Chapter 7 Flashcards
This is the cohesive list of issues and concerns that a party puts together to campaign upon
Party platform
When candidates run for office, they are most likely to choose _______ or _______ office first
Local; state
Candidates moving from one office to another very often have money available in their ________ because they are allowed to keep earlier donations according to FEC guidelines if they intend to run for office again
war chests
This Supreme Court ruling eliminated campaign spending limits on corporations, allowing them to place unlimited money into Independent Expenditure-Only Committees
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
This act of Congress protected the rights of minority voters by prohibiting state laws that denied voting rights based on race
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This important Congressional act restricted the amount of money given to political parties, which had become a way for companies and PACs to exert influence
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002
This important bill required states to allow citizens to register to vote when they sign up for their driver’s licenses and Social Security benefits. It’s commonly known as the “Motor Voter Act.”
National Voter Registration Act of 1993
Due to limits on campaign contributions, individuals may only contribute a maximum of ________ per candidate per election.
$2,700
Why do we see low national voter turnout for elections in America?
a. Some citizens are not allowed to vote
b. Participation is not mandated
c. Some don’t have voter IDs
d. All of the above
The belief that your vote is unlikely to make a difference or the election is not competitive, so you avoid voting at all is known as what?
Political apathy
These are organizations created to raise and spend money to influence politics and contribute to candidates’ campaigns
Political action committees
Under this sort of primary, only members of the political party selecting nominees may vote, while this primary allows all voters to vote
Closed primary; open primary
The first U.S. presidential candidate to truly inspire college-aged voters in modern politics was whom?
Barack Obama
The less time there is between elections, the lower the turnout. This is known as what?
Voter fatigue
The smallest subsection when it comes to calculating voter turnout is which of the following?
Registered voters
Generally speaking, to be eligible to register to vote in the United States, a person must be a citizen, resident, and ________ years old.
18
According to the text, this is a relatively consistent factor in predicting likelihood to vote.
a. Age
b. Race
c. Socioeconomic status
d. All of the above
States like Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Colorado and Iowa don’t use the classic primary structure for selecting nominees. Instead, they rely on this structure, in which nominees are selected informally
Caucus
With some citizens having difficulty juggling school, work, and childcare during voting hours, many states have tried to address this by instituting _________________
Early voting
This form of voter registration has been met with concerns about voter fraud and security
Online registration
What makes it easy for a citizen to register to vote?
National Voter Registration Act
What is a reason to make voter registration more difficult?
decrease election fraud
What unusual step did Oregon take to increase voter registration?
The state automatically registers all citizens over eighteen to vote
If you wanted to prove the United States is suffering from low voter turnout, a calculation based on which population would yield the lowest voter turnout rate?
voters who voted in the last election
What effect did the National Voter Registration Act have on voter registration?
Increased voter registration and turnout
If you wanted to prove the United States is suffering from low voter turnout, a calculation based on which population would yield the lowest voter turnout
Voting-age population
What characterizes those most likely to vote in the next election?
over forty-five years old
Why do Belgium, Turkey, and Australia have higher voter turnout rates than the United States?
compulsory voting laws
Why does age affect whether a citizen will vote?
Because the older you are the more you tend to vote. It affects your issues that you have, example on retirement, insurance, etc, and you have time and interest to cause a change. Younger people are either too busy to vote, or they just don’t care and are screwing around in a bar somewhere.
A state might hold a primary instead of a caucus because a primary is _______
faster and has higher turnout
Where and when do Electoral College electors vote?
in their state capitol, in December
In which type of election are you most likely to see coattail effects?
presidential
If you wanted to prove the United States is suffering from low voter turnout, a calculation based on which population would yield the lowest voter turnout rate?
voters who voted in the last election
Which factor is most likely to lead to the incumbency advantage for a candidate?
gerrymandering of the candidate’s district
A referendum is not purely direct democracy because the ________.
government proposes something and the voters approve it
Which of the following is not a step in the initiative process?
signature or veto by state governor
the result when a voter stops voting for offices and initiatives at the bottom of a long ballot
ballot fatigue
a form of candidate nomination that occurs in a town-hall style format rather than a day-long
election; usually reserved for presidential elections
caucus
voters who belong to political parties that tend not to be competitive in national elections because they are too small to become a majority or because of the Electoral College system distribution in their state
chronic minority
an election in which only voters registered with a party may vote for that party’s candidates
closed primary
the result when a popular presidential candidate helps candidates from his or her party win their own elections
coattail effect
party members who are chosen to represent a particular candidate at the party’s state- or national-level nominating convention
delegates
the means by which electoral votes are divided between candidates based on who wins districts and/or the state
district system
an accommodation that allows voting up to two weeks before Election Day
early voting
the constitutionally created group of individuals, chosen by the states, with the responsibility of formally selecting the next U.S. president
Electoral College
the advantage held by officeholders that allows them to often win reelection
incumbency advantage
the current holder of a political office
incumbent
law or constitutional amendment proposed and passed by the voters and subject to review by the state courts; also called a proposition
initiative
the congressional elections that occur in the even-numbered years between presidential election years, in the middle of the president’s term
midterm elections
an election in which any registered voter may vote in any party’s primary or caucus
open primary
the set of issues important to the political party and the party delegates
platform
organizations created to raise money for political campaigns and spend money to influence policy and politics
political action committees (PACs)
the removal of a politician or government official by the voters
recall
a yes or no vote by citizens on a law or candidate proposed by the state government
referendum
the stipulation that citizen must live in a state for a determined period of time before a citizen can register to vote as a resident of that state
residency requirement
a campaign run by political action committees and other organizations without the coordination of the candidate
shadow campaign
the practice of voting only for candidates from the same party
straight-ticket voting
officially known as Independent Expenditure-Only Committees; organizations that can fundraise and spend as they please to support or attack a candidate but not contribute directly to a candidate or strategize with a candidate’s campaign
super PACs
a primary election in which the two candidates with the most votes, regardless of party, become the nominees for the general election
top-two primary
the result when voters grow tired of voting and stay home from the polls
voter fatigue
the number of citizens over eighteen
voting-age population
the number of citizens eligible to vote
voting-eligible population
all electoral votes for a state are given to the candidate who wins the most votes in that state
winner-take-all system
