Unit 5 Flashcards
linkage institution (list the 4)
channels that connect individuals with the government (elections, political parties, interest groups, media)
PAC
political action committee; an organisation that raises money to elect and defeat candidates and may donate money directly to a candidate’s campaign
franchise
the right to vote
sufferage
the right to vote
24th amendment
prohibits congress from imposing poll taxes as a condition for voting in federal elections
17th amendment
there should be two senators per state, that serve 6 year terms and are directly elected from the people
voter turnout
percent of eligible voters who vote
political efficacy
one’s the belief that they can make a political change
political mobilization
efforts by political parties to encourage members to vote
26th amendment
people who are 18 or older can vote
poll tax
a payment required by a gov’t to vote
absentee ballot
voting completed and submitted by a voter the before the election day without going to the polls
rational choice voting
voting based on what one believes is in people’s best interest
retrospective voting
voting based on incumbent’s past performance
prospective voting
voting based on what a candidate promises
party-line voting
voting for who is in the political party you agree with
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
winner take all system
a system of elections in which the candidate who wins plurality of voters within a state revives all of that state’s votes in the electoral college
battleground states
a state where the polls show a close contest between the Democratic and Republican candidate in a presidential election.
swing states
states where levels of support for the parties are similar and elections swing back and fourth between the two parties
federal election campaign act (FEC)
created the federal elections commission, set rules requiring disclosure of the sources of campaign funds, placed limits on campaign contributions, instituted a system of public financing of federal elections, etc.
what does the federal elections commission do?
they oversee campaign finance laws
BCRA
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act: placed stricter donation limits on individuals and PACS
BCRA was challenged, under the claim that it violated the 1st amendment right to free speech. Portions of the BCRA was struck down because labor unions and corporations are persons under the law
super PACS
a PAC that can spend unlimited amounts on a political campaign, but cannot coordinate with the campaign.
19th amendment
the right to vote cannot be abridged on the basis of sex
15th amendment
the right to vote cannot be abridged by race or color
straight ticket voting
voting for all the candidates on a ballot from one political party
split ticket voting
voting for candidate from different parties in the same election
party coalition
groups of voters who support a political party over time
realignment
when groups of people who support a political party shift their allegiance to a different party
critical election
an election that signals the change in the balance of power between two parties
party era
a time period when one party wins most national elections
era of divided government
trend since 1969; when one party controls one or both houses and the president is from the opposing party
delegates
a person who acts as the voter’s representative at a convention to pick a party’s nominee
nomination
a formal process through which parties choose their candidates for political office
primary election
an election in which a state’s voters choose delegates who support a political candidate for nomination or an election by a plurality vote to select a party’s nominee for a seat in congress.
open primaries
all eligible voters may vote in a party’s primary election
closed primaries
only people registered with a certain political party can vote in that party’s primary election
caucus
state’s eligible voters meet to select delegates to represent their preferences in the nomination process
how does the republican party award delegates?
awards delegates either to the winning candidate state-wide, or, (more commonly) by splitting delegates between winners in the state overall and winners in individual congressional districts
how does the democratic party award delegates?
delegates are awarded through a proportional system in which delegates are divided based upon total vote share. However, the elite within the democratic party are given special representation as superdelegates
national party convention
party delegates go to vote on presidential candidates in a primary election; delegates officially select their party’s nominee
superdelegates
a party leader or activist who is not pledged to a candidate and can vote for whoever they like
proportional primaries
delegates are apportioned proportionally to the amount of votes they got
winner take all
If a candidate wins in a state, all the delegates of that state go to that candidate
froant-loading
a decision by a state to push its primary or caucus to a date as early in the election season as possible to gain more influence in the presidential nomination process
candidate-centered campaign
a trend where candidates develop their own strategies and raise money with less influence from the party leaders.
two party system
a system where two political parties dominate elections
proportional representation systems
an election system for a legislature in which citizens vote for parties, rather than individuals, and parties are represented in the legislature according to the percentage of vote they revive
single member plurality system
one of the reasons why we have a two party system; people only vote for one candidate, and the candidate who gets the most votes wins
members of the legislature are chosen in a “winner take all” system, where the winner is the candidate who revives the most votes, even if the candidate did not win the majority of the votes
interest groups
voluntary associations of people who come together to reach certain policy goals
participatory democracy theory
citizens can impact policymaking through their involvement in civil society, or groups outside the government that advocate for policy goals
pluralist theory
a theory that political power is distributed among many competing groups
policy agenda
the set of issues that the government, voters, and the public are paying attention to
collective agenda
political action that happens when individuals contribute to a larger group or goal
collective good
a public benefit that individuals can enjoy even if they do not help achieve it
free riders
people who enjoy collective goods without joining interest groups: ex, a union negotiates higher salaries for everyone in a company, and everyone, including those who did not join the union+ did not pay their union dues benifit
selective benifits
benefits that only help those in a group
lobbying
interacting with government officials to advance a group’s policy goals
revolving door
the movement of individuals between positions in government and lobbying positions
how do lobbyists impact congress?
- contact members of congress
- prepare research briefs to bring more attention to their issues
- draft bills, lobby members of congress to introduce legislation, help plan for legislative strategy to move bills through commitees
- funding congress appropriates for agencies and programs
How does lobbyists work with the judiciary?
- shape how laws are interpreted by filing lawsuits
- amicus cuiae briefs,
- influence judicial opponents through presidential nominations or senate conformation process
amicus cuiae briefs
breifs filed by someone who is not a party in a case in attempt to persuade the court to agree with their ideas.
iron triangle
the coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, congress, and interest groups to reach policy goals.
bureaucratic agencies
agencies like the United States Environmental Protection Agency
issue network
webs of influence between the iron trangle
news media
a broad term that includes magazines, radios, television, and the internet, blogs, etc, that cover important events
agenda setting
the media’s ability to highlight certain issues and bring them to public attention
mass media
sources of information designed to reach large audiences (radio, newspapers, tv, internet outlets)
investigative journalism
a type of journalism in which reporters dig into stories and act as detectives, looking for instances of wrongdoing
horse- race media
coverage of political campaigns that focuses more on drama rather than policy
what are some criticisms of ideologically driven news?
could lead to polarization, as people who consume ideologically driven news will only be consuming media that furthers with their world view
new media
all of the various platforms through which individuals receive, share, and produce content
media consolidation
the majority of the media is owned by a few companies
why can media consolidation be dangerous?
businessmen, not journalists, have a lot of control over what issues are highlighted in the public. Businessmen have financial incentives to highlight what makes them the most money, so issues like climate change and human rights are underreported
how has the new media changed what is in the news
the line between entertainment and news is being blurred as news that grabs attention is shared more.
partisan bias
the slanting of political news coverage in support of a political party or ideology
structural barriers to voting:
- states can choose how, when, and where to vote
- voter registration laws
functions of political parties:
- mobilization of voters and educating
- establishing party views
- campaign management
- recruiting candidates
power of congress *** very important
- pass a federal budget
- power to raise revenue (tax)
- power to coin money
- power to declare war
- power to raise and maintain armed forces
