Unit 5 Flashcards
political participation
the different ways people take action to shape laws
political action comittee
a committee that raises money to support or oppose candidates
linkage institution
channels that connect people and government
social movement
joining of individuals focused on political change goal of placing issues on policy agenda
Franchise (suffrage)
the right to vote
poll tax
payment required by state to vote
24th ammendment
congress can not increase poll tax
26th amendment
18 and up can vote
voter turnout
number of eligible voters that turn up to vote
demographic characteristics
gender, age, economic status, race, education, ethnicity
socioeconomic status
persons wealth, income, occupation, and education
political efficacy
belief that they can change things with their vote
political mobilization
efforts to encourage ppl to vote
registration requirements
rules that govern who can vote, how when and where
absentee ballot
voting without going to the polls
rational choice voting
voting based on what is their best interest
retrospective voting
voting based on the persons past experiences
prospective voting
voting based on promises candidate makes
party line voting
voting for candidates based on party
electoral college
process for electing president through slates of electors chosen by states
winner take all system
candidate that wins popular vote gets the electoral vote
battle ground state
polls show close contest between republican and democratic candidates
swing state
levels of support are similar between parties and swing back and forth
get out the vote
efforts to mobilize voters
super PAC
organization that can spend infinite money on political campaign
Political Parties
an organized group of party leaders office holders, and voters that work together to elect candidates to political offices
party identification
the degree to which the voter is connected to and influenced by political parties
straight ticket voting
voting for all one political party
split ticket voting
voting for different parties in the same election
party platform
a set of positions and policy objectives that members of a political party to agree to
recruitment
the process through which political parties identify potential candidates
party coalition
groups of voters who support a political party over time
realalinement
when groups of people who support a political party shift their allegiance to a different political party
critical election
a major national election that signals a change in the balance of power between the two parties
party era
a time period when one party wins most national elections
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
nomination
the formal process through which parties choose their candidates for political office
delegate
a person who acts as the voters choose delegates who support a candidate for nomination
open primary
a primary election in which all eligible may vote regardless of their affiliation
closed primary
a primary election that only registered voters may vote
caucus
a process through a state’s eligible voters meet to select delegates to represent their preferences in nomination process
superdelegate
usually a party leader or activist who is not pledged to a candidate based on the outcome of a states primary or caucus
front loading
a decision by a state to push its primary or caucus to a date as early in the season as possible to become influential
national convention
a meeting where delegates officially select their party’s nominee for the presidency
candidate centered campaign
a trend in which candidates develop their own strategies and raise presidency
two party system
a system in which two political parties dominate politics, winning most elections
third party
a minor political party in competition with the two major parties
proportional representaion
an election system for a legislature where the citizens vote for parties rather than individuals and parties are represented in legislature according to the percentage of their vote
