AP Government Unit 5 Flashcards
what do linkage institutions do?
linkage institutions allow citizens to communicate their preferences to policy makers.
what are examples of linkage institutions?
-Elections,
-The media,
-Interest groups,
-Political parties
what are interest groups?
organizations of like-minded people whose goal is to influence public policy and legislation.
what are political parties?
organizations that try to get people elected.
what is suffrage?
the right to vote
what is an election?
the process of choosing/voting for public office
what are electorates?
citizens who are qualified to vote in an election.
what is a campaign?
organized attempt to get elected.
what does it mean to be disenfranchised?
disenfranchise means to be denied the right to vote
what are the four types of elections?
primary elections, general elections, midterm elections, and the presidential election cycle.
what is a primary election?
An election that determines candidates for a general election.
what are the four types of primary elections?
open primary, closed primary, blanket primary, caucus.
what is an open primary?
an election where the party is declared on the ballot.
what is a closed primary?
an election where only registered party members can vote in.
what is a blanket primary?
an election where citizens can vote for any party anytime.
what is a caucus?
a meeting to back a candidate in the primary election.
what is a general election?
an election where the winner gets to hold office
what is a midterm elections?
elections that happen between presidential election years.
what is a presidential election cycle?
a year of elections where the presidency is at stake.
what are the four types of political models that explain voting behavior?
-Rational choice voting,
-Retrospective voting,
-Prospective voting
- Party line voting.
what is rational choice voting?
voting by perceived individual interest
what is retrospective voting?
voting when parties or candidates should be re-elected based on recent past.
what is prospective voting?
voting that is a prediction of how a party or candidate will perform in the future.
What factors effect voter turnout?
-Demographics
-Voter satisfaction,
-Political efficacy,
-Structural barriers
-Types of elections.
What is political efficacy?
the sense of votes mattering.
what are structural barriers?
state voter registration laws and procedures on how, when, and where to vote.
what factors influence voter choice?
-Party identification,
-Ideological orientation,
-Candidate characteristics
-Contemporary political issues
-Demographic characteristics.
what are some examples of demographic characteristics?
-Religious beliefs/affiliations
-Gender
-Race/ethnicity
-Wealth, region, family, education
what advantages do incumbents have?
-Name recognition
-Proven track record
-More donations
-campaigns as part of job
what is the definition of a political party?
A group that tries to get candidates elected to public office.
what are the roles of interest groups?
-lobbyist
-electioneering
-in the court systems, their job is to inform judges of case details
-mobilize the public
how do interest groups impact government?
interest groups influence government by lobbying and meeting with elected officials to influence them.
how do interest groups impact policy?
interest groups influence policy by influencing politicians to pass legislation and policy that benefit themselves.
how do political parties function?
political parties function by doing the following
-mobilization / Education of Voters
-party Platforms
-candidate Recruitment
-campaign Management
-running Government
how do political parties impact electorates?
political parties impact electorates because they mobilize and educate voters.
how do political parties impact government?
political parties impact govt by establishing party leadership and committee systems in legislature.
what do candidate-centered campaigns do?
they weaken the role of nominating candidates
what is the campaign finance law?
a set of federal laws that limit how much money can be spent on campaigns and how much money political candidates can receive.
what is regional alignment?
the shift in how regions vote
what is political alignment?
a major lasting shift in party platforms/coalitions
how do political parties use communication and data management technology?
-clarify political messages
-enhance outreach
-mobilization efforts
what are winner takes all voting districts?
state voting districts that award all electoral votes to a candidate who wins the state’s popular vote.
what is a two-party system?
an Electoral System Where 2 Parties Dominate National Landscape
what is the 3rd party?
the party that isn’t democratic or republican.
how is the 3rd party a barrier to elections?
structurally the 3rd party contributes to single-party districts and winner takes all voting districts.
how does the 3rd party impact elections?
structurally the 3rd party contributes to single-party districts and winner takes all voting districts.
what are single-issue groups?
interest groups that focus on a narrow, specific issue
such as economic, political, or public Interests.
What are ideological movements?
movements where interest groups that attract members by appealing to their political convictions or principles
What are social movements?
movements where interest groups with a widely shared demand for change in some aspect of the social or political order
what are protest movements?
interest groups that protest status of its members and demand gov’t to take remedial action
how do interest groups influence the budget?
Interest groups have the potential to influence through donors and donations to themselves which could result in overspending and issues with maintaining the budget.
what are iron triangles?
the relation between interest groups, bureaucratic agents, and congressional committees.
what are presidential elections?
a general election held to determine candidates for the presidency.
What are party conventions?
a general meeting of a political party attended by certain delegates who represent the party membership.
what are congressional elections?
congressional elections are elections held to elect congress members to the Senate or the House.
what are state elections?
a nonfederal election held for electing a candidate for a state office.
what is the electoral college and how does it work?
the process by which the president is elected. it consists of 528 voters who each cast one vote and the candidate with 270 or more votes wins.
what are swing states?
a US state where the two major political parties have similar levels of support among voters.
What are campaigns?
an organized attempt to get elected.
what does social media impact media in politics?
Social media can result in news leaks and differences in coverage of the President vs Congress
what is soft money?
soft money is political spending and contributions outside the limits of federal law.
What is the bipartisan campaign reform act of 2002?
An act that banned “soft money”, reduced attack ads, and introduced the “stand by your ad” provision.
What is the supreme court case citizens united v. federal elections commission (2010)?
Supreme Court case where the court ruled that political spending is free speech and led to a huge increase in campaign spending for corporations, labor unions, and associations.
how are PAC’s fundraised?
PAC’s are fundraised by donations from interest groups, corporations and labor unions.
how do PACs influence elections?
PACs influence elections by spending money on campaigns for or against candidates running for election.
How do PACs influence legislation?
PACs can also spend money on campaigns for or against any piece of legislation.
How do PACs influence policy?
PACs’ spending money on campaigns for specific legislature can result in that legislature becoming policy.
what is horse race journalism?
when journalism focuses on popularity instead of platform issues.
what is media bias?
the media is bias toward the Liberal party or the Republican Party.
what is political participation?
how citizens develop and express their opinions on the world and how it is governed, and try to take part in and shape the decisions that affect their lives.
what is the voting rights act of 1965?
act that aimed to overcome legal barriers that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote.
how does the 15th amendment effect democracy?
the 15th amendment ensures that African American people have the fair right to vote which would result in a stronger democracy with more diverse groups of people participating and voting in govt.
how does the 17th amendment effect democracy?
the 17th amendment would result in a stronger democracy with citizens being given the right to vote directly for US Senators.
how does the 19th amendment effect democracy?
the 19th allowed women the right to vote which would result in a stronger democracy with more diverse groups of people participating and voting in govt.
how does the 24th amendment effect democracy?
The 24th amendment made democracy stronger and more just by removing poll taxes in federal elections.
how does the 26th amendment effect democracy?
The 26th amendment made democracy stronger by improving access to voting through lowering the voting age to 18 years.
what are state voter registration laws?
procedures on how to how when and where to vote.
What is party line voting?
voting that supports one political party for all public offices across the ballot
What is a party platform?
a party’s official stated beliefs/views on policy
How do political parties use policies + messaging?
political parties use policies + messaging to appeal to a wide range of people and for various demographic coalitions.
How do political parties manage campaigns?
through fundraising and media strategy.
What is a critical election?
lasting change in a political party where loyalty is shown by voters.
What are examples of major policy shifts?
elections
political parties
coalitions supporting a party change
What is agenda setting?
what issues/people the media focuses on
What is a watchdog?
a person who keeps an eye on the govt and exposes the public to information.
What is scorekeeping?
when the media makes news instead of just reporting it.
What is the 24 hr news cycle?
when everything is recorded/analyzed to “sell” to viewers.
