Unit 5 Test Flashcards
First Amendment
freedom of religion, speech, press, and right to petition & assemble
- Establishment clause
- Free exercise clause
Fifteenth Amendment
granted African American men the right to vote
Seventeenth Amendment
allowed votes to cast direct votes for U.S. senators
Nineteenth Amendment
right for citizens to vote that can’t be denied or abridged for anything reason regarding sex (allowed women to vote)of a political party vote the same way
Voter demographics
classify people according to external traits (age, education, race, gender)
Linkage Institutions
a structure in a society that connects the people ot the government
Political Parties (why/how they change)
- Party interactions with candidates ( went from party matters first, to candidate matters first)
- Platform Change: to appeal to more electorate/voters
- Altering party structure : realigning future platform and principles
- Communication & Data-Management Technology
“Winner takes all” voting districts
party of the losing candidate in each riding receives no representation in government, regardless of the amount of votes they received
Plurality system
electoral process in which the candidate who polls more votes than any other candidate is elected
Third Party Issues
- Major parties incorporate popular portions of third-party agenda into platforms
- People feel that they are throwing vote away
Interest Groups
- Educate voters/office holders on interest group’s chosen issues
- Engage in lobbying (meetings to influence politicians)
- Draft legislation
- Mobolize members to pressure policy makers
Electoral College
the system used to decide presidential elections where specific representatives from each state vote on the president with the votes of those in the state as reference. 538 electors need half to win.
Party Platforms
a list of actions which a political party, individual candidate, or other organization suppors to appeal towards the general public
Campaign Committees
a party committee in congress that provides funds to members
Voter Mobilization
a party’s efforts to inform potential votes about issues and candidates and to persuade them to vote
Lobbying
seeking to influence politicians or public officials on an issue through written/verbal communication
Iron Triangles
interest groups, congressional committees, and government agencies
PAC’s
private groups that raise and distributes funds for use in election campaigns
Super PACs
may raise unlimited money from corporations, unions, and individuals
Incumbency Advantage
current officeholder (incumbent) usually wins reelection +90% of the time
- more prominent in the house
- More contributions from PACs
- Name recognition
- Campaigning experience/larger staff
- Districts = often drawn to favor incumbents
- franking privilege
Closed Primary Election
only people who are registered members of a political party can vote for that political party
Open Primary Election
doesn’t require votes to be affiliated
