Module 3

Question 1

Define a Political Party

Answer 1

A group of individuals organized to win elections, operate the government, and determine policy

*They are NOT mentioned in the Constitution

Question 2

Describe the process of realignment

Answer 2

A process in which the popular support for parties shift and the parties reestablish with different supporters. This changes the balance of power between the two major parties.

*Realignment first occurred when political power transitioned from the Federalists to the Jeffersonians.

Question 3

Describe the Impending Crisis

Answer 3

The Whigs and Democrats competed for the White House throughout the 1840s and 1850s.
Both parties were large.

They were led by well-known leaders.

Both the Whigs and the Democrats tried to avoid the issue of slavery.

Question 4

Why did the African Americans join the Democratic Party?

Answer 4

Because of the programs open policy to all races.

Question 5

Define a Primary

Answer 5

A preliminary election held for the purpose of choosing a party’s final candidate.

Question 6

What is a Minority Party?

Answer 6

The political party that has fewer members in the legislature.

• The minority party plays a vital function in American politics in that it does what it can to influence the majority party and its policies and to check the actions of the party in power.

Question 7

What is a Majority Party?

Answer 7

The political party that has more members in the legislature.

Question 8

Define Coalition

Answer 8

An alliance of individuals or groups with a variety of interests, and opinions who join together to support a political platform.

*Basically another name for a political party

Example: In the Democratic Party not all members agree yet they provide a broad scope of liberal ideas which are placed under the umbrella of the Democratic Party.

Question 9

Define Electorate

Answer 9

All of the citizens eligible to vote in a given election.

*It is the largest component of political parties

Question 10

Define a Party Identifier

Answer 10

A person who identifies himself as being a supporter of a particular political party.

Question 11

Define a Party Activist

Answer 11

A party member who helps to organize, oversee party functions and planning during and between campaigns.

*A candidate is considered to be a Party Activist

Question 12

Describe a Patronage

Answer 12

A system of rewarding the party faithful and workers with government jobs or contracts.

*Used to be known as the spoils system

Question 13

Describe a Ward

Answer 13

A local unit of a political party’s organization, consisting of a division or district within a city.

Question 14

Describe a Precinct

Answer 14

A political district within a city, such as a block or a neighborhood, or a rural portion.

Question 15

What is the National Convention

Answer 15

The meeting held by each major party every four years to nominate the presidential and vice-presidential candidates, write a party platform, and conduct other party business.

Question 16

Define a Party Ticket

Answer 16

A list of a political party’s candidates for various offices.

*In national elections, the party ticket consists of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

Question 17

Define a Party Platform

Answer 17

The document drawn up by each party at its national convention that outlines its policies and positions.

Question 18

Describe the National Party Committee

Answer 18

The political party leaders who direct party business during the four years between the national party conventions, organize the next national convention and plan how to support the party’s candidate in the next presidential election.

Question 19

Describe the role of the National Party Chairperson

Answer 19

An individual who serves as a political party’s administrative head at the national level.

*Their main duty is to direct the work of the national committee from party headquarters in Washington, D.C.

They are in charge of raising funds, providing publicity, promoting party unity, encouraging the development of state and local organization, recruiting new voters, and other activities

Question 20

Describe the two-party system

Answer 20

A political system in which two strong and established parties compete for political offices.

*The division between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists established a precedent that continued over time and ultimately resulted in the domination of the two-party system.

Question 21

What is a third party?

Answer 21

In the United States, any party other than the two major (Republican and Democratic).

They bring issues to the public’s attention.

• They are also called minor parties

Question 22

Define Ideological Parties

Answer 22

Parties that support a particular political doctrine or set of beliefs.

*A political ideology is a system of political ideas rooted in beliefs about human nature, society, and government.

Example: Party for Socialism and Liberation or the Libertarian Party

Question 23

Describe Splinter or personality parties

Answer 23

parties that split from a major political party.

*This spilt may be part of an attempt to elect a specific purpose and most of the time have been formed around a leader with a strong personality (personality parties). When that person steps aside, the party collapses.

Question 24

Define Public Opinion

Answer 24

The views of the citizenry about politics, public issues, and public policies. A complex collection of opinions held by many people on issues in the public arena

*For us to develop a Public Opinion we must first be exposed to political socialization

Question 25

Define Political Socialization

Answer 25

The learning process through which most people acquire their political attitudes, opinions, beliefs, and knowledge.

*Political Socialization begins with your upbringing and then branches out to the environment you visit because of your upbringing

Question 26

What are agents of political socialization

Answer 26

people and institutions that influence the political views of others.

Question 27

What is the media?

Answer 27

Newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and the internet.

*The most influential is the television

Question 28

Define Peer Groups

Answer 28

Associates often the same age, may include friends. Classmates, co-workers, club members, or religious groups.

Question 29

Describe the Gender Gap

Answer 29

The difference between the percentage of votes cast for a particular candidate by women and the percentage of votes cast for the same candidate by men.

Question 30

Describe the Term “Solid South”

Answer 30

A term used to describe the tendency of the southern states to vote Democratic after the Civil War.

Question 31

Describe a public opinion poll

Answer 31

A survey of the public’s opinion on a particular topic at a particular moment.

Question 32

Define Sample

Answer 32

in the context of opinion polling, a group of people selected to represent the population being studied.

Question 33

Define a sampling error

Answer 33

The results of the difference in the polling between what the sample results show and what the true results would have been.

Question 34

Describe the house effect

Answer 34

A consistent tendency to report results more favorable to one of the political parties than the results reported by other pollsters.

Question 35

Define Push Poll

Answer 35

A campaign tactic used to feed false or misleading information to potential voters, under the guise of taking an opinion.

Question 36

Define Sufferage

Answer 36

The legal right to vote

Question 37

Describe the Motor Voter Law

Answer 37

the Act requires all eligible voters the opportunity to register when applying or renewing their driver’s license.

Question 38

Describe the history of Mail-In Voting

Answer 38

In 1998, Oregon voters approved a ballot initiative requiring that all elections in the state, including presidential elections to be conducted by mail.

Question 39

Describe a General Election

Answer 39

A regularly scheduled election to choose the U.S. president, vice president, senators, and house of representatives.

Question 40

Describe a Special Election

Answer 40

an election that is held at the state or local level when voters must decide on a vacant position for the next general election.

Question 41

Define Australian Ballot

Answer 41

a secret ballot that counted at government expense.

Question 42

Describe the roll of a poll watcher

Answer 42

a representative from one party allowed to observe one of the political parties.

Question 43

Define Elector

Answer 43

in American politics, a member of the electoral college.

Question 44

Define Electoral College

Answer 44

the group of electors who are selected by the voters in each state to officially elect the president and vice president.

Question 45

Describe the Winner Take All system

Answer 45

the candidate who receives the largest popular vote in a state is credited with all that state’s electoral vote.

Question 46

Define Delegate

Answer 46

A person selected to represent the people of one geographic area at a party convention.

Question 47

Define a Direct Primary

Answer 47

an election held within each of the two major parties. Voters choose the candidate directly, rather than through delegates.

Question 48

Define Dealignment

Answer 48

When voters, detach from both major political parties.

Question 49

Define Tipping

Answer 49

Migration between states can result in a tip from one party to another.