Unit 5 Flashcards
Political Participation
the different ways im which individuals take action to shape the laws and policies of a government
Political action committee
an organization that raises money to elect and defeat candidates and may donate money directly to a candidate’s campaign, subject to limits
What does political participation include?
voting, calling, emailing, or using social media to contact elected officials, making their preferences known or expressing their displeasure
Linkage Institution
channels that connect individuals with government, including elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media
Franchise (or Suffrage)
the right to vote
26th Amendment
allows those eighteen years and older to vote
Protects right to vote based on age for all people >18 years old
24th Amendment
prohibits Congress and the states fro imposing poll taxes as a condition for voting in federal elections
Poll tax
a payment required by a state or federal government before a citizen is allowed to vote
Voter turnout
the number of eligible voters who participate in an election as a percentage of the total number of eligible voters
Demographic Characteristics
measurable characteristics of a population, such as economic status, education, age, race or ethnicity, and gender
Socioeconomic Status (SES)
a measure of an individual’s wealthm income, occupation, and educational attainment
Political efficacy
a person’s belief that they can make effective political change
What causes a person to vote or not to vote?
- Demographic Characteristics
- Socioeconomic Status
- Political Efficacy
- Changes in Participation as People Age
- Racial and Ethnic Identities
- Gender and Voter Turnout
- Candidate Characteristics and Voter Turnout
Political Mobilization
efforts by political parties to encourage their members to vote
Registration Requirements
the set of rules that govern who can vote and how, when, and where they can vote
Rational Choice Voting
voting based on what a citizen believes is in their best interest
Retrospective Voting
voting based on an assessment of an incumbent’s past performance
Prospective Voting
casting a ballot for a candidate who promises to enact policies favored by the voter
Party-line voting
voting for candidates hwo belong only to one political party for all of the offices on the ballot
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 a candidate who wins the plurality of votes within a state receives all of that state’s votes in the Electoral College
battleground states
a state where the polls show a close contest between the Republican and Democrartic candidate in a presidential election
Swing State
a state where levels of support for the parties are similar and elections swing back and forth between Democrats and Republicans
Get out the vote (GOTV)
efforts to mobilize supporters
Super PAC
an organization that may spend an unlimited amount of money on a political campaign as long as the spending is not coordinated with a campaign
17th Amendment
Direct election of Senators by states population (used to be chosen by state legislature) (so only extremely connected people - so super corrupt!!)
19th Amendment
Expand voting rights to women (After civil activism campaigns)
24th Amendment
Forbids either federal or state government from establishing a tax to vote (aka poll taxes)
Rational Choice Voting
Voting based on the perceived best interest of yourself (wealthy vote forr candidates who want lower taxes)
Not always the case ! Sometimes people vote for what they think is the good of society rather than for themselves
Straight Ticket Voting
Voters who vote for one particular party across the ballot
Has become increasingly common
Structural Barriers to Voting
- Differences in polling hours of operatio and early voting timelines
- Availability of absentee ballots for voters
- Voter ID laws and specific ID requirements to vote
- Voter registration process (online vs. in person, and deadlines)
Other Barriers to Voting
- Sense of political efficacy will impact voter turnout
- Election type; more turnout for presidential elections than midterm
- Demographic trends (race, class, gender, etc. ) can sometimes impact coter turnout or access
Linkage institutions
Connect people to gov. to make preferences known or voice opinions
Political Parties
linkage institutions
Establish values and political preference
Elections
Show either support or disapproval of recent policies
Interest Groups
Focus and mobilize interactions with elected reps
Media
Frame issues and hild government accountable (watchdog)
changing media
- Increased demand for political analysis and commentary
- Media bias occurs in news outlets through framing and commentary
- Bias impacts political opinions through ideological oreintation, reinforcing beliefs, and uncertainty of credibility
Functions of a Political Party
- Mobilizes and educates voters about candidates and issues
- Create party platforms for candidate and voter alignment
- Recruits candidates for office (those who can win and uphold beliefs)
- Manage electoral campaigns (inc. fundraising and media strategy)
Political Parties and Governing
- Political parties : Their one goal is to get people elected
- Support the committee and party leadership systems in legislatures
- Set legislative agenda and pass policy when in majority
Act as watchdog and opposition when in minority
Canditate Centered (changes in parties)
Candidates in charge of messaging and strategy
Party selection has been weakened over time
Demographics (changes in parties)
Changing policy to appeal to different groups or demographics
Critical Elections
realign the values among party members
Campaign Finance
changes in limits on donation amounts
Data Management
Changes in data availability for mobilization and outreach
Winner Take All (aka “First past the post”)
- Only one candidate wins the election → single rep for each district
- Winner is decided by plurality of votes
- Favors a two party system → one will always get over 50%
- In a winner take all system - Single Member Districts - there is a single member who can win the district
Proportional Systems
- Elects multiple reps for each district and is allocated proportionally
- Leaders selected based on which party received the most votes
- Multi-Member Districts - multiple different members of the parties that can win different allocation and it’s proportional
Ranked Choice Voting
- Winner take all, but rank candidates from least to greatest
- If 1st choice not in top candidates then counts the second choice, etc.
Political Party
an organized group of party leaders, officeholders, and voters who work together to elect candidates to political office
Recruitment
the process through which political parties identify potential candidates
In government, elected officals work to enact their parties policies.
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 political party
Critical Election
a major national election that signals a change in the balance of power between two parties
Party Era
time period when one party wins post national elections
Era of divided government
a trend since 1969, in which one parry controls one of boh 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’ representative at a convention to select the party’s nominee
Primary Election
an election in which a strate’s voters choose delegates who support a presidential candidate for nomination or an election my a plurality vote to select a party’s nominee for a seat in Congress
Open Primary
a primary election in which all eligible voters may vote, regardless of their party affiliation
Closed Primary
a primary election in which only those who have registered as a member of a political party may vote
Caucus
a process through which a state’s eligible votes meet to select delegates to represent their preferences in the nomination process
Superdelegates
usually a party leader or activist who is not pledged to a candidate based on the outcome of the state’s primary or caucus
Front-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
National Convention
a meeting where delegates officially select their party’s nominee for the presidency
Candidate-centered
a trend in which candidates develop their own strategies and raise money with less influence from the party elite
Proportional representation system
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 the vote they receive
Single-member plurality system
an election system for choosing members of the legislature where the winner is the candidate who receives the most votes, even if the candidate does not receive a majority of the votes
Interest Groups
- voluntary associations of people who come together with the goal of getting policies that they favor enacted
- Represent and advocate for a specific issue or generalized interests
- Works to educate and influence voters, and mobilize members
- Pressure and work with legislators and gov. agencies (Iron Triangles)
- Advance interest through judicial cases and amicius briefs
- Have to say - “I AM IN YOUR CONSITUENCY” yas
Social Movements
diffuse groups that educate the public and put pretture on policymakers in an effort to bring about societal change
Theory of Participatory Democracy
the belief that citizens impacy policymaking through their involvement in civil society
Civil Society
groups outside the government that advocate for policy
Pluralist Theory
a theory that political power is distributed among many competing groups, which means that no single group can grow too powerful
Federalist No. 10
Madison argues that the Constitution reduces the negative consequences of faction by creating a large, representative republic
Elitist Theory
a theory that the wealthy elite class has a disproportionate amount of economic and political power
Policy Agenda
the set of issues to which government officials, voters, and the public are paying attention
Collective Action
political action that occurs when individuals contribute their energy, time, or money to a larger group goal
Collective Good
also called public good; a public benefit that individuals can enjoy or profit from even if they do not achieve it
Free Riders
individuals who enjoy collective goods and benefit from the actions of an interest group without joining q
Selective Benefits
Selective benefits - benefits available only to those who join the group
Economic Interest Groups
groups advocating on behalf of the financial interests of their members
Public interest groups
groups that act on behalf of the collective interests of a broad group of individuals
Single-issue groups
associations focusing on one specific area of public policy, often a moral issue about which they are unwilling to compromise
Government Interest Groups
organizations acting on behalf of local, state, or foreign governments
Lobbying
interacting with government officials in order to advance a group’s public policy goals
Revolving Door
the movement of individuals between positions in government and lobbying positions
Amicus Curiae Brief
a brief filed by someone who is not a party to a case in an attempt to persuade the Court to agree with the agruments set forth in the brief
Iron Triangle
the coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress, and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals
Issue Network
the webs of influence between interest groups, polcy makers, and policy advocates
Grassroots Lobbying
mobilizing interest group members to pressure their representatives
Cherub Rock - the smashing pumpkins (Siamese Dream)
Large Group (interest group)
More members and financial contributions to mobilize
Small group (interest group)
Infrequent access to influential or wealthy members
Social Movements (interest group)
Advocate for specific policy changes
Military (interest group)
Advocate for national security policy and defense spending
Bureaucracy (interest group)
Advocate for specific laws to address individual ppolicy areas
Policy Making (impact of interest group)
Influence legislators and bureaucratic rule making
Elections (impact of interest group)
Support candidates financially or through endorsement
Public Opinion (impact of interest group)
Change public opinion on topics → elections or changing party platforms
Incumbency Advantage ( + Franking Privilege)
- Current office holders (incumbents) are more likely to be reelected
- Incumbents : current office holders / people already in office
- Possess more name recognition, seniority, and experience
- Constituent services offer service and hlp to the public
- Franking Privilege: Allowed to send mail for free to constituents
Presidential Election
Choices associated with presidential candidates
Mid-Term Election
lower voter turnout, but seen as referendum on president’s actions
Closed Primary
only members of the politicaal party can vote
Open Primary
open to all registered voters (cross voting)
Caucus
- debate/discuss candidates (delegates assigned based on vote)
- Early primary states have impact on momentum (Iowa and New Hampshire)
General Elections
- Election between the candidates of various political parties
- Selection on a single election day by all registered voters
Party National Convention
- Party delegates (won during primaries/caucus) endorse the candidate they are pledged to → contested if no wine with over 50%
- Candidate accepts the nomination of the party and selects a vice president running mate
- Outlines the key ideas and goals of the party and campaign
Electoral College
- Designed to balance interest of small and large states in election
- Each state’s electors = congressional representation
- Not required to vote for the states elected winner (changing)
Professional Campaign Consultants
- help craft messaging and strategy for winning elections
- Experience in marketing or career in political campainging
- Shiv roy succession omg
Social Media
Increased use for advertisements and fundraising
Use of data collection for targeting ads and outreach
Cost and Duration of campaigns
- Increasing duration of campaigns → beginning earlier
- Increased costs of campaigning (increase in PAC money and ads
- $14.4 billion spent collectively on 2020 presidential election
Purpose and Techniques of Political Ads
- Increase awareness of candidate, policies, or perspectives
- Attempts to appeal to key demographics (class, race, ethnicity, etc.)
- Can be paid for by candidate’s campaign or political action committees (PACs) - have disclaimer and cannot coordinate
Evolving Delivery of Political Ads
- Radio/News: Aired political debates or speeches by elected officials
- TV: Ads paid for by campagins or PACs (political action committees) to mass markets
- Social Media: Targeted ads using individual date for outreach and fundraising
Agenda Setting
the media’s ability ot highlight certain issues and bring them to the attention of the public
Mass Media
sources of information designed to reach a wide audience, including newspapers, radio, television, and internet outlets
Wire Service
an organization that gathers and reports on news and that sells the stories to other outlets
Investigative Journalism
an approach to newsgathering in which reporters dig into stories, often looking for instances of wrongdoing
Broadcast Media
outlets for news and other content including radio and television that bring stories directly into people’s homes
Media Consolidation
the concentration of ownership of the media into fewer corporations
Some efforts to regulate the news media have been focused on ownership; other have focused on content
The Radio Act of 1927
established the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and required broadcasters to obtain licenses
The Telecommunications Act of 1996
modified regulations on media owernshp and led to a period of consolidation
Partisan Bias
the slatning of political news coverage in support of a particular political party or ideology
Horse-race jouralism
coverage of political campaigns that focuses more on the drama of the campaign than on policy issues
Hard Money
- Given to a campaign (federal limits monitored by the FEC)
- May come from individuals or PACs
- Can be used directly by campaign
Soft Money
- Indirect contributions to political party or PACs
- No limits for amounts recieved or used
- Can’t be directly linked to or coordinated with the official candidate’s campaign
Tillman Act 1907
Prohibited by any campaign contributions by corporations for candidates in federal office
Federal Election Campaign Act 1971
Created contribution limits
Limits for dindividuals and PACs → monitored by FEC
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (aka McCain - Feingold)
- Required to “stand by your ad” provision →requires candidates and organizations to acknowledge their approval of ad
- Banned independent expenditures for election communications that mention candidates name by corporations and unions (near election)
Buckley v Valeo
- Upheld contribution limits from outsiders (prevent corruption)
- Ruled that independent expenditures by individuals for campaigns is protected by first amendment
- Defined money as part of expression efforts and protected as speech
Caperton v. Massey
- Requires judges to recuse (remove) themselves if there is a high actual risk of bias
- Actual risk of bias occurs when a judge has a “direct, personal, substantial, pecuniary interest” in solving the case
Citizens United v. FEC
The Citizens United decision expanded the Supreme Court’s protection of free speech to cover political speech by corporations, including campaign advertising.
