Political Participation - AP US Government

In United States history four Presidents have been assassinated—John F. Kennedy, James Garfield, Abraham Lincoln, and William McKinley. William Henry Harrison succumbed to illness during the first weeks of his Presidency.

Young people generally have the lowest percentage of people turning out to vote; the levels of voting impact have a large impact on which political party wins an election; the most important distinction between candidates, in the eyes of the voter, is which political party the candidate is affiliated with. The only true answer choice available is that the majority of the electorate does not vote in elections. There has been a general decline in voter turnout throughout American history.

A parochial participant is someone who rarely votes or engages in national or even state level politics. Instead, these individuals believe that the best way to effect change is to become active in their local community and seek to make a difference through town or district politics. It is someone who is active in the local community, but ignores large-scale politics.

During the 1960s, there was a massive countercultural movement going on in the United States of America. In the latter part of the decade, this movement became particularly involved in protesting the Vietnam War. Richard Nixon used the phrase “silent majority” in a speech in 1969; the term refers to the non-vocal majority of the American population who he believed favored a continuation of American politics and who were underrepresented in the national media at the time.

Political efficacy is the correct answer. This is the belief that the individual can influence the actions of the government. Social capital involves the development of a social network. Democratic consensus is the belief that through democracy, citizens will come to an agreement. Political prowess refers to skill in the political realm. Laissez-faire is a term that involves a hands-off approach by the government.

To be qualified for membership in the senate, one must be at least 30 years of age. A senator must also be a United States citizen for at least 9 years and must live in the state that they represent. The Vice President is president over the Senate and also serves as a tie breaker when necessary. Unlike the House of Representatives, which is population dependent, there are 2 Senators representing every state.

The March on Washington was one of the largest protests in American history, with an estimated 250,000 people gathering on the Washington Mall to force congress to pass civil rights legislation. After the August 28, 1963 March, many Civil Rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. and A. Philip Randolph met with members of congress. After a long legislative process, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which legally prohibited discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin, was passed on July 2, 1964.

The most consistently conservative voting bloc in contemporary America is white Protestants.

"Civic Duty" refers to the idea that every able and eligible American has a responsibility to vote in elections and engage in the political process. The phrase is generally intended to encourage people to appreciate and take advantage of the fact that they live in a liberal and democratic society.

Voter turnout has generally steadily declined throughout American history, from it’s high point in the middle of the nineteenth century to its general low point today. The highest elections for voter turnout were 1876 and 1860. Part of the reason for declining voter turnout is the dramatic increase in eligible voters over the years, another reason might be the declining (although not dramatically declining) sectarian nature of American politics.

The list of people that is more likely than average to vote in an election include the wealthy and well-educated, those with active community involvement, those with strong religious beliefs, and homeowners. For reasons that probably relate to the concept of permanency, people who rent property are much less likely to vote in an election.

Someone who self-identifies as liberal would be likely to support an increase in marriage equality and the right of a woman to have access to contraception and abortion. Liberals also generally support higher government spending on social programs—particularly welfare and education. Liberals favor tax breaks for the poor and higher tax rates for the wealthy; however, in contemporary American society Liberals do not generally support an increase in military spending. This is something of an anomaly as far as the political spectrum is concerned. Liberals are supposed to favor greater government spending, and Conservatives are supposed to favor limited government spending, but when it comes to the military this is reversed. This is partially a by-product of the way in which the two major political parties are constructed in contemporary American society.

All of these statements are false, except that people with a higher income are more likely to vote in an election. Those with a higher income are much more likely than the average citizen to vote; well-educated people are also more likely to vote; minorities and women are both, in current times, more likely to vote Democrat; Evangelical Christians are more likely than average to vote in an election and often swing the Republican primaries quite dramatically.

The Reverse-Income Effect refers to the fact that, in poorer areas of the United States the Republican Party enjoys majority support, while in wealthier areas the Democratic Party enjoys majority support. This is considered unusual, because the Republican Party’s policies appear to favor the wealthy, while the Democratic Party’s policies appear to favor the poor. People do not generally (historically speaking) vote against their own economic interests so there must be other important factors at play.

Straight-ticket voting refers to the action of voting exclusively for members of one political party on an election ballot. It essentially means that an individual, when faced with a choice between two candidates, does not consider the nature or beliefs of the candidates at all and simply votes based on party lines. It was particularly common in American politics up until the 1960s, but still remains common today.