Key Terms
Political participation
Action that expresses an individual's political will.
Self-government
The people of a country grant the power to govern — either through direct or indirect representation. No self-government
Sovereign
In self-governing states, the people hold supreme power. They elect officials to represent them.
Suffrage
The right to vote.
Voter turnout
The percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election.
Eligible voters
Those who meet the requirements of their locality or state to cast a ballot.
Original (founding)
White male landowners over 21 only. 1856: Landowning requirements eliminated.
Two categories
Individual-level factors and institutional factors.
Voter registration
US relies on individuals to register; most countries with higher turnout have automatic registration. States with automa
Voter ID laws
Require government-issued ID to vote. Those without ID are disproportionately non-White, low-income, or elderly.
Gerrymandering
Manipulating district boundaries to favor one party over another. Affects whether voters feel their vote can change outc
Jim Crow laws
Enforced until 1965. Used literacy tests, poll taxes, residency requirements, and outright violence to prevent Black vot
Definition
The social networks and connections that produce communities with norms of reciprocity — where being connected benefits
Social media and social capital
Early studies found a small but positive relationship between social media use and social capital production. More recen
Public opinion
The aggregation of individual views that people hold on an issue at a given point in time and are willing to express ope