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Unit 5 · Political Participation FlashcardsCheat SheetEssentialsVisual ReviewMC PracticeFRQ Practice

AP Government Unit 5 Visual Review

14 visual slides walking through voting rights, party functions, interest groups, elections, campaign finance, and the media's role as a linkage institution. Use arrow keys to navigate.

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UNIT 5 · SLIDE 1 Political Participation: Linkage Institutions AP U.S. Government · 20–27% of Exam Citizens Opinions & preferences Political Parties Nominate & organize candidates Elections Voting, primaries, Electoral College Interest Groups Lobby & file amicus briefs Media Sets agenda, covers races Government Policymakers → → → → → THESE FOUR "LINKAGE INSTITUTIONS" CONNECT CITIZENS TO GOVERNMENT — ALONG WITH: Voter Turnout Campaign Finance Third Parties Modern Campaigns Electoral College Linkage institutions translate what citizens want into what government does — and shape how citizens see government. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 5 SLIDE 2 · EXPANDING THE FRANCHISE Voting Rights Timeline 1870 15th Amendment Bars denying the vote based on race Barrier: poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clauses persisted 1920 19th Amendment Women win the right to vote Barrier: women of color still blocked by race-based barriers 1961 23rd Amendment Grants Washington D.C. 3 electoral votes Barrier: D.C. still has no voting member of Congress 1964 24th Amendment Bans poll taxes in federal elections Barrier: some states kept poll taxes for state/local elections 1965 Voting Rights Act Bans literacy tests; federal preclearance Barrier: preclearance formula gutted by Shelby Co. v. Holder ('13) 1971 26th Amendment Lowers voting age to 18 Barrier: registration deadlines still limit youth turnout Six milestones widened who could vote — but each left structural barriers for the next reform to address. "Old enough to fight, old enough to vote" drove the 26th Amendment during the Vietnam War draft. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 5 SLIDE 3 · WHY PEOPLE VOTE THE WAY THEY DO Four Models of Voting Behavior Rational-Choice Voting Voters weigh costs & benefits and pick whichever candidate/policy most benefits their own self-interest. Ex: a small-business owner votes for the candidate proposing small-business tax cuts Retrospective Voting Voters judge the incumbent (or their party) on how well things went during their time in office — a report card. Ex: voting out an incumbent because the economy struggled during their term Prospective Voting Voters choose based on a candidate's future promises and proposed policies — what they say they'll do next term. Ex: choosing a candidate for their stated healthcare plan for next term Party-Line Voting Voters choose based on party identification rather than evaluating each candidate or issue individually. Ex: a lifelong Democrat votes a straight Democratic ticket down the whole ballot Most real voters blend all four models — the AP exam asks you to identify which one a scenario illustrates. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 5 SLIDE 4 · TURNOUT PATTERNS Voter Turnout — Who Votes, and Why TURNOUT RISES WITH AGE, EDUCATION & INCOME Age 65+ ~72% 18–24 ~48% Education College grad ~74% No college ~51% Income Top quintile ~76% Bottom quintile ~46% AP Tip Know the direction of each relationship — exact percentages matter less than trends. Why Turnout Is Depressed • Low political efficacy — feeling your vote/voice doesn't matter • Advance registration deadlines and paperwork requirements • Strict voter ID laws • Limited polling locations/hours, long lines in some precincts • Tuesday, workday Election Day • Felon disenfranchisement laws (vary widely by state) • No same-day registration in many states The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 5 SLIDE 5 · WHAT PARTIES DO The Five Core Functions of Political Parties 1 Mobilize & Educate Voters Register voters, explain the ballot, and drive turnout on election day. 2 Develop Party Platforms Write policy positions that give voters a clear choice of vision. 3 Recruit Candidates Find, train, and support people to run for office up and down the ballot. 4 Run & Manage Campaigns Handle messaging, fundraising, and get-out-the-vote operations. 5 Organize the Legislature Sort members into caucuses, assign committees, and pick leadership. Parties are one of the two major linkage institutions that connect citizen preferences to government action. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 5 SLIDE 6 · PARTIES IN FLUX Why Parties Change and Adapt Candidate-Centered Campaigns Candidates now build their own staff, donor lists, and media strategy — often independent of the party organization that once ran party-centered campaigns. Weakens party control over nominees Critical / Realigning Elections Sharp, lasting shifts in which groups support each party — new coalitions form around a major crisis or issue and the new alignment persists for decades. Ex: 1932 — New Deal realignment Shifting Coalitions As the electorate's demographics — race, education, geography, religion — change, parties adjust platforms to hold onto old supporters and win new ones. Ex: college-educated suburban voters Technology & Data Social media, texting, and voter-file databases let parties and candidates target messages directly to voters — bypassing traditional party machinery. Reshapes how campaigns are strategized Parties are not fixed institutions — they constantly adapt to survive new political and technological realities. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 5 SLIDE 7 · THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM Why Third Parties Rarely Win VS Winner-Take-All (U.S.) Single winner takes the whole district Coming in 2nd or 3rd earns zero seats Voters fear a 3rd-party vote is "wasted" Proportional Representation Seats awarded to match vote share A party with 15% of votes wins seats Common in many multi-party democracies Major-Party Co-optation When a third-party idea gains real popularity, a major party adopts it — absorbing the third party's appeal before it can build lasting momentum. Ballot-Access Laws State laws often require costly petition signatures, filing fees, and deadlines for a third party just to appear on the ballot — set up by the two major parties. Structural rules, not lack of popular ideas, are the main reason U.S. third parties almost never win office. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 5 SLIDE 8 · HOW INTEREST GROUPS OPERATE Interest Groups & the Iron Triangle Lobbying Congress Meeting with members/staff to shape bills and provide expertise on complex policy issues Amicus Curiae Briefs "Friend of the court" filings that argue a position to judges in cases the group didn't file Grassroots & PAC Money Mobilizing members and giving campaign contributions to build access to friendly lawmakers Interest Groups Congressional Committees Executive Agencies funding & testimony favorable regulations budgets & oversight Each corner helps the other two — a mutually reinforcing, hard-to-break policy relationship. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 5 SLIDE 9 · THE ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE Electing a President 1. Primaries & Caucuses States select delegates who support a candidate Jan–June of election year → 2. Conventions Delegates formally nominate the ticket Summer, election year → 3. General Election Citizens vote for a slate of electors 1st Tuesday, November → 4. Electoral College Electors cast votes; 270 wins presidency December, formally Open vs. Closed Primaries Open: Any registered voter may vote in either party's primary Closed: Only voters registered with that party may vote in its primary Caucuses vs. Primaries Caucus: In-person local meetings; voters group publicly by candidate Primary: Standard secret-ballot election, run by the state — far more common Remember: citizens don't directly elect the president — they elect electors who then vote in the Electoral College. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 5 SLIDE 10 · HOW WE ACTUALLY ELECT A PRESIDENT The Electoral College 538 total electors 270 electoral votes to win Winner-Take-All Rule 48 states + D.C. award ALL their electoral votes to the state's popular-vote winner. Exceptions: Maine & Nebraska split votes by congressional district When the Electoral College Winner Differs From the Popular Vote 1876 Hayes over Tilden 1888 Harrison over Cleveland 2000 Bush over Gore 2016 Trump over Clinton Critics call this a democratic legitimacy problem; supporters say it protects smaller states' voice. A candidate can win the presidency while losing the national popular vote. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 5 SLIDE 11 · THE CAMPAIGN MACHINE Modern Campaigns Have Industrialized Professional Consultants Pollsters, ad-makers, and strategists now run campaigns as a full-time, paid profession — not volunteers from the local party organization. Rising Campaign Costs Ads, data, travel, and staff now cost billions per cycle nationally — driving a nonstop fundraising treadmill for candidates at every level of office. Longer Election Cycles Presidential campaigning now starts a year or more before the first primary vote — the "permanent campaign" blurs the line between governing and running. Data & Microtargeting Voter-file analytics let campaigns send tailored messages to narrow slices of the electorate — a suburban parent sees a different ad than a retiree. Together these forces turned campaigns from local, volunteer-driven efforts into year-round professional operations. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 5 SLIDE 12 · MONEY IN POLITICS Campaign Finance: BCRA to Super PACs Before 2002 Hard money (limited, to candidates) vs. soft money (unlimited, to parties) 2002 BCRA (McCain-Feingold) Bans soft money to national parties; restricts issue ads near an election 2010 Citizens United v. FEC Allows unlimited independent expenditures by corporations, unions & nonprofits Today PACs • Directly connected to a candidate • Contributions are capped by law • May give directly to campaigns • Regulated by the FEC Ex: a corporation's employee PAC Super PACs • Legally independent of candidates • Can raise/spend unlimited sums • Cannot coordinate with a campaign • Only independent expenditures Made possible by Citizens United (2010) Know the sequence: BCRA tightened the rules in 2002; Citizens United loosened them again in 2010. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 5 SLIDE 13 · THE MEDIA'S ROLE Media as a Linkage Institution Citizens → Media (TV, print, digital) Filters and frames what reaches the public → Government Agenda-Setting The media decides which stories are "newsworthy" — shaping what issues the public (and politicians) end up talking and thinking about. Doesn't tell you WHAT to think — tells you WHAT to think ABOUT. Horse-Race Coverage Elections get framed like a race — who's ahead in the polls, campaign strategy, and momentum — rather than the substance of policy issues. Critics argue it crowds out coverage of substantive policy positions. Traditional media remains a core linkage institution — connecting citizens' awareness to government and elections. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 5 SLIDE 14 · THE NEW MEDIA LANDSCAPE Changing Media & Political Participation Partisan & Niche News Cable and online outlets now cater to narrow ideological audiences instead of one shared broadcast-era audience. Echo Chambers & Filter Bubbles Social-media algorithms show users more of what they already agree with, narrowing exposure to other views. Misinformation & Disinformation False or misleading content spreads quickly online, often faster than fact- checking or official correction can catch up. New Tools for Engagement Social media also lowers the cost of organizing, fundraising, and reaching young or previously disengaged voters. + Mobilization Easier to organize & spread awareness to new participants − Polarization Deepens divides & makes shared facts harder to agree on The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 5
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Slide 1: Political Participation: Linkage Institutions

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Spend about 30 seconds per slide before advancing. Look at the diagram, read the labels, and ask yourself: "Could I explain this to someone else?" If not, stay on the slide a bit longer.

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