Political Participation Test

Question 1

retrospective voting behavior

Answer 1

voting based on how a candidate has performed in the past

Question 2

prospective voting behavior

Answer 2

voting based on how you think a candidate will act in the future

Question 3

rational choice voting

Answer 3

voting based on what you think is best for you and best for the world

Question 4

party line voting

Answer 4

only voting for a candidate that is in your party

Question 5

function of political parties

Answer 5

they pick candidates to run for office, the run and win elections at every level, they monitor the party in power,, and they organize government, articulate policy platform and issues, coordinate policy, and support it’s party members, they also raise money

Question 6

how do parties and media serve as linkage institutions?

Answer 6

parties broadcast media and information that links the voters to issues that influence how they vote in elections

Question 7

how do interest groups impact policy

Answer 7

they lobby for policy that matches their agendas,, they litigate (naacp) though social power, they inform the public, and monitor government programs, they protest, create political parties, and endorse candidates

Question 8

what is an interest group?

Answer 8

organizations of people sharing a common interest or goal that seek to influence policy

Question 9

why do interest groups want to impact policy?

Answer 9

theory of participatory democracy (the belief that the people should have an influence on policy), pluralist theory (belief political power should be distributed among many different groups)

Question 10

what was the citizens united ruling?

Answer 10

ruled that spending is protected speech under the 1st amendment, and the government cannot prohibit spending by corporations and labor unions to support or denounce individual candidates in elections

Question 11

Closed primary

Answer 11

only voters registered with a given party can vote in that party’s primary

Question 12

open primary

Answer 12

voters of any affiliation may vote in the primary of any party

Question 13

winner take all vote

Answer 13

Winner-take-all systems elect the candidates who receive the most votes, thereby allowing 50.1% of voters to win 100% of representation.

Question 14

proportional electoral votes

Answer 14

Proportional representation systems allow like-minded groupings of voters to elect representatives in proportion to their share of the vote.

Question 15

what is incumbent advantage

Answer 15

he incumbent often has more name recognition due to their previous work in the office. Incumbents also have easier access to campaign finance, as well as government resources (such as the franking privilege) that can be indirectly used to boost the incumbent’s re-election campaign.

Question 16

what is a critical election

Answer 16

Critical elections are an electoral earthquake where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party

Question 17

realignment

Answer 17

Party realignment is the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period

Question 18

when is voter turnout low?

Answer 18

Low turnout is most pronounced in primary elections, off-year elections for state legislators, and local elections, Young people are much less likely to vote

Question 19

when is voter turnout the highest?

Answer 19

in presidential elections

Question 20

what is political efficacy

Answer 20

Political efficacy is the “feeling that political and social change is possible and that the individual citizen can play a part in bringing about this change”

Question 21

demographics of likely voters

Answer 21

older people, whatever party is not in power, someone who can take off work,, higher class people with an official ID.