Ch. 5-7 Review Flashcards
A group of persons who seek to control the government through the winning of elections
Political Party
Two major political parties in the United States
Republican and Democratic
A political party without wide voter support
minor party
First two political parties in the U.S.
Federalists and Anti-Federalists
The largest number of votes cast for the office given to the winning candidate in single-member districts
plurality
What kind of party system does the United States have?
two-party system
What does a multiparty system often lead to?
instabilty in government
A temporary alliance of several goups who come together to form a working majority and so to control a government
Coalition
The current office holder in government
Incumbent
First Republican President
Abraham Lincoln
What are the people who are eligiable to vote in an election called?
electorate
Ward
voting sections a city is divided into for elections
Precinct
voting sections a county is divided into for elections
What has weakened the state of the parties in the U.S. ?
lack of voters
15th Amendment
gave the right to vote to men regardless of race or color
19th Amendment
gave the right to vote to everyone regardless of sex, race, or color
23rd Amendment
gave district of Columbia cizitens the right to vote
24th Amendment
eliminated poll tax as a voting condition in federal elections
26th Amendment
set the voting age to minimum of 18 years of age
Who has the power to set voting qualifications?
The states with restrictions
Qualifcations needed to vote in the U.S.
U. S. Citizenship, U.S. residence, and at least 18 years of age
Who cannot vote in elections?
mentally incompetent, convicted of crimes, and dishonorably discharged from Armed Forces
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Outlaw discrimination in public services, voting, and courts
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Applied the 15th Amendment to all elections: state and federal.
What is the chief cause of nonvoting?
Lack of Interest
Straight ticket voting
Voting for candidates of only one party
Split ticket voting
voting for candidates of mutiple parties
Independents
those who have no party affiliation
Nomination
naming of those who seek office
General Elections
regularly scheduled elections which voters make the final selection of office holder
Five ways Nominations are made
self-annoucement, caucus, convention, direct primary, petition
Caucus
a group of like-minded people who meet at certain times to select candidates for office
Direct primary
election held within a party to elect candidates for office
Closed primary
Only declared party members can vote
Open primary
a party nominating election in which any qualified voter can take part
Runoff primary
the second primary that occurs if no nominee obtained majority in the first primary. Then, the top two nominee’s with most votes faces each other.
Has the power to set the time for choosing presidential electors, to set the date for casting the electoral votes, and to regulate other aspects of the presidential election process
Congress
When are congressional elections held?
The 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in November in even numbered years (every four years for president, 6 years for Senators, 2 years for Representatives)
Polling Place
place where voters who live in a precient go to vote
Ballot
device by which a voter registers a choice in election
PAC
Political Action Committees; political Arms of special interest groups
