Test 3 Flashcards
Suffrage
The right to vote
Political Party
A group of people who seek to control government by winning elections and holding office.
- principle-oriented
- issue-oriented
- election-oriented
Electorate
All of the people entitled to vote in a given election
Off-Year Election
Congressional elections held in years when there is no presidential election
Closed Primary
Only declared party members can vote
Open Primary
Any qualified voter can take part
Run-Off Primary
If a required primary is not met, the two people with the most votes run again
Non-Partisan Primary
Candidates are not identified by party labels
Precinct
A voting district, it is the smallest geography unit used to carry out elections.
Polling Place
Where the voters in the precinct go to vote.
FECA
The Federal Election Campaign Act (1971). It was passed to replace the former, the ineffective legislation
FEC
The Federal Election Commision
5 Functions of Political Parties
- Nominate Candidates
- Inform and Activate Supporters
- Ensure Candidate Quality
- Help Govern
- Act as a Watchdog
Nominate Candidates
Function of Political Party
Recruit, choose and present candidate for public office
Inform and Activate Supporters
Function of Political Party
Campaign, define issues, and criticize other candidates
Ensure Candidate Quality
Function of Political Party
Guarantee that their candidate is worthy of office
Help Govern
Function of Political Party
Members of government act according to their partisanship, or form alliance to a party
Act as Watchdog
Function of Political Party
Parties that are out for power keep a close eye on the actions of the party in power
4 Reasons for Our Two Party System
- The Historical Basis
- The Force of Tradition
- The Electoral System
- Ideological Consensus
The Historical Basis
Two Party System
The nation started out with two parties; the Federalist and the Anti-Federalist
The Force of Tradition
Two Party System
America has a two-party system system because it always has had one. Minor Parties, lacking wide political support
The Electoral System
Two Party System
Certain features of government, such as single-member districts, are designed to favor two-major parties
Ideological Consensus
Two Party System
Most Americans have a general agreement on fundamental matters. Conditions that would spark several strong rival parties do not exist in the U.S.
Advantages of a Multi-Party System
- Provides a broader representation of the people.
- More responsive to the will of people.
- Gives voters more choices at the polls.
Disadvantages of a Multi-Party System
- Cause parties to form coalitions, which can dissolve easily
- Failure of coalition can cause instability in government
The Sociological Pattern of Voting for Democrats
- Minorities & Women
- Catholic & Jewish
- Union Members
- Middle to Lower Class
- Inner-City
- Northwest and Bigger States
- Younger Voters
The Sociological Patterns of Voting for Republicans
- White Males
- Protestants
- Business
- Middle to Upper Class
- Suburbs & Rural
- Midwest and Southern States
- Older Voters
Importance of Minor Parties
- “Spoiler Role”
- Critic
- Innovator
“Spoiler Role”
Importance of Minor Parties
Minor Party candidates can pull decisive votes away from one of the major parties’ candidates, especially if the minor party candidate is from a splinter party
Critic
Importance of Minor Parties
Minor parties, especially single-issue parties, often take stands on and draws attention to controversial issues that the major parties would prefer to ignore
Innovator
Importance of Minor Party
Minor parties will draw attention to important issues and propose innovate solutions to problems. If the proposals gain popular support, they are often integrated into the platforms of the two major parties.
Future of Political Parties for Voters
- More people are willing to label themselves as “Democrats” or”Republicans”
- Split-Ticket Voting: voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election
Future of Political Parties for Candidates
- Structural changes have increased conflict and organization within parties
- Changes in the technology of campaign, especially the use of television and the Internet, have made candidates more independent of the party organization
- The growth of the single-issue organization provides candidates with another source of financial support
Universal Requirement to Vote
- Citizenship
- Residence
- Age
- Registration
Universal Requirement to Vote for: CITIZENSHIP
Most states require U.S. citizenship to vote
Universal Requirement to Vote for: RESIDENCE
One must be a legal resident of the State to vote in election. Most states require residency for a minimum amount of time in order to vote.
Universal Requirement to Vote for: AGE
The 26th Amendment requires that no State set a minimum voting age above 18
Universal Requirement to Vote for: REGISTRATION
All states but North Dakota require residents to register to vote ahead of an election
Why People Do Not Vote
- Voting is in some way inconvenient
- They don’t believe that their vote will make a difference
- They distrust politics and political candidates
- Religious beliefs
- Time-Zone Fall Out
Sociological Factors that Promote Voting
- higher level of income
- higher level of education
- higher occupational status
- strong party identification
- woman
- live in suburbs
- older than 35
- married
Ways of Nominating Candidates
- Self-Announcement
- The Caucus
- The Convention
Self-Announcement
Nominating Candidates
A person who wants to run for office announces their candidacy.
The Caucus
Nominating Candidates
Originally a private meeting of local bigwigs, the caucus as a nominating device fell out of favor in the 1820s
The Convention
Nominating Candidates
Considered more democratic than the caucus, convention delegates were selected to represent the people’s wishes. By the 1990s the system was on its way out, because they found a way to manuipualte the system.
4 Types of Minor Parties
Ideological- based on one idea
Single Issue- focused on one issue
Splinter- break off of major parts
Economic Protest- focused on the economy or money
What Regulations does FEC enforce?
- Timely disclosure of campaign finance information
- Limits on campaign contributions
- Limits on campaign expenditures
- Provisions for public funding of presidential campaigns
Election Funding Loopholes
- Soft-Money
- Independent Campaign Spending
- Issue Ads
Soft-Money
Funding Loopholes
Money given to State and local party organizations for “party-building activities” that is filtered to presidential or congressional campaigns.
Industrial Campaign Spending
Funding Loopholes
A president unrelated and unconnected to a candidate or party can spend as much money as they want to benefit or work against candidates
Issue Ads
Funding Loopholes
Take a stand on certain issues in order to criticize or support a certain candidate without actually mentioning that person’s name
