Vocab Unit 5 Flashcards
15th Amendment
Prohibits the federal government from denying a citizen’s right to vote based on race
17th Amendment
Each state will have two senators that are elected by the people of the state
19th Amendment
Granted women the right to vote
24th Amendment
Prohibits the federal and state governments from requiring citizens to pay any tax to vote in federal elections
26th Amendment
Lowered the voting age to 18
Prospective Voting
When an individual makes a voting decision based on how they believe candidates will behave in the future
Retrospective Voting
When an individual makes a voting decision based on how candidates have acted in the past
Rational Choice Voting
When an individual votes based off an analysis of all possible candidates
Party-Line Voting
When an individual votes based off of party alone
Voter Turnout
The total amount of individuals who voted in a given election
Compulsory Voting
The requirement that registered voters must vote in an election
Linkage Institution
A structure within a society that connects individuals to the government
Political Party
A group of individuals organized to acquire and exercise political power
Party Platform
A formal set of goals which are supported by a political party or individual candidate
Party Convention
Large gatherings organized by political parties to nominate candidates for public office
Critical Election
Pivotal moments in American political history when significant shifts occur in the electoral alignment of voters
Direct Primary
The selection of party candidates through ballots of qualified voters rather than party nomination conventions
Open Primary
A primary election where any registered voter can vote in any party’s primary
Closed Primary
Only voters which are registered for the party which is holding the primary can vote
Caucus
Meetings of members of a political party or faction to discuss and decide candidate selections for an election
General Election
Elections in which voters elect officeholders
Mid-Term Election
Elections that are held two years after the general elections to vote for all of the seats in the House and some of the seats in the Senate
Incumbency Advantage
The benefits that current officeholders have over challengers in elections
Electorate
The citizens eligible to vote
Electoral college
A unique system in the US that was created to balance the influence of states in the presidential election
Winner-Take-All System
A system where the candidate that had the majority vote in a certain state gives all of the state’s votes to that candidate
Proportional System
Seats in a legislative body are allocated based on the proportion of votes each political party recieves
Political Action Committee (PAC)
Organizations that raise and spend money to elect or defeat political candidates
Super PACs
Committees that can receive unlimited contributions from individuals and corporations for the purpose of financing a political campaign
Hard Money
Political donations that are regulated by law and can only be used for specific purposes of campaign financing
Soft Money
Money raised in unlimited amounts for party building purposes
Interest Group
An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal
Ideological Interest Group
Political organizations that attract members by appealing to their political convictions or principals
Free-Rider
An individual who does not join a group representing their interests yet receives the benefit of the group’s influence
Lobbyist
A person who is employed by and acts for an organized interest group or corporation to try to influence policy decisions and positions in the executive and legislative branches
Grassroots Support
A method of mobilizing individuals at the local level to participate in political activism and influence change from the ground up
Mass Media
Various means of communication that reach large audiences
Sound Bite
A brief, memorable comment that can easily be fit into news broadcasts
Horse-race Journalism
The tendency of the media to focus on the candidate that is currently winning the presidential race
Gatekeeper
The role of the media in deciding which issues become important to public discourse
