Amendment that lowered the voting age to 18 in Federal and state elections (1971)

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1920) extended the right to vote to women in federal or state elections, states you may not be denied the right to vote based on sex

Passed in 1913, this amendment to the Constitution calls for the direct election of senators by the voters instead of their election by state legislatures.

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1964) that banned the paying of a poll tax or any other tax as a prerequisite to vote in national elections, later applied to state elections through SCOTUS ruling

Supporting a party by voting for candidates from one political party for all public offices across the ballot

Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen's individual interest

Voting to decide whether the party or candidate in power should be re-elected based on the recent past

Voting based on predictions of how a party or candidate will perform in the future

Invalidated the use of any test or device to deny the vote and authorized federal examiners to order the registration of blacks in states and counties where fewer than 50 percent of the voting-age population were registered or had voted in the last presidential election, also provided criminal penalties for interfering with the right to vote

Banned soft money contributions to national political parties from corporations and unions; independent expenditures by corporations, labor unions, trade associations, and nonprofit organizations are sharply restricted

Established the principle of "one person, one vote", ordered state legislative districts to be as near equal as possible in population. The Court asserted that the federal courts had the right to tell states to reapportion their districts for more equal representation.

No racial gerrymandering; race cannot be the sole or predominant factor in redrawing legislative boundaries; majority-minority districts.

Decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that independent expenditures (political spending) by corporations, associations, and labor unions is free speech protected by the 1st Amendment and so cannot be limited by federal law. Upheld bans on direct contributions to candidates. Lead to creation of super PACs & massive rise in amount of third party electioneering

Held that limiting contributions was constitutional but that restricting a candidate's spending of his or her own money is unconstitutional.

Overturned aggregate limits on individual contributions to candidates and national parties

Freedom of the press applies to state governments, so that they cannot impose prior restraint on newspapers.

Public officials may not win a libel suit unless they can prove that the statement was made knowing it to be false or with reckless disregard of its truth

The ability of the news media, by covering stories about some topics and not others, to shape the public agenda

The press's role as an overseer of government officials to ensure they act in the public interest

The bias or perceived bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of events and stories that are reported and how they are covered

News coverage that focuses on who is ahead rather than on the issues

An FCC rule that if a broadcaster sells time to one candidate, it must sell equal time to other candidates.

The process through which people consciously choose to get the news from information sources that have viewpoints compatible with their own.

Procedure enabling voters to reject a measure passed by the legislature.

Procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office

Process that permits voters to put legislative measures directly on the ballot

The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

A committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations, fundraising organization that represents interest groups in the political process

An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy

A group that seeks to elect candidates to public office

An electoral district from which one person is chosen by the voters for each elected office. This type of electoral system typically leads to legislatures dominated by two political parties. Structure used for the U.S. House of Representatives

An electoral system in which the winner is the person who gets the most votes, even if he or she does not receive a majority; used in almost all American elections

An election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins, can apply to the Electoral College or Presidential Primaries where delegates are awarded

An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections

Non-Presidential general elections (ex. Senate and House) that occur midway through a presidential term

Elections in which voters in a state vote for a candidate (or delegates pledged to him or her). Most delegates to the national party conventions are chosen this way.

An electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party. Critical election periods are sometimes marked by a national crisis and may require more than one election to bring about a new party era

The people chosen to cast each state's votes in a presidential election. Each state can cast one electoral vote for each senator and representative it has. The District of Columbia has three electoral votes, even though it cannot elect a representative or senator.

A period when a major, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties

A voter's long-term, stable attachment to one of the political parties

A meeting of party delegates held every four years, used to formally nominate the parties nominee for president and establish the party platform

Delegates who run party affairs between national conventions

The process by which political parties select their candidates for election to public office

The tendency of individuals to avoid contributing to public goods

Using the general public (rather than lobbyists) to contact government officials about a public policy

The tendency of incumbents to do better than otherwise similar challengers, especially in congressional elections

The recent pattern of states holding primaries early in order to maximize their media attention and political influence. Three-fourths of the presidential primaries are now held between February and mid-March.

Party members elected or chosen on the state and local levels to support a particular candidate at the party's national convention

A primary election where all voters (regardless of party membership) may vote for the party's nominee

A meeting of party followers in which party delegates are selected

A primary election where only registered party members may vote for the party's nominee

"Unpledged Delegates" (usually important party members) at national party convention (about 20% of total delegates) who, unlike "pledged delegates" selected in primaries or caucuses, are not committed to a particular candidate. Used by party leaders to retain some control over candidate selection. Can be important in close races (like Obama vs. Hillary Clinton in 2008)

Money that political candidates raise and use for funding their expensive campaigns

Campaign money donated directly to candidates, that is subject to regulations by the FEC

Funds obtained by political parties that are spent on party activities, such as get-out-the-vote drives, but not on behalf of a specific candidate, unregulated money

Spending by political action committees, corporations, or labor unions that is done to help a party or candidate but is done independently of them.

A social welfare organization that can devote no more than 50 percent of its funds to politics. Sometimes referred to as "dark money" groups because they do not have to disclose their donors.

Organizations created under a section of the Internal Revenue Code that raise and spend money to advance political causes, can spend their own money on politics as long as they do not coordinate with a candidate

Independent expenditure-only PACs, may accept donations of any size from corporations, unions, or individuals and can endorse candidates. The cannot coordinate their activities with campaigns in any way. Their contributions and expenditures must be periodically reported to the FEC.

The person already holding and elective office

A person, often a professional, attempting to influence government decisions on behalf of a special interest

The term for states that traditionally vote for Republicans

A state that does not consistently vote either Democratic or Republican in presidential elections

The term for states that traditionally vote for Democrats

The votes cast by citizens in an election

Public opinion surveys taken before voters cast their ballots

Polls based on interviews conducted on election day with randomly selected voters as after they have voted and and are leaving the polling location

Drawing the boundaries of legislative districts in bizarre or unusual shapes to favor one party

A clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867, used in the Jim Crow South to disenfranchise black voters.

A requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote, used in the Jim Crow South to disenfranchise black voters.

The practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states' primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation.

Laws requiring citizens to show a government-issued photo ID in order to vote.

A requirement that citizens show that they can read before registering to vote, used in the Jim Crow South to disenfranchise black voters.

Citizens who have reached the minimum age to be eligible to vote, excluding those who are not legally permitted to cast a ballot.

The many different ways that people take part in politics and government.

An individual's identification with a party; whether they consider themselves a Democrat, Republican, or Independent.

The alignment of partisanship and issue positions so that Democrats tend to take more liberal positions and Republicans tend to take more conservative ones.

A policy in which almost everybody benefits and almost everybody pays.

This was a law to encourage more people to participate in voting. This allowed people to register to vote while they renewed their license. The thought was that most people renew their license and thus it would give them a chance to register at the same time.

Voting constituency of traditional Democratic middle-class voters that turned to Ronald Reagan during the 1980s.