chapter 12

Question 1

Closed primaries

Answer 1

a voter must declare in advance his or her party membership, and on election day votes in that party’s election. Most states have closed primaries

Question 2

political efficacy

Answer 2

the belief that one can make a difference in politics by expressing an opinion and acting politically

Question 3

plurality

Answer 3

Voting system in which the candidate who receives the most votes within a geographic area wins the election, regardless if they win the majority

Question 4

Single-member districts

Answer 4

in any district the election determines one representative or official

Question 5

fiscal policy

Answer 5

States and federal (typically refers to federal)
taxes and spending

Question 6

monetary policy

Answer 6

federal
interest rates, banking regulations

Question 7

open primaries

Answer 7

a voter can decide when he/she enters the voting booth which party’s primary to participate in. Only a few states have open primaries

Question 8

blanket primaries

Answer 8

a voter marks a ballot that lists candidates for all parties, and can select the Republican for one office and a Democrat for another. Very few states have primaries of this type

Question 9

cajun primary

Answer 9

All candidates, whether independent or partisan, are on the ballot and if no one wins a majority vote a runoff is held. Appeals to independents

Question 10

caucus

Answer 10

A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement.

Question 11

winner takes all system

Answer 11

when a candidate who gets the most votes wins all of a state’s electoral votes.

Question 12

faithless elector

Answer 12

one that casts a vote that doesn’t reflect the state’s popular vote

Question 13

10th amendment

Answer 13

the Federal Government only has those powers delegated in the Constitution. If it isn’t listed, it belongs to the states or to the people.

Question 14

benchmark poll

Answer 14

initial poll on a candidate and issues on which campaign strategy is based and against which later polls are compared.

Question 15

frontloading

Answer 15

occurs when states move their primary elections to earlier calendar dates, in order to have more influence in the selection of candidates.

Question 16

primaries

Answer 16

a preliminary election to appoint delegates to a party conference or to select the candidates for a principal, especially presidential, election.

Question 17

Super Delegates

Answer 17

current or former officials such as governors, former presidents, and members of Congress who attend the Democratic National Convention

Question 18

The Reform Act of 1974

Answer 18

governs the disclosure of political campaign contributions, spending by candidates and ballot measure committees.

Question 19

The 1976 Amendments

Answer 19

allowed corporations, labor unions, and special interest groups to set up political action committees (PACs) to raise money for candidates

Question 20

Buckley v. Valeo

Answer 20

the Supreme Court ruled that limiting the amount a candidate could spend on his/her own campaign was unconstitutional

Question 21

soft money

Answer 21

funds not specified for candidates’ campaigns, but given to political parties for “party building” activities

Question 22

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002

Answer 22

banned soft money to national parties and placed curbs on the use of campaign ads by outside interest groups

Question 23

Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, 2007

Answer 23

increased restrictions on lobbying and bundling

Question 24

lobbying

Answer 24

organized attempt to influence legislators.

Question 25

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 2010

Answer 25

cannot limit how much individuals, corporations, and unions, spend on their own campaign,

Question 26

relationship between The bipartisan Campaign Reform Act and Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

Answer 26

Citizens United overturned the Bipartisan Campaign Act

Question 27

Political Action Committees (PACs)

Answer 27

a private group responsible for raising and spending funds for use in election campaigns

Question 28

aggregate spending

Answer 28

the total amount of money donors can give to all candidates, committees and political parties during an election cycle

Question 29

who did the court side with in Buckley v. Valeo

Answer 29

Buckley: limits on candidate spending was a violation of free speech rights for candidates

Question 30

base limit spending

Answer 30

the amount given to an individual campaign or to a political party

Question 31

National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC)

Answer 31

agreement among a group of states and the District of Columbia to cast all of their electoral votes for the presidential candidate that wins the national popular vote