Political scienceLesson 1 of 4 in the course Political Participation and Public Opinion

Political Participation, Voting Rights, and Voter Turnout

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Political participation connects individuals to the decisions and institutions that shape public life. This lesson introduces the meaning of political participation and explains why self-government is necessary for people to take part in governing.

Political participation is action that expresses an individual’s political will. It includes activities through which people try to shape government, public decisions, or the selection of leaders. Voting is one important example, but participation can take many forms, which will be explored throughout the chapter.

All flashcards

Suffrage
The right to vote.
One person, one vote
The principle that each person’s vote should carry equal weight.
Political salience
The extent to which voters believe their actions can connect to meaningful political outcomes.
Proportional representation
An electoral system that allocates legislative seats in proportion to parties’ share of the vote.
Social capital
Social networks that help people connect and work with one another.

Quiz questions

  1. What did the US Supreme Court require in Reynolds v. Sims (1964)?Answer: State legislative districts to have roughly equal populations.
  2. Which amendment prohibited denying the vote on the basis of sex?Answer: The 19th Amendment.
  3. What change did the 26th Amendment make to the US voting age?Answer: It lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.
  4. What is compulsory voting?Answer: A requirement that citizens vote, sometimes with penalties for not doing so.
  5. In a comparison of 35 OECD countries using 2016 election data, what was the United States’ turnout ranking?Answer: 30th.

Based on Introduction to Political Science by Mark Carl Rom, Masaki Hidaka, Rachel Bzostek Walker (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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