Elections

Question 1

what are the 4 features of US election laws?

Answer 1

1. Who?
2. How?
3. Where?
4. What it takes to win.

Question 2

4 main features of election laws

who?

Answer 2

The US provides for universal adult suffrage: all citizens above the age of 18 have the right to vote.

Question 3

4 main features of election laws

how?

Answer 3

Americans vote in secret and choose among candidates for office using a form of ballot called the Australian ballot.

Question 4

4 main features of election laws

where?

Answer 4

The US selects almost all elected officals through single-member districts that have equal populations.

Question 5

4 main features of election laws

what it takes to win

Answer 5

the candidate that wins a plurality wins the election, whether or not that person wins a majority of the votes

Question 6

turnout rate

Answer 6

number of people who vote in a given election divided by the number of people who would have been allowed to vote in it

Question 7

past methods to limit voter participation

Answer 7

• property ownership and literacy requirements
• poll taxes
• race and gender restrictions
• placement of polls and scheduling of polling hours
• voter registration rules

Question 8

current limits on participation

Answer 8

• restrictions for convicted felons, vary from state to state
• some restrictions on voter registration

Question 9

what do limits on voter registration do

Answer 9

they tend to depress participation of the poor and uneducated

Question 10

australian ballot

Answer 10

an electoral format that presents the names of all the candidates for any given office on the same ballot, kept secret

Question 11

single-member districts

Answer 11

an electoral district that elects only one representative- the typical method of representation in the US

Question 12

electoral college

Answer 12

institution established by the constitution for the election of the president and vice president. Every 4 years, voters in each state and DC elect electors who cast votes for the president and vice president. The candidate that recieves the majority of the electoral vote is elected, favors smaller states, would have to amend constitution to get rid of it

Question 13

gerrymandering

Answer 13

the drawing of electoral districts in such a way as to give advantage to one political party

Question 14

plurality rule

Answer 14

type of electoral system in which victory in an election goes to the individual that gets the most votes, but not necessarily a majority of the votes cast

Question 15

majority rule

Answer 15

type of electoral system, in which to win an office, a candidate must receive a majority of all the votes cast in a relevant district

Question 16

proportional representation (PR)

Answer 16

multiple-member district system that awards seats to political parties in proportion to the percentage of the vote that each party won

Question 17

referendum

Answer 17

direct vote by the electorate on a proposed law that has been placed by the legislative or on a specific governmental action

Question 18

initiative

Answer 18

a process by which citizens may petition to place a policy proposal on the ballot for a public vote

Question 19

recall

Answer 19

removal of a public offical by popular vote

Question 20

party identification

Answer 20

an individual’s attachment to a particular political party, which may be based on issues, ideology, past experience, upbringing, or a combination of these elements

Question 21

issue voting

Answer 21

an individual’s tendency to base the decision of which candidate/ party to vote for on the candidate/ party’s position on specific issues

Question 22

prospective voting

Answer 22

voting based on the imagined future of a candidate/party

Question 23

retrospective voting

Answer 23

voting based on the past performance of a candidate/party

Question 24

how voters decide:

partisan loyalty

Answer 24

most amerticans identify with either the democratic or republican party, and party loyalty rarely changes

Question 25

how voters decide:

issues

Answer 25

voters may choose a candidate that has views they agree with on a particular issue, even if they disagree on other ones

Question 26

how voters decide:

candidate characteristics

Answer 26

voters are more likely to support a candidate with similar backgrounds, views, and perspectives (race, ethnicity, religon, gender, geography, social background, etc.), as well as personality charecteristics

Question 27

political action committee

Answer 27

a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns, individuals can only give $3,000, PAC’s allow people to bundle money

Question 28

office-block ballot

Answer 28

every candidate for a particular office are grouped together, harder to vote straight ticket

NC’s ballot type

Question 29

indiana ballot

Answer 29

offices are presented in rows, parties are listed in rows, easier to vote straight ticket

Question 30

split ticket voting

Answer 30

voting for members of both parties on one ticket

Question 31

hanging chads

Answer 31

issue in the 2000 election

Question 32

2000 election and Florida

Answer 32

florida had to do a recount, hanging chads made it hard for decide who got the vote, lead to the Bush v Gore case

Question 33

Open Primary

Answer 33

doesn’t matter which party you’re registered with, you get to pick your ballot

Question 34

Closed Primary

Answer 34

can only vote in the the primary for whatever party you’re registered with, independents can’t participate

Question 35

Semi-Open Primary

Answer 35

if you are registered with a particular party, you can only vote in that party’s primary, independents get to choose

Question 36

Caucuses

Answer 36

1 evening with a set time, everyone assigned to a location shows up at the starting time
talk to neighbors, they tell each other who they support and why and vise versa
they separate, go to opposite sides of the room, and count how many people support each candidate
process is repeated until there is a majority supporting one candidate

Question 37

Conventions

Answer 37

convention for the delegates who get voted to vote in the election
parties also hammer out political platforms
more than anything it’s a giant pep rally for the party

Question 38

General Election Campaign

Answer 38

When they start fighting against representatives
when you vote, you vote for the representatives, not the president

Question 39

Electoral College Representatives

Answer 39

number of representatives + number of senators
all but 2 states use a winner takes all method when choosing the representatives
Maine and Nebraska use a proportional choosing systyem

Question 40

What happens if there’s a tie in the electoral college?

Answer 40

1. House votes by state (50 votes)
2. senate votes for the vice president

Question 41

Federal Election Campaign Act

Answer 41

initiated fundamental changes in Federal campaign finance laws. The FECA, effective April 7, 1972, not only required full reporting of campaign contributions and expenditures, but also limited spending on media advertisements.

Question 42

Buckley v. Valeo

Answer 42

SCOTUS said that money is speech, and political speech is protected
they did enact a limit of $3,000

Question 43

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

Answer 43

corporations are people and have free speech, so they should be allowed to give money to campaigns
corporations can now donate unlimited amounts of money to political campaigns
this created super PACs

Question 44

super PACs

Answer 44

PACs that corporations can participate in
why political spending has increased so much

Question 45

McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission

Answer 45

got rid of the 20,000 dollar cap
individuals can give $3,000 dollars to as many candidates as you want