Unit 3 Vocab

Question 1

Rational Choice Theory

Answer 1

Describes someone voting for their own best interest

Question 2

Retrospective Voting

Answer 2

Describes voting based on the recent record of a candidate in office

Question 3

15th Amendment

Answer 3

Prohibits federal & state government from denying a citizen’s right to vote based on race, color, etc

Question 4

17th Amendment

Answer 4

Allows people to directly elect US senators, limits their term to 6 years, & ensures each senator only has 1 vote

Question 5

19th Amendment

Answer 5

Prohibits the federal & state governments from denying the right to vote based on sex

Question 6

24th Amendment

Answer 6

Prohibits federal & state governments from imposing poll taxes or other taxes on voters in federal elections

Question 7

26th Amendment

Answer 7

Lowered voting age to 18 years old

Question 8

Voting Rights Act 1965

Answer 8

Prohibits racial discrimination in voting

Question 9

Prospective Voting

Answer 9

Describes someone who votes based on their expectations of how candidates will perform in the future (regarding policies & other stuff)

Question 10

Straight Ticket Voting

Answer 10

When a voter selects candidates from the same political party for all offices on the ballot

Question 11

Split Ticket Voting

Answer 11

When a voter in an election votes for candidates from different political parties in multiple offices

Question 12

Suffrage

Answer 12

The right to vote in public, political elections (and others)

Question 13

Political Efficacy

Answer 13

Citizens’ trust in their ability to change the government & belief that they can understand & influence political affairs

Question 14

Demographics

Answer 14

Different human populations (based on size, ethnic group, age, etc)

Question 15

Structural Barriers to Voting

Answer 15

Institutional & structural obstacles that prevent certain groups from fully participating in political processes (like voting)

Question 16

Political Parties

Answer 16

Organizations that seek political power by electing people to office who implement their policies & philosophy

Question 17

Open Primary

Answer 17

Voters can vote for a primary without being registered as a specific political party

Question 18

Closed Primary

Answer 18

Only registered party members can vote to choose their party’s candidate

Question 19

Mid-Term Election

Answer 19

General elections held near the midpoint of the president’s 4-year term of office

Question 20

Presidential Election

Answer 20

The election for President

Question 21

Critical Elections

Answer 21

Moments in American political history when a significant shift occurs in the electoral alignment of voters, leading to long-lasting changes in political party support

Question 22

Mobilization & Education of Voters

Answer 22

Efforts to encourage people to participate in elections

Question 23

Party Platforms

Answer 23

A political party’s set of beliefs & goals, usually outlined in a document, that guides its policies & positions on issues

Question 24

Candidate Recruitment

Answer 24

The process of finding & encouraging individuals to run for political office

Question 25

Campaign Management

Answer 25

The organization & strategy behind running a political campaign (fundraising, advertising, raising support)

Question 26

Proportional Voting System

Answer 26

An electoral system where seats in a legislature are chosen based on the percentage of votes a party receives

Question 27

Winner Take All System

Answer 27

An electoral system where the candidate with the most votes in a state/district wins all of that area’s electoral votes

Question 28

Single-Member Districts

Answer 28

A system where each electoral district elects only 1 representative

Question 29

Interest Groups

Answer 29

Organizations that work to influence government policy in favor of their members’ interests

Question 30

Political Action Committees (PACs)

Answer 30

Groups that collect & spend money to support/oppose political candidates/issues

Question 31

SuperPACs

Answer 31

A type of PAC that can raise & spend unlimited amounts of money but cannot directly donate to candidate’s campaign

Question 32

Litigation

Answer 32

Using courts to settle disputes or challenge government actions

Question 33

Grassroots

Answer 33

Political action that starts from ordinary people or local groups

Question 34

Lobbying

Answer 34

The act of trying to influence lawmakers or gov officials to support policies that benefit a particular group

Question 35

Campaign Contributions

Answer 35

Money given to a candidate’s campaign to help fund their election efforts

Question 36

Campaign Finance

Answer 36

The money used to fund political campaigns

Question 37

Federal Election Commission

Answer 37

A gov agency that oversees & enforces laws related to campaign finance

Question 38

Buckley v. Valeo

Answer 38

1976 Supreme Court case that ruled: spending money on campaigns is a form of free speech protected by 1st Amendment

Question 39

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold Act)

Answer 39

Aimed to limit influence of money in politics by restricting soft money donations & regulating issue ads during election periods

Question 40

Citizens United v. FEC

Answer 40

2010 Supreme Court case that ruled: unions can spend unlimited money on elections as long as they do not directly donate to candidates (allowed SuperPACs)

Question 41

Independent Expenditure

Answer 41

Money spent by individuals/groups on political activities not directly coordinated with a candidate’s campaign

Question 42

Soft Money

Answer 42

Unregulated money raised & spent by political parties for activities to encourage voter activity (not directly supporting candidate)

Question 43

Hard Money

Answer 43

Money donated directly to candidate’s campaign (has strict limits)