Flashcards › Social Studies › Civics
Elections and Voting
How Americans choose leaders: voting rights history, parties, campaigns and the Electoral College.
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62 cards
- ElectionTermA process where voters choose officials or decide questions
- VoterTermA person who casts a vote
- Voting ageTerm18 in the United States
- Voter registrationTermSigning up in order to vote; rules vary by state
- BallotTermForm or screen where voters mark their choices
- Secret ballotTermVoting privately so no one knows your choice
- Polling placeTermLocation where people vote on Election Day
- Absentee ballotTermA ballot sent by mail to someone who cannot vote in person
- Early votingTermVoting before Election Day
- Election DayTermTuesday after the first Monday in November for federal elections
- Presidential termTermFour years
- Midterm electionTermElection in the middle of a president's term
- PrimaryTermElection to choose each party's candidate
- CaucusTermA meeting where party members choose candidates
- National conventionTermMeeting where a party nominates its presidential candidate
- Running mateTermA presidential candidate's choice for vice president
- CampaignTermThe effort to win votes
- DebateTermEvent where candidates discuss issues
- PlatformTermA party's goals
- Swing stateTermA state where either party could win
- Electoral CollegeTerm538 electors who formally choose the president
- Electoral votes neededTerm270 of 538
- ElectorTermA person chosen by a state to cast electoral votes
- Winner-take-allTermIn most states, the candidate who wins the state gets all its electoral votes
- Popular voteTermThe total number of votes cast by individual voters
- InaugurationTermCeremony when a new president takes office, January 20
- Oath of officeTermPromise taken by officials when they start their jobs
- Two-party systemTermPolitics dominated by two main parties
- Democratic PartyTermOne of the two major US parties, founded in the 1820s-1830s
- Republican PartyTermOne of the two major US parties, founded in 1854
- Third partyTermA smaller party outside the two major ones
- IndependentTermA voter or candidate not tied to a party
- GerrymanderingTermDrawing district lines to give one group an advantage
- RedistrictingTermRedrawing voting districts after each census
- DistrictTermAn area represented by one official
- CensusTermCount of all people, every ten years
- ReapportionmentTermReassigning House seats among states after the census
- SuffrageTermThe right to vote
- 1789TermEarly voting was limited mostly to property-owning white men in many states
- 15th Amendment (1870)TermSaid race could not deny the right to vote
- 19th Amendment (1920)TermWomen gained the right to vote nationwide
- SuffragistsTermPeople who worked for women's right to vote
- Seneca Falls (1848)TermFirst women's rights convention
- Susan B. AnthonyTermSuffrage leader who was arrested for voting in 1872
- Alice PaulTermSuffragist who led marches and picketing for the 19th Amendment
- Indian Citizenship Act (1924)TermMade Native Americans citizens; some states still blocked voting for years
- Poll taxTermFee for voting, used to keep poor and Black voters away
- 24th Amendment (1964)TermBanned poll taxes in federal elections
- Literacy testTermReading test used to keep Black citizens from voting
- Voting Rights Act (1965)TermProtected voting rights and ended many barriers
- Selma marchesTerm1965 marches for voting rights in Alabama
- 26th Amendment (1971)TermLowered the voting age to 18
- Motor Voter Act (1993)TermLet people register while getting a driver's license
- Ballot measureTermA question put to voters directly
- RecallTermA vote to remove an official before their term ends, in some states
- Exit pollTermSurvey of voters leaving polling places
- Election observerTermPerson who watches voting to make sure it is fair
- TurnoutTermPercent of eligible voters who vote
- IncumbentTermPerson currently holding office
- Term limitsTermLaws limiting how many terms someone can serve
- Campaign financeTermHow candidates raise and spend money
- Why vote?TermElections let citizens choose leaders and influence laws
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