AP Gov Chapter 4 Terms

Preclearance

is defined as the process of seeking U.S. Department of Justice approval for all changes related to voting.

suffrage

The legal right to vote, extended to African Americans by the Fifteenth Amendment, to women by the Nineteenth Amendment, and to people over the age of 18 by the Twenty-sixth Amendment.

polling place

a building where voting takes place during an election, typically one that normally has another function, such as a school

ward

a division or district of a city or town, as for administrative or political purposes.

Andrew Jackson

a popular leader and advocate for expanding suffrage to all white men, influential in increasing citizen participation

referendum

a proposed or existing law or statute to voters for their approval or rejection

electorate

all the people in a country/area who are entitled to vote

Grandfather clause

allowed states to recognize a registering voter as it would have recognized his grandfather, prevented scores of blacks from voting

recall

allows voters to remove or discharge a public official from office by filing a petition bearing a specified number of valid signatures demanding a vote on the official's continued tenure in office. 25% of previous voter

literacy test

an examination to determine whether a person meets the literacy requirements for voting, serving in the armed forces, etc.; a test of one's ability to read and write.

Gender gap

difference in their views and how these are expressed at the voting booth.

Help America Vote Act (2002)

the law imposes a number of requirements on states, mostly to create national standards for voting and election management. All states had to upgrade their voting systems to an electronic format.

Voter turnout

the number of voters who actually votes as a percentage of the voting-age population

National Voter Registration Act (motor-voter law) (1993)

to enhance voting opportunities for every American. The Act has made it easier for all Americans to register to vote and to maintain their registration.

white primary

were primary elections in the Southern states of the United States of America in which only white voters were permitted to participate.

Franchise

right to vote

political efficacy

sense of effectiveness with their vote

voting blocs

A pattern of voting behavior of two or more justices.

Absentee Ballot

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

Voting Rights Act (1965)

A law passed at the time of the civil rights movement. It eliminated various devices, such as literacy tests, that had traditionally been used to restrict voting by black people.

Australian Ballot

1.) printed and distributed at public expense 2.) must show all candidates names 3.) available at only polling places 4.) completed in private

voter registration

A system adopted by the states that requires voters to register well in advance of election. A few states permit election day registration.

Precinct

An election district of a city or town.

26th Amendment

Citizens "eighteen years of age or older" shall not be denied the right to vote by the states or the United States "on account of age."

19th Amendment

Citizens shall not be denied the right to vote by the states of the United States "on account of sex."

24th Amendment

Citizens shall not be denied the right vote by states or the United States "by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.

23rd Amendment

For presidential and vice presidential elections, "the District constituting the seat of government" shall appoint a number of electors "in no event more than the least populous State."

15th Amendment

gave former slaves and free blacks the right to vote and first federal

Minor v. Happerset (1875)

The National Women's Suffrage Association brought suit. Several constitutional provisions were addressed, such as the Fourteenth Amendment's citizenship clause and other parts. The group failed to show that the authors of the amendment intended for the federal qualifications. The Court ruled that citizenship conferred "membership of a nation and nothing more." States would still define suffrage. That would change with further amendment to the Constitution. If a state denies a woman the right to vote, is that a violation of the Constitution?

poll tax

a simple fee required to vote

voter apathy

a simple lack of concern for the election

Initiative

citizens gather the necessary number of signatures of registered voters to place a proposal on the ballot

voting-age population

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

party identification

easiest way to predict a voter's habits

Civil Rights Act (1957-1964)

first such bill addressing discrimination in voter registration and established U.S. office of civil rights