AP U.S.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Unit 5- Political Participation

Governing is achieved directly through citizen participation and indirectly through institutions (e.g., political
parties, interest groups, and mass media) that inform, organize, and mobilize support to influence government
and politics, resulting in many venues for citizen influence on policy making.

The principle of self-government is dependent on both citizen participation and the operation of the various
linkage institutions that help citizens connect with the government. These institutions help people become a
part of the policy-making process.

Playing an important role in this process, the media report public opinion data and can sometimes influence the
formation of that opinion as well. The accuracy of public opinion data is dependent upon the scientific polling
methods that are used, and the results of these opinion polls are often used as a means of political influence.
The role the media play in this process is at times criticized for the bias demonstrated in the format, context,
and content of information distributed as well as the manner in which that bias impacts public understanding of
political information. Social media poses both opportunities and challenges for democratic participation.

Social movements, political parties, and interest groups also serve to connect the electorate with the
government by influencing the manner in which people relate to and participate in its composition, functions,
and policy-making agenda. Various social movements develop in response to conditions perceived as
negatively impacting specific groups of people; their political strategies are aimed at changing public policy in a
way that benefits the adversely impacted group. Political parties run campaigns in an attempt to win office and
make policy consistent with their platform and goals. Over time political parties respond to election results,
campaign laws, and changes in the way information is disseminated to the public. Even though political parties
are designed to connect the people with government, there are various barriers that interfere with this
connection, even to the extent of preventing candidates who represent interests outside the two major parties
from being elected. Finally, interest groups exist as a form of political participation for people with particular
policy concerns. While these groups exist for different causes, they are sometimes criticized for wielding a
disproportionate impact on the policy-making process based on their organized pressure tactics and allocation
of money for campaigns and lobbying.

Like political parties and interest groups, elections connect citizens with government. The number of eligible
voters has expanded over time based on various constitutional provisions, court rulings on voter access and
campaign finance, and legislation. The Fifteenth, Nineteenth, Twenty-Fourth, and Twenty-Sixth Amendments,
each a response to a specific social/political concern, serve to eliminate political discrimination against people
due to a citizen’s race, sex, age, and ability to pay a poll tax. Voter turnout is impacted by the various
provisions that states implement regarding voter requirements and qualifications that involve issues not
addressed in those amendments. Voter turnout varies widely from election to election, and political candidates
have taken advantage of technology and campaign finance laws to communicate their platforms more
effectively to the voting public. The data regarding voter turnout in the United States provides a foundation for
interesting analysis when compared to voter turnout in other democracies, and political scientists periodically
study why voter turnout in the U.S. falls below that in other similar republics.

Essential Questions:
● How have changes in technology influenced political communication and behavior?
● Why do levels of participation and influence in politics vary?
● How effective are the various methods of political participation in shaping public policies?
Big Idea #1- Factors associated with political ideology, efficacy, structural barriers, and demographics
influence the nature and degree of political participation.

Voting Rights

Describe how each expanded opportunity for political participation

15th Amendment

17th Amendment

19th Amendment

24th Amendment

26th Amendment

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Motor Voter Law

Models of Voting Behavior

Describe the different models of voting behavior. And, provide an

example.

Rational-choice voting

Retrospective voting

Prospective voting

Party-line voting

Governing of elections
Put a mark if the STATE Put a mark if the FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT governs GOVERNMENT governs the
the election. election.
Set times and locations, and most dates of
elections.
Has judicial jurisdiction on election policy
Certifies elections results days or weeks after
Election Day
Draws congressional district lines
Enforces relevant civil rights legislation
Sets date for federal, general elections
Chooses format of acceptable ballots and how
to file for candidacy.
Administers and enforces campaign finance
rules.
Addresses suffrage in constitutional
amendments.
Creates rules and procedures for voter
registration.
Special Note: In addition to the impact that demographics and political efficacy can have on voter choice and
turnout, structural barriers and type of election also affect voter turnout in the U.SImportant Terms to Know

Define

Demographics

Political Efficacy

Electorate

Demographics Put a mark if the Put a mark if the Put a mark if the group
group tends to vote group tends to tends to be inconclusive in
for Democrats. vote for their support of a political
Republicans. party.
Gender: Men
Gender: Women
Race: White
Race: Non-White
Education: College
Education: High School
Occupation: Professional/Business
Occupation: White Collar
Occupation: Manual Labor
Occupation: Union Members
Age: Under 30
Age: 30-49
Age: 50 and over
Religion: Protestant
Religion: Catholic
Region: East
Region: Midwest
Region: South
Region: West
Special Note: Demographic characteristics and political efficacy or engagement are used to predict the
likelihood of whether an individual will vote.

Voter Choice

Explain how each of the following factors influence voter choice in an election.

Party identification

Ideological orientation
Candidate characteristics

Contemporary political issues

Demographic characteristics such

as religious beliefs or affiliation,
gender, race and ethnicity

Big Idea #2- Political parties, interest groups, and social movements provide opportunities for
participation and influence how people relate to government and policy-makers.

Define Linkage Institution:

Linkage Institutions

List the 4 Linkage Describe each linkage institutions

Institutions

1.

2.

3.

4.

Political Parties: Functions and Impacts

Explain the role the political party plays in each of the following:

Mobilization and education of

voters

Party platforms

Candidate recruitment

Campaign management, including

fundraising and media strategy

The committee and party

leadership systems in legislatures
Special Note:
● Parties have adapted to candidate-centered campaigns, and their role in nominating candidates has
been weakened.
● Parties modify their policies and messaging to appeal to various demographic coalitions.
● Parties use communication technology and voter-data management to disseminate, control, and clarify
political messages and enhance outreach and mobilization efforts.

Terms
Define
Critical Election

Regional Realignment

Realignment

Divided Government

Critical Elections

Briefly describe how the election changed the structure of the political party
and/or the realignment that occurred.

1860

1896

1932

Special Note: Elections and political parties are related to major policy shifts or initiatives, occasionally
leading to political realignments of voting constituencies.

Third Parties
Explain why “winner-take-all” voting districts serve as
a barrier to third-party and independent candidates'
success.

List at least 2 3rd parties that have had some

success.

Special Note: The incorporation of third-party agendas into platforms of major political parties serves as a
barrier to third-party and independent candidate success.

Political Parties and Interest Groups

 Put a mark if this Put a mark if this statement
statement represents represents Interest Groups
Political Parties

Pick candidates

Run campaigns

Give cues to voters

Articulate policy

Coordinate policy

Educate voters and office holders

Draft legislation

Mobilize membership to apply pressure on

legislators and government agencies.

Iron Triangle
Bureaucratic
Agency

5) 3)
6) 4)

Interest 1) Congressional
Groups 2) Staffs & Committees

For each of the following statements, identify the number above in the process of the Iron Triangle
above.
Bureaucrats can choose to execute policies in a way that is favorable to members of
Congress who control their budgets and oversee their operations..

Bureaucrats, knowing that interest groups often have the ear of key members of Congress,
can implement policies and programs in ways that please interest groups. Keeping interest
groups happy, often keeps key members of Congress happy.
Interest groups lobby members of Congress for favorable policy. Congress members often
listen, because interest groups provide campaign funds and political advertising that can
influence voters at election time
In return for their support, members of Congress can provide interest groups with friendly
legislation. They can also, through their oversight function, put pressure on bureaucrats to
 implement programs and policies in a way that interest groups favor (
Interest groups will often lobby bureaucrats directly for favorable implementation of policies
that affect their members. Interest groups can also rally public support or disfavor for
bureaucrats and their agencies based on their performance.
Members of Congress make budgetary decisions that directly impact the funding that
bureaucratic agencies receive from year to year. Congress members can use this “power
of the purse” to influence how bureaucrats do their jobs. They also, through their oversight
power, can investigate and call out bureaucratic agencies that aren’t doing what Congress
wants them to.
Special Note: In addition to working within party coalitions, interest groups exert influence through long-
standing relationships with bureaucratic agencies, congressional committees, and other interest groups; such
relationships are described as “iron triangles” and issue networks and they help interest groups exert influence
across political party coalitions

Interest Groups and influence on public policy

Explain how interest group influence in elections and policy-making

may be impacted by each of the following?

Inequality of political and

economic resources

Unequal access to decision

makers

“Free rider” problem

Single Issue Groups

Ideological/Social Movements

Protest Movements

Special Note:
● Single-issue groups, ideological/social movements, and protest movements form with the goal of
impacting society and policy making.
● Competing actors such as interest groups, professional organizations, social movements, the military,
and bureaucratic agencies influence policy making, such as the federal budget process, at key stages
and to varying degrees.

Big Idea #3- The impact of federal policies on campaigning and electoral rules continues to be
contested by both sides of the political spectrum.
Presidential Elections

Define each term Explain the role of each process in a

Presidential Election (provide examples,
when applicable).

Incumbency
advantage
phenomenon

Open Primary

Closed Primary

Define each term Explain the role of each process in a

Presidential Election (provide examples,
when applicable).

Caucuses

Party Conventions

Congressional and
State Elections

Electoral College

Electoral College Basics

How many Electoral College
votes are needed to win the
Presidency?

Explain winner-take-all
allocation of votes.
What 2 states do not have
winner-take-all allocation? 1. 2.
How can a candidate win the
popular vote, but lose the
Electoral Colle vote?

Where is the Electoral College

explained in the U.S.
Constitution?
Special Note: The winner-take-all allocation of votes per state under the setup of the Electoral College
compared with the national popular vote for president raises questions about whether the Electoral College
facilitates or impedes democracy.

Congressional Elections

Define each term Explain the role of each process in the

U.S. Congressional Elections (provide
examples, when applicable).

Incumbency
advantage
phenomenon

Open Primary

Closed Primary

Caucuses

General
(presidential)
elections

General (mid-term)
elections

Political Action Committees (PACs)

Define Explain how each affects the election process.

PAC

Super PAC

Soft Money

Hard Money

Issue Ads

Special Note:
● Different types of political action committees (PACs) influence elections and policy making through
fundraising and spending.
● The benefits and drawbacks of modern campaigns are represented by:
o Dependence on professional consultants
o Rising campaign costs and intensive fundraising efforts
o Duration of election cycles
o Impact of and reliance on social media for campaign communication and fundraising

Campaign Finance: Acts of Congress and Supreme Court Decisions

Congressional Year Brief description of the law/case and Constitutional

Acts/Court Case outcome principles

Bipartisan Campaign
Reform Act of 2002

Citizen United v
Federal Election
Commission (FEC)

Special Notes:
 ● Federal legislation and case law pertaining to campaign finance demonstrate the ongoing debate over
the role of money in political and free speech
● Debates have increased over free speech and competitive and fair elections related to money and
campaign funding (including contributions from individuals, political action committees, and political
parties)

Big Idea #4- The various forms of media provide citizens with political information and influence the
ways in which they participate politically.

Role of the Media

Define Describe the unique characteristics of

each in the political process.

Investigative journalism

Election Coverage

Political commentary

“horse race” journalism

Special Note: Traditional news media, new communication technologies, and advances in social media have
profoundly influenced how citizens routinely acquire political information, including new events, investigative
journalism, election coverage, and political commentary.
Type of Journalism
Put a mark if Put a mark if Put a mark if
Investigative Election Coverage Political
Journalism Commentary
Factual accounts of events and people.
Delivered by the guests on a talk show.
Opinions of experts of people with political
goals.
Spend months or years researching and
preparing a report
“Horse Race” Journalism
Time consuming and expensive
Special Note:
● The media’s use of polling results to convey popular levels of trust and confidence in government can
impact elections by turning such events into “horse races” based more on popularity and factors other
than qualifications and platforms of candidates.

Political Participation and Media Coverage

Describe how political participation is influenced by a
variety of media coverage, analysis, and
commentary on political events.

Describe and explain the rapidly increasing demand

for media and political communications outlets from
an ideologically diverse audience have led to
debates over media bias and the impact of media
ownership and partisan news sites.
Explain how the nature of democratic debate and the level of political knowledge among citizens is impacted
by:
● Increased media choices

● Ideologically oriented programming

● Consumer-driven media outlets and emerging technologies that reinforce existing beliefs

● Uncertainty over the credibility of news sources and information