Voter Turnout
What are polling hours, availability of absentee ballots, weekday voting, and non-holiday voting examples of?
Structural Barriers
This refers to the the individuals who base their decisions on what is perceived to be in their best interest
Rational choice voting
What are channels that allow individuals to communicate their preferences to policymakers?
Linkage institutions
What is an amicus curiae brief?
It is a written document submitted as a “friend of the court” to provide additional information for justices to consider when reviewing a case.
What banned "soft money"?
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002
What is political efficacy?
Political efficacy is the belief that an individual’s participation in the political process will make a difference.
This refers to individuals who vote based on predictions of how a party or candidate will perform in the future.
Prospective voting
What makes up linkage institutions?
Political parties, Interest groups, Elections, Media
Who are individuals who benefit from the work of an interest group without providing financial support?
Free-riders
What is an incumbent and challenger?
Challenger: Seeks to replace incumbent
What can influence voter turnout?
Differences in state-controlled elections
Variations in voter registration laws and procedures
Election type
This refers to individuals who decide whether the party or candidate in power should be reelected based on the recent past
Retrospective voting.
What are critical elections?
Elections in which there is a realignment of political party support among voters.
What is the incumbency advantage phenomenon?
This is the tendency of incumbents to win reelection.
What is political participation influenced by?
It is influenced by a variety of media coverage, analysis, and commentary on political events.
What are factors that influence voter choice?
Party identification and ideological orientation
Candidate characteristics
Contemporary political issues
Religious beliefs or affiliation, age, gender, race and ethnicity, and other demographic characteristics
This refers to individuals who vote for all of the candidates from one political party on a ballot.
Straight ticket voting
Does the winnertake-all voting districts serve as a structural barrier for third-party and independent candidate success?
Yes, they do. The winner-take-all voting advantages the two-party system in the U.S.
Interest groups may represent what?
They represent very specific or more general interests, and can educate voters and office holders, conduct lobbying, draft legislation, and mobilize membership to apply pressure on and work with legislators and government agencies.
What do parties use to disseminate, control, and clarify political messages and enhance outreach and mobilization efforts?
They use communication technology and voter data management.
What are used to predict the likelihood of whether an individual will vote?
Demographic characteristics and political efficacy or engagement
What Amendments in the U.S. Constitution expanded opportunities for political participation?
14th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 24th, and the 26th Amendment
What has influenced the structure of parties?
Critical elections, Campaign finance law, Changes in communication and data management technology
What are competing actors that influence policy outcome?
Interest groups, professional organizations, social movements, the military, and bureaucratic agencies influence policymaking, such as the federal budget process, at key stages and to varying degrees.
What is the single largest predictor that someone will vote? What is the single largest predictor of how someone will vote?
Education, Party ID