AP Gov Unit 5 Flashcards
24-Hour News Cycle
24-hour investigation and reporting of news
270 to Win
the number of electoral votes needed to win the presidential election
501c Groups
Groups that are exempted from reporting their contributions and can receive unlimited contributions. Section 501c of the tax code specifies that such groups cannot spend more than half their funds on political activities.
Age and Wealth Groups
Agenda Setting
the power of the media through news coverage to focus the public’s attention and concern on particular issues
Amendment 15
protects the voting rights of all citizens regardless of race, or the color of their skin.
Amendment 17
gave people the right to vote for their senators instead of the state legislature
Amendment 19
granted women the right to vote
Amendment 24
prohibiting any poll tax in elections for federal officials
Amendment 26
The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age
Ballot Initiatives
a procedure by which voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment.
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold)
federal law that amended the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, which regulates the financing of political campaigns.
Candidate-Centered Campaigns
Election campaigns and other political processes in which candidates, not political parties, have most of the initiative and influence (based on money and media and utilize the skills of professional consultants)
Candidate Recruitment
parties often ask viable candidates to run and target seats they see as winnable
Canvassing, Phone-Banking, Internet Canvassing
Persuasion of voters in a political campaign
Caucuses
Party members select the best candidate through series of discussions and votes
Changes in Finance Laws (as a result of the Citizens United Supreme Court Case)
Laws that prevented corporations and unions from using their general treasury funds for independent electioneering communications
Closed Primaries
A primary election in which voting is limited to already registered party members
Critical Elections
Critical elections are an electoral earthquake where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party. Party realignment is the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.
Dark Money
political money where they do not have to say where they got it from.
Delegate Counts
the amount of delegates a state has
Demographic Coalitions
The groups who identify w/ a political party, usually described in demographic terms, such as African Democrats or evangelical Republicans.
Demographic Data
statistical data of the characteristics of the population, like age, gender, income. this is used to research a product or service and how well it is selling, who likes it and/or in what areas it is most popular.
Down Ballot
From the organization of most electoral ballots, which list electoral offices in descending order of the amount of power wielded by the officeholder.
Efficacy
The ability to produce a desired or intended result.
Electoral College
The process by which the United States elects the President.
Emily’s List
An American political action committee that strives to help elect Democratic female candidates in favor of abortion rights.
Faithless Electors
An elector who doesn’t vote for the candidates that are running for President or Vice President.
Free-Rider Problem
When market fails to be payed off by its users. These include resources, public goods, or services.
Frontloading
Distribute or allocate with great proportion at the beginning of a process or enterprise.
Fundraising
Support for charity, enterprise, or certain cause.
Gender Groups, Ethnic Groups
These two are the structure of race, which is ethnicity. And genders are Woman, Men, girls, and boys.
Hard Money, Soft Money
Hard money is any currency such as gold, silver, or any type of metal. Soft money is currency which is expected to fluctuate or depreciate over time to other currencies.
Incumbency Advantage
The current holder of an office or position in an election.
Independent Candidates
A candidate not affiliated with a political party
Investigative Journalism
A form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing.
Legislative Leadership
Legislative leaders that are responsible for scheduling legislation for floor action and otherwise planning the legislative workload.
Linkage Institutions
A structure within a society that connects the people to the government or centralized authority.
Lobbying
Seek to influence (a politician or public official) on an issue.
Maine and Nebraska System (For the Electoral College)
Individual electors based on the winner of the popular vote for each Congressional district and then 2 electors based on the winner of the overall state-wide popular vote.
Matching Funds
Matching Funds are Funds that are set to be paid in proportion to funds available from other sources.
Media Bia. “Fake” News
Media bias is the bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of many events and stories that are reported and how they are covered.
Media Strategies
is used in the advertising or content delivery industries, is concerned with how messages will be delivered to consumers or niche markets.
Mid-term Elections
midterm election refers to a type of election where the people can elect their representatives and other subnational officeholders in the middle of the term of the executive.
Mobilization of Voters
is a party’s efforts to inform potential voters about issues and candidates and persuade them to vote
National Political Committees
defined as an organization which, by virtue of the bylaws of a political party, is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the party at the national level, as determined by the Commission. They have a purpose to Raise funds, organize party’s national convention, recruit candidates, nominate candidates, and advertise candidates.
Narrowcasting
is media programming on cable TV or the internet that is focused on a particular interest and aimed at a particular audience, in contrast to broadcasting.
Open Primaries
a primary election in which voters are not required to declare party affiliation.
Political Action Committees (PAC’s)
An organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation, especially at the federal level.
Party Conventions
A general meeting of a political party. It’s attended by certain delegates who represent the party membership.
Party De-Alignment
A trend or process whereby a large portion of the electorate abandons its previous political party affiliation, without developing a new one to replace it.
Party-Line Voting
A vote in which a substantial majority of members of a political party vote the same way.
Platforms
A political platform of a government. When entering office, a new government lists their objectives to be accomplished while in office.
Political Commentary
A form of journalistic expression that explores and provides opinions on a topic in depth.
Presidential Elections
Elections to determine the next US president
Protest Movements
Political movements that might include social movements that could take different forms like, strikes, riots, boycotts, etc.
Public Primaries
Election where the people pick their parties candidate.
Rational Choice
When the voter casts their votes based on candidate evaluation.
Rational Choice Voting
Someone voting for the candidate that will most benefit them.
Re-alignments
The switching of voter preference from one party to another.
Regional De-alignments
A major change in the composition of party coalitions, often brought on by a new or pressing issue (often economic trouble or war).
Retrospective Voting
A form of election in which voters look back at the performance of a party in power and cast ballots on the basis of how well it did in office. Provisional ballot. A vote that is cast but not counted until determination is made that the voter is properly registered. franchise/suffrage.
Single Issue Groups
Single-issue politics are a form of litmus test; common examples are abortion, taxation, animal rights, environment, and guns. The National Rifle Association in the United States, which has only one specific interest, is an example of a single-issue group.
Single Issue Parties
A single-issue party is a political party that campaigns on only one issue. It is generally believed that single-issue parties are favored by voluntary voting systems, as they tend to attract very committed supporters who will always vote.
Social Media Influences
Social media influence is a marketing term that describes an individual’s ability to affect other people’s thinking in a social online community. The more influence a person has, the more appeal that individual has to companies or other individuals who want to promote an idea or sell a product.
Soundbites
a short extract from a recorded interview, chosen for its pungency or appropriateness.
“Stand By Your Ad” provision of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
The “Stand By Your Ad” provision (SBYA) of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA, also known as the McCain–Feingold Act), enacted in 2002, requires candidates in the United States for federal political office, as well as interest groups and political parties supporting or opposing a candidate, to include in political advertisements on television and radio “a statement by the candidate that identifies the candidate and states that the candidate has approved the communication”.
Straight Ticket Voting
Straight-ticket voting or straight-party voting is the practice of voting for every candidate that a political party has on a general election ballot.
Structural Barriers to Voting
Subsidies
a sum of money granted by the government or a public body to assist an industry or business so that the price of a commodity or service may remain low or competitive.
Suffrage
the right to vote in political elections.
Super Delegates
Democratic superdelegates are free to support any candidate for the presidential nomination. This contrasts with pledged delegates who are selected based on the party primaries and caucuses in each U.S. state, in which voters choose among candidates for the party’s presidential nomination.
Super PAC’s
Super PACs are independent expenditure-only political committees that may receive unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations, labor unions and other political action committees for the purpose of financing independent expenditures and other independent political activity.
Super Tuesday
Super Tuesday is the United States presidential primary election day in February or March when the greatest number of U.S. states hold primary elections and caucuses.
Swing States / Battleground States
A state of the U.S. in which the Democratic and Republican candidates both have a good chance of winning and that is considered key to the outcome of a presidential election.
Talking Heads
The televised head and shoulders shot of a person talking; a television personality who appears in such shots.
The “Constant Campaign”
The concept of a permanent campaign, or a constant campaign, also describes the focus which recent presidents have given to electoral concerns during their tenures in office, with the distinction between the time they have spent governing and the time they have spent campaigning having become blurred.
Traditional Media
Traditional Media are print media like newspapers and magazines, television and radio, social media, websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking
Turnout Rates
The percentage of citizens taking part in the election process; the number of eligible voters who actually “turn out” on election day to cast their ballots.
Voter Incentives
Actions done to encourage or motivate citizens to vote.
Voter Education
Providing citizens with basic information on how to participate in elections. For example, how to register to vote, how to complete ballot papers, and the electoral system
Voter Mobilization
a party’s efforts to inform potential voters about issues and candidates and persuade them to vote
Voter Registration Rules (In General and in Washington State)
- be a citizen of the United States;
- be at least 18 years old by Election Day;
- be a legal resident
- not be disqualified from voting due to a court orde
- not be under a felony conviction.
Winner Take All Elections
Voters vote for presidential and vice presidential candidate teams and the slate of electors pledged to the team with the most votes are all elected together.
Winner Take All Allocations
if you don’t vote for the candidate who wins your state, your vote counts for nothing
527 Groups
A tax-exempt organization, created primarily to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates to federal, state or local public office
