Outcome 5

Question 1

campaign strategy

Answer 1

the plan laid out by candidates to guide their electoral campaigns

Question 2

national party convention

Answer 2

supreme power within each party. meets every 4 years to nominate candidates and write the party’s platform

Question 3

McGovern-Fraser Commission

Answer 3

party leaders can’t handpick the convention delegates in secret

Question 4

Super delegates

Answer 4

national party leaders who automatically get a delegated slot at the democratic party’s national convention

Question 5

caucus

Answer 5

system for selecting convention delegates used in about a dozen states. voters must attend an open meeting to express their presidential preference

Question 6

presidential primaries

Answer 6

elections where voters go to the polls to express their preference for a party’s presidential nominee. most delegates to national convention are chosen this way

Question 7

frontloading

Answer 7

the recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar to capitalize on media attention

Question 8

party platform

Answer 8

party’s statement of goals and policies for the next 4 years. drafted before party convention. best formal statement of a party’s beliefs

Question 9

direct mail

Answer 9

method of raising money for a political cause/candidate where information and requests for money are sent to people who’s names appear on lists of those who have supported similar views or candidates in the past

Question 10

Federal Election Campaign Act 1974

Answer 10

passed or reforming campaign finances. created FEC and provided for limits on and disclosure of campaign contributions

Question 11

Federal Election Campaign (FEC)

Answer 11

6-member bipartisan agency created by FEC Act. Administers and enforces campaign finance laws

Question 12

soft money

Answer 12

political contributions for party building expenses for generic party advertising. Contributions used to be unlimited until banned by the McCain-Feingold Act

Question 13

527 groups

Answer 13

independent political groups that aren’t subject to contribution restrictions because they don”t seek the election of particular candidates. Section 527 of the tax code specifies contributions to groups must be reported to the IRS

Question 14

selective perception

Answer 14

phenomenon that people’s beliefs often guide what they pay the most attention to and how they interpret events

Question 15

political efficacy

Answer 15

belief that one’s political participation really matters- one’s vote makes a difference

Question 16

civic duty

Answer 16

the belief that in order to support a democratic government, citizens need to vote

Question 17

motor voter act

Answer 17

requires states to permit people to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license

Question 18

mandate theory of elections

Answer 18

idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people who carry out their platforms and politics. Politicians favor over political scientists.

Question 19

policy voting

Answer 19

electoral choices made on the basis of voters’ policy preferences and where candidates stand on issues

Question 20

battleground states

Answer 20

the key states that are most likely to determine the outcome of an election, presidential campaigns focus on these.

Question 21

political action committees (PACs)

Answer 21

groups that raise money from individuals and then distribute it in the form of contributions to candidates

Question 22

matching funds

Answer 22

primary candidate can ask government to give them the same amount of money they raised; most don’t use

Question 23

What 3 factors are needed for success in nomination

Answer 23

momentum, media attention, money

Question 24

Criticisms of the primary and caucus systems

Answer 24

• disproportionate attention goes to the early caucuses and primaries
• prominent politicians find it difficult to take time out from their duties to run
• money plays too big of a role
• participation in them is low and unrepresentative
• system gives too much power to the media

Question 25

Factors determining media coverage of a campaign

Answer 25

• how candidates use their advertising budget
• the “free” attention they get as news makers

Question 26

How to organize a campaign

Answer 26

• Campaign manager
• Fundraiser
• Campaign counsel
• Hire media+ campaign consultants
• Campaign staff
• Plan logistics
• Research staff + policy advisors
• Hire a pollster
• Good press secretary
• Website

Question 27

McCain-Feingold Act provisions

Answer 27

• prohibited corporations and unions from using general treasury funds to pay for electioneering communications in the last 60 days to federal campaigns
• intended that big money would be removed from politics by the next presidential election

Question 28

How campaigns weaken impact on voters

Answer 28

• most pay little attention to campaigns: selective perception
• long-term factors (ex. party identification) influence voting behavior regardless of campaigns
• incumbents have advantage because of name recognition and track record

Question 29

effects of campaigns on voters

Answer 29

• reinforcement
• activation
• conversion

Question 30

why people might vote

Answer 30

• political efficacy
• civic duty

Question 31

demographic factors that impact voter turnout

Answer 31

• education
• age
• race+ethnicity
• gender
• marital status
• government employment

Question 32

necessary conditions for true policy voting

Answer 32

voters must…
- have a clear sense of their own policy positions
- know where candidates stand on policy issues
- see differences between candidates on policy issues
- cast a vote for the candidate whose policy positions coincide with their own

Question 33

importance of electoral college

Answer 33

• introduces a bias into the campaign and electoral process
  
  • less populated states are over represented
• winner-takes-all means candidates will mostly focus on winning a relatively small number of battleground states