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