Summary of AP Gov | Unit 5 Review | NEW!

AP Gov | Unit 5 Review Summary

Main Ideas and Concepts

Unit 5: Political Participation
This unit covers how citizens engage with government institutions through voting, Political Parties, Interest Groups, elections, and the media. It explores why people participate politically or abstain, and how identity and structural factors influence participation.

Expansion of Political Participation (Constitutional Amendments)

Several amendments expanded voting rights and political participation opportunities:

14th Amendment: Citizenship for all born or naturalized in the U.S., including formerly enslaved people
15th Amendment: Prohibited voter discrimination based on race
17th Amendment: Direct election of senators
19th Amendment: Prohibited voter discrimination based on sex
24th Amendment: Banned poll taxes
26th Amendment: Lowered voting age to 18

Voting Behavior Models

Four models explain why and how people vote:

Rational Choice Voting: Voting based on individual self-interest
Straight Ticket Voting: Voting exclusively for one party’s candidates
Retrospective Voting: Voting based on the incumbent’s recent performance
Prospective Voting: Voting based on expectations of future performance

Other influences include party identification (the strongest predictor), candidate traits, political issues, religion, gender, race, and ethnicity.

Political Efficacy and Demographics

Political efficacy: Belief in one’s ability to influence politics increases participation
Older, more educated, and higher-income individuals are more likely to vote
Structural factors like voter registration laws, early voting, absentee/mail-in voting, polling hours, and voter ID laws affect turnout
Turnout is higher in presidential elections than midterms

Linkage Institutions

These connect citizens to government:

Political Parties: Aim to win elections and influence policy by mobilizing voters, establishing platforms, recruiting candidates, managing campaigns, fundraising, and media strategy
Interest Groups: Influence policy by educating voters/officials, lobbying, drafting legislation, mobilizing members, fundraising (PACs), and influencing bureaucratic agencies and courts (amicus curiae briefs)
Elections: Mechanism for choosing leaders and holding them accountable
News Media: Acts as gatekeeper, agenda setter, watchdog, and informer

Changes in Political Parties

Rise of candidate-centered politics weakens party control
Critical elections can realign party coalitions (e.g., Civil Rights era)
Primaries reduce party leaders’ influence over candidate selection
Campaign finance changes allow candidates to raise their own money
Parties use big tech for targeted messaging and mobilization
Third parties face structural barriers: winner-take-all districts, co-optation of issues by major parties, and voter perception of wasted votes

Interest Groups

Purpose: Influence public policy for specific or broad goals
Use lobbyists to provide information and draft legislation
Mobilize members to pressure policymakers
Raise campaign funds via PACs and Super PACs
Influence bureaucratic agencies through iron triangles and issue networks
Use amicus curiae briefs to influence Supreme Court decisions
Face challenges: unequal resources/access and the free rider problem

Social Movements

Broad grassroots efforts to push major policy change
May lack leadership, resources, and clear objectives, limiting success

Elections Overview

Incumbency advantage: Incumbents often win due to experience, donor networks, and visibility
Two main types:
- Primaries: Party members select candidates; can be open or closed
- General elections: Winners take office
National Conventions: Officially nominate party candidates based on delegate counts
Electoral College: President chosen by majority (270) of electoral votes; 48 states use winner-take-all system
Candidates focus on swing/battleground states
Small states are overrepresented due to minimum electoral votes
Arguments for Electoral College: state role, geographic balance, protection against mob rule
Arguments against: overpowers popular vote, empowers swing states, discourages third parties
Voter turnout is higher in general elections than primaries or midterms; primary voters tend to be more partisan

Congressional Elections

Similar primary/general system as presidential elections
Incumbency advantage stronger due to casework, PAC contributions, name recognition, media visibility

Modern Campaigns

Depend on professional consultants
Rising costs and long election cycles (up to 2 years)
Heavy use of social media for communication and fundraising

Campaign Finance

Hard money: Direct, regulated contributions to candidates
Soft money: Unregulated contributions to parties for general purposes (banned by Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act - BCRA)
BCRA (2002): Banned soft money, limited corporate ads

Notable Quotes

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