Quiz 4 Review Flashcards
Chapter 9: Elections
What are examples of political participation?
- conventional
- voting
- community organizing
- run for office
- unconventional
- protest
- civil disobedience
Chapter 9: Elections
What is the most common form of political participation?
voting
Chapter 9: Elections
What determines the outcome of presidential elections?
the Electoral College
Chapter 9: Elections
How does the Electoral College function?
Short Answer Question.
Each state is worth a certain amount of votes. As a winner-take-all system, all of a state’s votes go to the party that wins the popular vote within the state.
Chapter 9: Elections
Does the president have to win the popular vote?
no, can win Electoral College and lose popular vote
Chapter 9: Elections
What is the purpose of the primary election?
each party picks candidate to represent them
First step.
Chapter 9: Elections
What is the purpose of the general election?
choose candidate for office, party candidates go against each other
Second step.
Chapter 9: Elections
During which type of election is the voter turnout the highest?
Presidential elections
Chapter 9: Elections
What does the Federal Election Commission (F.E.C.) do?
oversees campaign finance laws
- Each candidate has to report how much money is donated to them. They submit paperwork to the government, stating the money, received, spent, and remaining.
- If someone does not file paperwork or omits information, the F.E.C. investigates and fines if necessary.
Chapter 8: Political Parties
Political Party
organization influenced by political ideology
Chapter 8: Political Parties
What responsibilities do political parties have?
- pick candidates
- give information to voters (website, social media, advertisements)
- articulate policies (party platform)
- coordinate policymaking (put beliefs into law)
Chapter 8: Political Parties
What is the main goal of political parties?
win elections to gain control of government
Chapter 8: Political Parties
What is a party platform?
document that lists everything political parties believe in
Chapter 8: Political Parties
How are political parties organized?
- national
- state
- county
- precinct
Chapter 8: Political Parties
What political party did the Republicans replace?
the Whigs
- When the Whigs collapsed, majority of the Whigs became Republicans.
- The abolitionists aligned with the Free Soil Party, and those who were pro-slavery aligned with the Democrats.
Chapter 8: Political Parties
What is the current party era?
the Era of Divided government
Chapter 8: Political Parties
What is dealignment?
people no longer associate themselves with a political party and become independents
Chapter 8: Political Parties
What is realignment? What is an example from American history?
Short-Answer Response.
- large groups of voters permanently change affiliation to another party
- examples
- 1850s, before Civil War - Whig party collapsed, voters had to move to different parties
- 1930s - African American voters went from Republicans to Democrats
- 1960s - Southerners went from Democrats to Republicans
Extra Credit
Other Stuff About the Electoral College, I Guess
- the President didn’t win the popular vote 5 times but still won due to electoral votes
- established in the Constitution
- states’ votes are based off the total number of people they send to Congress
- Maine and Nebraska divide their electoral votes proportionally
Extra Credit
What is the chronological order of party eras throughout history?
- The First Party System
- The Democrats vs. The Whigs
- The Two Republican Eras
- The New Deal Coalition
- The Era of Divided Government (current)
What two parties were established during the First Party System? What type of people were in each party?
The First Party System.
- Federalist Party
- federalists
- USA’s first political party
- Democratic-Republican Party
- anti-federalists
- Americans preferred this party
- coalition of agrarian interests (farmers, or the average working man)
Extra Credit
The Whig Party was extremely divided, especially over slavery. What 3 groups was the Whig Party divided into?
The Democrats vs. The Whigs.
- abolitionists
- compromise - balance wants of North and South
- pro-slavery
How did the Republican Party change at the end of the Two Republican Eras?
The Two Republican Eras.
- different group of Republicans pushed conservative values
- took an anti-union stance to attract the elites, the economic conservatives
Extra Credit
When Roosevelt wanted to run for a third term, what did Roosevelt do? How did this affect the election?
The Two Republican Eras.
- created a new party, the Progressive Party
- conservatives were divided between the Republican Party and the Progressive Party; Wilson won, as the Democrats were more unified
