Flashcards
Chapter 10 Vocabulary
Cards in this deck (12)
- 1Legitimacy –A characterization of elections by political scientists meaning that they are almost universally accepted as a fair and free method of selecting political leaders
- 2Referendum –A state-level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation or a proposed constitutional amendment
- 3Initiative Petition –A process permitted in some states whereby voters may put proposed changes in the state constitution to a vote if sufficient signatures are obtained on petitions calling for such a referendum
- 4Suffrage –The legal right to vote, extended to African Americans by the Fifteenth Amendment, to women by the Nineteenth Amendment, and to people over the age of 18 by the Twenty-sixth Amendment
- 5Political Efficacy –The belief that one’s political participation really matters – that one’s vote can actually make a difference
- 6Civic Duty –The belief that in order to support democratic government, a citizen should always vote
- 7Voter Registration –A system adopted by the states that requires voters to register well in advance of Election Day
- 8Motor Voter Act –Passed in 1993, this act went into effect for the 1996 election. It requires states to permit people to register to vote at the same time they apply for their driver’s license
- 9Mandate theory of elections –The idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out his or her platforms and politics
- 10Policy Voting –Electoral choices that are made on the basis of the voters’ policy preferences and on the basis of where the candidates stand on policy issues
- 11Electoral College –A unique American institution, created by the Constitution, providing for the selection of the president by electors chosen by the parties
- 12Retrospective Voting –A theory of voting in which voters essentially ask this simple question: “What have you done for me lately?”
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- Life Government Flashcards on Chapter 10 Vocabulary, created by travelbugg2012 on 10/12/2013.
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- travelbugg2012 · Dec 2013
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- Feb 19, 2016
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