| A | B |
|---|
| Civil Rights Act of 1964 | act that prohibited the use of any registration requirement that resulted in discrimination and paved the way for the involvement of the federal government to enforce the law |
| Fairness doctrine | scrapped in 1987, it provided that the media air opposing opinions of the same issue. |
| Literacy laws | declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, they were passed by southern states after the Civil War aimed at making reading a requirement for voting so that freed slaves could not vote. |
| Mass media | consisting of television, radio, newspapers, and magazines, they reach a large segment of the population. It is also considered one of the linkage institutions. |
| Motor Voter Act of 1993 | signed into law by President Clinton, it enables people to register to vote at motor vehicle departments. |
| Photo ops | photo opportunities. |
| Political socialization | the factors that determine voting behavior such as family, religion, and ethnic background. |
| Poll tax | made illegal by the Twenty-Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, it was a tax instituted by mainly southern states as a condition to vote and had the effect of preventing African Americans from voting. |
| Public opinion polls | scientific surveys aimed at gauging public preference of candidates and issues. |
| Simpson-Marzzoli Act (1987) | act that resulted in more than 2 million illegal aliens who were living in this country since 1982 being allowed to apply for legal status. |
| Solid South | dominance by the Democratic Party in the South following the Civil War |
| Sound bites | 30- or 60-second statements by politicians aired on the evening news shows or Sunday morning talk shows. |
| Suffrage | the right to vote guaranteed to African Americans in the Fourteenth Amendment and women in the Nineteenth Amendment. |
| Information superhighway | a linked conglomerate of computer-generated information also known as the Internet. |
| Talking heads | politicians who use sound bites or other means to present a superficial look at a policy position rather than an in-depth approach in explaining their views |
| Voting Rights Act of 1965 | act that finally made the Fifteenth Amendment a reality |
