Chapter 8

Question 1

Political participation

Answer 1

Refers to a wide range of activities, including voting, contacting an elected official, protesting, or signing a petition, that are designed to influence, government, politics, and public policy.

Question 2

How has digital politics influenced traditional forms of political participation?

Answer 2

-encourages people to gather information and interact with others by combining the content of traditional media with interpersonal communication, and this promotes interest in politics, and increases traditional forms of participation.

Question 3

Critics dismiss social media as

Answer 3

clicktivism

Question 4

Participation in politics is becoming more —— due to digital politics

Answer 4

expressive

Question 5

What are the drawbacks to digital political participation?

Answer 5

-echo chambers
-filter bubbles
- ideological polarization
-hyper-partisanship
- May lead to “disruption of the public square”
-Anonymity can lead to forums for hate speech, terrorist appeals, and harassment

Question 6

What was the voter turnout in 2020?

Answer 6

66% -the highest since 1900

Question 7

most consistent factor in predicting who votes

Answer 7

socioeconomic status
(-higher levels of education and income)

Question 8

A critical aspect of political environment is whether people are

Answer 8

mobilized.

Mobilization efforts attract voters to the polls.
Mobilization: process by which large numbers of people are organized for a political activity

Question 9

a violent attack on government; the act of revolting against civic authority or an established government

Answer 9

insurrection

Question 10

participation that involves assembling crowds to confront a government or other official organization

Answer 10

protest

Question 11

the right to vote; also called franchise

Answer 11

suffage

Question 12

activities designed to influence government, including voting, campaign contributions, and face-to-face activities such as volunteering for a campaign or working on behalf of a candidate or political organization

Answer 12

traditional political participation

Question 13

activities designed to influence politics using the internet, including visiting a candidate’s website, organizing events online, and signing an online petition

Answer 13

digital political participation

Question 14

the process by which large numbers of people are organized for a political activity

Answer 14

mobilization

Question 15

the option in some states to have a ballot sent automatically to your home for each election, rather than having to request an absentee ballot each time

Answer 15

permanent absentee ballots

Question 16

What are the effects of felony disenfranchisement laws?

Answer 16

-Given the rising incarceration rate over the past few decades, felony disenfranchisement has taken away the voting rights of over 5 million people.
-Due to racial bias in charges and sentencing in the criminal justice system, people of color are disproportionately affected by felony voting restrictions.

Question 17

Rank elections by voter turnout levels, from highest participation rate to lowest.

Answer 17

presidential elections, midterm elections, state and local elections

Question 18

What is true about Digital participation?

Answer 18

-Digital participation has made political participation easier.
-Older voters are more likely to use social media for political participation.
-Political participation digitally is likely to increase offline participation.

Question 19

Many congressional, state, and local elections are noncompetitive due to

Answer 19

gerrymandering.

Question 20

drawing districts to favor one political party over the other.

Answer 20

Gerrymandering

Question 21

True or False: Those who do not self-identify with a religion are more likely to be political independents.

Answer 21

False

Question 22

The main goal of the groups like Rap the Vote and Rock the Vote is to

Answer 22

encourage young people to vote

Question 23

Which of the following statements about voter participation among young people is most accurate?

Answer 23

Youth voter turnout is much lower in midterm congressional elections than in presidential elections.

Question 24

True or False: Most Americans believe that social media has a mostly positive effect on how things are going in the United States.

Answer 24

False

Question 25

A state with a roughly equal number of Democrats and Republicans in the population is often referred to as a ________ state.

Answer 25

battleground

Question 26

Which of the following best describes the provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act?

Answer 26

authorized the federal government to register voters in states that discriminated against non-White citizens

Question 27

What role did digital participation play in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol?

Answer 27

Social media and podcasts played a significant role in disseminating the ideas behind the attack and encouraging protestors to mobilize.

Question 28

What was notable about the 2018 midterm elections?

Answer 28

Turnout was up significantly and was more akin to turnout in presidential elections.

Question 29

True or False; In the United States, but not in other Western democracies, those who vote tend to have higher income and more education.

Answer 29

True

Question 30

The goal of the EMILY’s List organization is to

Answer 30

raise money for pro-choice, Democratic women candidates interested in running for office.

Question 31

True or False; White voters in American tend not to have a strong sense of group identification, but such identification has grown since 2016.

Answer 31

true

Question 32

Gerrymandering may

Answer 32

increase voter turnout, by increasing the amount of money that is spent on advertising.