Texas government > Untitled Deck > Flashcards

Untitled Deck Flashcards

(85 cards)

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1
Q

Political participation

A

Activities citizens use to influence government such as voting

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2
Q

Verba and Nie typology

A

A classification system identifying different types of political participants

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3
Q

Voting specialists

A

Citizens who only participate by voting

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4
Q

Campaigners

A

People who actively work on political campaigns

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5
Q

Communalists

A

Individuals involved in community and civic organizations

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6
Q

Parochial participants

A

People who participate only when issues directly affect them

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7
Q

Voter turnout

A

The percentage of eligible voters who actually vote in an election

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8
Q

Texas voter turnout

A

Texas consistently ranks near the bottom among U.S. states in voter participation

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9
Q

Factors influencing turnout

A

Education level

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10
Q

Paradox of voting

A

The puzzle of why people vote even though one vote rarely determines an election outcome

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11
Q

Rational choice theory

A

The idea that people make political decisions based on costs and benefits

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12
Q

Rationalist reason for not voting

A

The low probability that one vote will determine the outcome of an election

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13
Q

Expressive value of voting

A

Satisfaction or personal fulfillment gained from voting

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14
Q

Civic duty

A

The belief that voting is a responsibility of citizenship

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15
Q

Social signaling

A

Voting to demonstrate civic responsibility or political identity to others

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16
Q

Political efficacy

A

The belief that an individual’s political participation can influence government actions

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17
Q

Impact of political efficacy

A

Higher efficacy increases political participation

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18
Q

Texas political culture

A

A mix of traditionalistic and individualistic political values

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19
Q

Traditionalistic culture

A

Political culture that supports elite rule and limited citizen participation

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20
Q

Individualistic culture

A

Political culture emphasizing personal responsibility and limited government

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21
Q

Historical voting restrictions

A

Poll taxes

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22
Q

Voting Rights Act of 1965

A

Federal law protecting voting rights and banning racial discrimination in elections

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23
Q

Gerrymandering

A

Manipulating district boundaries to favor a political party

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24
Q

Majoritarianism

A

The idea that government should reflect the will of the majority

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25
Threat to majoritarianism
Low voter turnout means policies may reflect only a small portion of the population
26
Election timing effect
Elections held outside November typically have lower turnout
27
Party-column ballot
A ballot listing candidates grouped by political party
28
Straight-ticket voting
Voting for all candidates from one party on the ballot
29
Elimination of straight-ticket voting in Texas
Texas ended straight-ticket voting in 2020
30
Office-block ballot
A ballot listing candidates by office instead of by party
31
Open primary
Primary election where voters can choose any party's primary
32
Closed primary
Primary election limited to voters registered with that party
33
Semi-open primary
System where voters choose a party's primary but do not have to register beforehand (Texas system)
34
Party raiding
Voting in the opposing party's primary to nominate a weaker candidate
35
Strategic voting
Voting in a way intended to influence the outcome rather than express sincere preference
36
Crossover voting
Voting in another party's primary election
37
Runoff primary
A second election held when no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote
38
Runoff turnout
Turnout is usually lower than in the initial primary election
39
Political Action Committees (PACs)
Organizations that raise money to support or oppose political candidates
40
Largest source of campaign funding
Political Action Committees (PACs)
41
Independent expenditures
Political spending not coordinated with a candidate's campaign
42
Super PACs
Groups allowed to raise unlimited funds for independent political spending
43
Candidate-centered campaigns
Campaigns focused on individual candidates and their personal organizations
44
Party-centered campaigns
Campaigns organized primarily by political parties
45
Agenda setting
Media influence over which issues receive attention
46
Framing
Media shaping how political issues are interpreted
47
Priming
Media influence over the standards voters use to evaluate candidates
48
Bandwagon effect
Voters supporting the candidate perceived to be winning
49
Digital campaign tools
Data mining
50
Voting Rights Act bilingual ballots
Requirement for ballots in multiple languages in certain areas
51
Shelby County v. Holder (2013)
Supreme Court case striking down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act
52
Section 4 of VRA
Identified jurisdictions required to obtain federal approval for voting law changes
53
Texas voter ID laws
Implemented after the Shelby County decision
54
Early voting reliance
Black and Latinx communities rely more heavily on early voting
55
Top-four open primary
Election system where the top four candidates advance regardless of party
56
Highest turnout elections
November general elections
57
Political ideology
A system of beliefs guiding political theory and policy preferences
58
Party platform
A formal written statement of a political party's positions on issues
59
American party system
Highly decentralized and state-oriented political parties
60
Party machines
Political organizations controlling nominations and mobilizing voters
61
Patronage system
Awarding government jobs to political supporters
62
Spoils system
Another term for patronage-based job distribution
63
Pendleton Act of 1883
Law establishing competitive exams for federal jobs and reducing patronage
64
Australian ballot
Government-printed secret ballot used in elections
65
Purpose of Australian ballot and primaries
To reduce the power of party machines
66
Candidate-centered politics
Campaigns organized around individual candidates rather than parties
67
Party decline cause
New media technologies favor expensive advertising over party organizing
68
Party realignment
A lasting shift in party loyalty among voters
69
Texas historical party system
One-party Democratic dominance after Reconstruction
70
Cause of Texas realignment
The Republican Party becoming the more conservative party nationally
71
Yellow Dog Democrats
Loyal Democrats who historically supported the party regardless of candidates
72
Decline of Democratic factionalism
Conservative Democrats switching to the Republican Party
73
Texas Republican factions
Pro-market libertarian Republicans and evangelical conservatives
74
Pro-market libertarian Republicans
Economic conservatives emphasizing free markets and limited government
75
Evangelical conservatives
Social conservatives emphasizing religious values in politics
76
Party with clearer factions in Texas
The Republican Party
77
Third-party barriers
Single-member districts
78
Single-member districts
Electoral districts represented by one official
79
Plurality rule
The candidate with the most votes wins even without a majority
80
Texas general election requirement
Candidates need only a plurality to win
81
Primary election requirement
Candidates must receive a majority to avoid a runoff
82
Libertarian Party ideology
Limited government and personal responsibility
83
Green Party ideology
Social justice and environmental sustainability
84
Caucuses
Party meetings where members select candidates and require active participation
85
White primary
System excluding African Americans from Democratic primary elections
Texas government
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