Unit 5 Vocab Part 1 Flashcards
Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen’s individual interest.
Rational choice voting
Voting to decide whether the party or candidate in power should be re-elected in the future based on the recent past.
Retrospective voting
Voting based on predictions of how a party or candidate will perform in the future.
Prospective voting
Supporting a party by voting for candidates from one political party for all public offices across the ballot
Party-line voting
Prohibited voting restrictions based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude (slavery)
15th Amendment (1870)
Prohibited voting restrictions based on gender
19th Amendment (1920)
Outlawed the use of poll taxes at any level of government
24th Amendment
Required all states to set a voting age of no more than 18 years old
26th Amendment (1971)
A person who tends to participate in all forms of politics; influential
Activist (Political Activism)
Legal method used to exclude whites from poll taxes and literacy tests
Grandfather clause
An arbitrary test used to prevent black citizens from registering to vote (ex. “How many bubbles on a bar of soap?”)
Literacy test
Rights that cannot be taken away, even if a majority of citizens would like to
Minority rights
Made voter registration easier by requiring states to allow people to register to vote when getting or renewing their driver’s license
Motor Voter Law of 1993
Law in some states that requires voters to show a form of identification in order to vote
Photo ID Voting Requirement
A person’s belief that they can make a difference in the political process
Political efficacy
A variety of ways that citizens choose and influence government policymakers
Political participation
The right to vote
Sufferage
Citizens must register to vote (fill out form) before they can vote; #1 predictor of whether someone will actually vote
Voter registration
Percentage of voting-age citizens that actually vote in any given election
Voter turnout
Maximum amount of money that a person may donate to a political candidate
Individual contribution limits
Campaign contributions to political parties (not candidates); used to circumvent contribution limits to candidates
Soft money
Law that banned soft money and requires candidates to endorse their own ads
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Law)
Combining campaign contributions from many individuals who have similar interests; used to maximize the impact of the donation
Bundling
Money given to a political candidate from individuals or a PAC
Campaign contribution
Recent trend where candidates for office must build a personal following through the use of advertising rather than relying on the endorsement and support of their political party
Candidate-centered campaigns
A meeting of party members to discuss and choose their party’s candidate for a general election
Caucus
The First Amendment’s free speech clause protects the rights of corporations, unions, and other interest groups to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence the outcome of an election; upheld disclosure requirements and contribution limits by individuals and PACs
Citizens United v. FEC (2010)
The portion of a state that a member of the House of Representatives represents
Congressional district
Final stage of the election process where all voters choose between the candidates of all political parties
General election
Candidates running for reelection have a distinct advantage over their challengers
Incumbent advantage
Alternative method of redrawing the lines of congressional districts in a non-partisan way in order to eliminate gerrymandering
Independent commission
Amount of money spent by outside groups (non-candidates) to influence an election
Independent expenditures
A paid professional who tries to influence government officials on behalf of a corporation or other interest group
Lobbyist
The winning candidate must get more than 50% of the vote
Majority election
The candidate with the most votes wins, even if that candidate gets less than half of the votes
Plurality election
Broad term for an election to choose a party’s nominee for the general election
Primary Election
An election to choose a political party’s candidate for the general election; any registered voter may vote
Open Primary
An election to choose a political party’s candidate for the general election; only party members may vote
Closed Primary
The recent pattern of states holding primaries early in order to maximize their media attention and political influence (3/4 of primaries are now held between February and mid-March.)
Frontloading
Democratic Party elder who casts a vote at the national convention, but not from any particular state; for the purpose of avoiding close nominating conventions
Superdelegate
Organization created in the aftermath of Citizens United v. FEC for the purpose of spending unlimited amounts of money to influence an election (may not contribute to or coordinate with candidates)
SuperPAC
The winner of a state’s presidential primary receives all of that state’s delegates to the national convention; has the effect of speeding up the presidential nomination process
Winner-take-all primary
