominate politics, winning almost all elections
15th Amendment
States cannot deny any person the right to vote because of race.
incumbency advantage
The electoral advantage a candidate enjoys by virtue of being an incumbent, over and above his or her other personal and political characteristics; name recognition; access to voter data
winner-take-all system
a system of elections in which the candidate who wins the plurality of votes within a state receives all of that state's votes in the Electoral College
candidate-centered campaign
a trend in which candidates develop their own strategies and raise money with less influence from the party elites
amicus curiae brief
a brief filed by someone who is not a party to a case in an attempt to persuade the Court to agree with the arguments set forth in the brief
Electoral College
a constitutionally required process for selecting the president through slates of electors chosen in each state, who are pledged to vote for a nominee in the presidential election
front-loading
a decision by a state to push its primary or caucus to a date as early as possible to gain more influence in the presidential nomination process
critical election
a major national election that signals a change in the balance of power between the two parties
national convention
a meeting where delegates officially select their party's nominee for the presidency
third party
a minor political party in competition with the two major parties
delegate
a person who acts as the voters' representative at a convention to select the party's nominee
political efficacy
a person's belief that he/she can make effective political change
open primary
a primary election in which all eligible voters may vote, regardless of their party affiliation
closed primary
a primary election in which only those who have registered as a member of a political party may vote
caucus
a process through which a state's eligible voters meet to select delegates to represent their preferences in the nomination process
protest
a public demonstration designed to call attention to the need for change
party platform
a set of positions and policy objectives that members of a political party agree to
26th Amendment
allows those 18 yrs and older to vote
investigative journalism
an approach to newsgathering in which reporters dig into stories, often looking for instances of wrongdoing
primary election
an election in which a state's voters choose delegates who support a presidential candidate for nomination or an election by a plurality vote to select a party's nominee for a seat in Congress
Super PACs
an organization that may spend an unlimited amount of money on a political campaign as long as the spending is not coordinated with a campaign
political action committee (PAC)
an organization that raises money to elect and defeat candidates and may donate money directly to a candidate's campaign, subject to limits
single-issue groups
associations focusing on one specific area of public policy, often a moral issue about which they are unwilling to compromise
prospective voting
casting a ballot for a candidate who promises to enact policies favored by the voter in the future
linkage institution
channels that connect individuals with government, including elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media
horse-race journalism
coverage of political campaigns that focuses more on the drama of the campaign than on policy issues
political mobilization
efforts by political parties to encourage their members to vote
get-out-the-vote (GOTV)
efforts to mobilize supporters; by political parties or interest groups
economic interest groups
groups advocating on behalf of the financial interests of their members
public interest groups
groups that act on behalf of the collective interests of a broad group of individuals
news media
includes newspapers, magazines, radio, television, internet sources, blogs, social media postings that cover important events
free riders
individuals who enjoy collective goods and benefit from the actions of an interest group without joining
voter choice
influenced by factors such as party identification, candidate characteristics, contemporary political issues, religious beliefs and affiliation, gender, race/ethnicity
lobbying
interacting with government officials in order to advance a group's public policy goals
demographic characteristics
measurable characteristics of a population, such as economic status, education, age, race or ethnicity and gender
grassroots lobbying
mobilizing members to send messages that reiterate the group's demands to their senators and representatives (via phone calls, emails, social media)
voter turnout
number of eligible voters who participate in an election as a percentage of the total number of eligible voters
poll taxes
payment required by a state or federal government before a citizen is allowed to vote
collective action
political action that occurs when individuals contribute their energy, time or money to a larger group goal
24th Amendment
prohibits Congress and the states from imposing poll taxes as a condition for voting in federal elections
media consolidation
the concentration of ownership of our news sources into the hands of fewer and fewer corporations
iron triangle (issue network)
the coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals
retrospective voting
voting based on an assessment of an incumbent's past performance
rational choice voting
voting based on what a citizen believes is in his/her best interest
absentee ballot
voting completed and submitted by a voter before the day of an election without going to the polls
straight-ticket voting
voting for all of the candidates on the ballot from one political party
split-ticket voting
voting for candidates from different parties in the same election
Party-line voting
voting for candidates who belong only to one political party for all of the offices on the ballot
realignment
when the groups of people who support a political party shift their allegiance to a different political party