Voting rights, turnout, parties, interest groups, elections, campaign finance, and media — the largest unit on the exam, condensed into one reference.
Exam weight: 20–27% — the largest unit. Expect 12–17 MC questions and at least one FRQ drawing on Unit 5 material. The required case Citizens United v. FEC (2010) belongs here. One required document — Federalist No. 10 — connects strongly to interest groups and political parties.
Four linkage institutions: (1) Political parties · (2) Interest groups · (3) Elections · (4) Media. Every topic in Unit 5 relates to one or more of these channels connecting citizens to government.
| Amendment | Year | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| 14th | 1868 | Citizenship to all born or naturalized in the U.S. (including formerly enslaved people); equal protection clause |
| 15th | 1870 | African American men cannot be denied the right to vote based on race |
| 17th | 1913 | Direct popular election of U.S. senators (previously chosen by state legislatures) |
| 19th | 1920 | Women's suffrage — cannot deny the right to vote based on sex |
| 24th | 1964 | Eliminated poll taxes — fees used to suppress Black and poor voters |
| 26th | 1971 | Lowered voting age to 18 |
Higher turnout: older, wealthier, more-educated, presidential election years. Lower turnout: younger, lower-income, less-educated, midterm years.
Political efficacy = belief that your vote matters. High efficacy → higher participation. Structural barriers = state-controlled rules that make voting harder: ID requirements, registration deadlines, limited hours, fewer polling places.
Five functions: mobilize/educate voters · create party platforms · recruit candidates · manage campaigns/fundraising · organize committees in legislatures.
Stable three-way relationship: congressional committee ↔ executive agency ↔ interest group. Each benefits. Creates policy stability and can lock out public interest voices.
Well-funded groups (AARP, business associations) have far more influence than diffuse public interests. Money → lobbyists → access → policy outcomes.
| Concept | Key facts |
|---|---|
| Incumbency advantage | Name recognition, fundraising, media access, constituent services → 90%+ congressional reelection rate |
| Open primary | Any registered voter may vote in either party's primary |
| Closed primary | Only registered party members may vote in that party's primary; produces more ideologically extreme nominees |
| Caucus | In-person party meeting; Iowa is first and most famous presidential caucus |
| Electoral College | 538 electors; 270 needed to win; most states use winner-take-all; candidate can win presidency while losing popular vote |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Hard money | Donations directly to a candidate; federally regulated and capped |
| Soft money | Donations to parties for "party-building"; was unlimited until BCRA (2002) banned it |
| BCRA (2002) | McCain-Feingold Act: banned soft money, required "Stand by Your Ad" disclosures |
| Citizens United (2010) | Required case: political spending by corporations/unions = protected First Amendment speech → Super PACs |
| PAC | Raises money to support candidates; subject to contribution limits |
| Super PAC | Independent expenditure group; unlimited fundraising and spending; cannot coordinate with candidates |