AP US gov Unit 5

• The constitution doesn't say who has the right to vote and who does not, that was the decision left up to the states
• In 1789 when the new constitution became the governing document, the states had decided that only white men who owned property were eligible to vote
• By 1830, the franchise was extended to all white men landed or not, much of this pressure came from the west
• After the civil war through about 1971, a series of constitutional amendments recognized the right to vote for more and more citizens
• Constitutional amendments expanding voting rights

  • 15th amendment - right of black men to vote
  • 17th amendment - people's right to vote for senators
  • 19th amendment - women's right to vote
  • 24th amendment - abolished poll taxes
  • 26th amendment - lowered voting age to 18
• Even though constitutionally the franchise is extended to all, some states still erect barriers to voting
• Some states have enacted laws limiting certain groups from voting, such as convicted felons
• Rational choice voting


  A person votes based on their individual self-interest and who has carefully studied the issues and platforms
• Retrospective voting


  A person votes based on the recent past track record of the politician
• Prospective voting


  A person votes based on the predictions of how a party or candidate will perform in the future
• Party line voting


  A person votes for all the candidates of their party
• For most of the last century, voter turnout in the US has been relatively low among Western democracies
• Structural barriers


  • Rules, laws, or policies that make it more difficult for a person to exercise their right to vote
• States are in charge of federal elections, meaning each state government sets its own election policies including voter registration laws and procedures
• Examples of structural barriers


  • Hours that polls are open
  • Voter ID laws
  • Automatic voter registration
  • Online voter registration
  • In-person voter registration
  • Early voting opportunities
  • Absentee and mail-in voting opportunities
  • Voter photo ID laws
• Stricter election and ID laws

  Implemented in more states after the 2020 election
• Advocates of voter photo ID laws emphasize the goal to stop voter fraud, while opponents argue the real goal is voter suppression
• Differences in funding for polling places and poll workers can lead to long lines that critics claim are designed to dissuade people from voting
• Presidential elections have significantly higher voter turnout than midterm elections, with about one-third fewer people voting in midterms
• Political efficacy


  A person's belief that their vote matters and they can make a difference by participating in the political process
• Demographic characteristics that predict likelihood of voting

  • Older people vote more than younger people
  • Higher income people vote more than lower income people
  • More educated people vote more than less educated people
  • Women vote at higher rates than men
  • Religious people vote more than non-religious people
• The best predictor of how a person will vote is their party identification
• Factors that predict how a person will vote

  • Party identification
  • Political ideology
  • Candidate characteristics
  • Contemporary political issues
  • Gender
  • Race and ethnicity
  • Age
  • Geographic location
  • Religion
• Midterm elections usually favor the party out of power, with Democrats doing well in 2018 and Republicans doing better in 2022
• Democrats dominate urban areas, Republicans dominate rural areas, and the suburbs bounce back and forth between the parties
• Voting patterns by religion

  • White Protestants and white Evangelical Protestants vote strongly Republican
  • Catholics are basically 50/50
  • Jewish voters have historically been solidly Democratic, though the numbers are down from peaks
  • Atheists and agnostics vote overwhelmingly Democratic
• Linkage institutions


  Channels that allow individuals to communicate their preferences to policymakers
• Linkage institutions covered in this unit

  • Political parties
  • Interest groups
  • Elections
  • News media
• Primary goal of a political party

  To gain power and win elections
• Political parties


  • Mobilize and educate voters
  • Establish a platform of policies and goals
  • Recruit candidates for public office
  • Manage campaigns and facilitate media strategy
  • Influence Congress through committee and party leadership systems
• More and more voters focus on the individual candidate more than their party, their characteristics, personality, and ideology
• The rise of the primary system has weakened the role of party leaders in nominating candidates
• Parties may adapt their policies and messaging to appeal to various demographic coalitions
• Critical elections


  Elections in which some major issue bubbles up and leads to new voter coalitions and to a new majority party for an extended time
• The most recent critical election was in 1932 or perhaps 1968, leading to a party realignment
• Changes in campaign finance laws have made it easier for candidates to raise their own money, reducing their reliance on the party
• Political parties attempt to use big tech, big data, and AI to target their political messaging and mobilize voters
• There are other parties besides Democrats and Republicans
• Biggest third parties as of 2022

  • Libertarian party
  • Green party
  • Constitution party
• There are new Centrist parties trying to appeal to moderate independent voters in 2024 called the Forward party and No Labels