Unit 5 Flashcards

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1
Q

linkage institution (list the 4)

A

channels that connect individuals with the government (elections, political parties, interest groups, media)

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2
Q

PAC

A

political action committee; an organisation that raises money to elect and defeat candidates and may donate money directly to a candidate’s campaign

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3
Q

franchise

A

the right to vote

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4
Q

sufferage

A

the right to vote

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5
Q

24th amendment

A

prohibits congress from imposing poll taxes as a condition for voting in federal elections

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6
Q

17th amendment

A

there should be two senators per state, that serve 6 year terms and are directly elected from the people

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7
Q

voter turnout

A

percent of eligible voters who vote

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8
Q

political efficacy

A

one’s the belief that they can make a political change

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9
Q

political mobilization

A

efforts by political parties to encourage members to vote

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10
Q

26th amendment

A

people who are 18 or older can vote

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11
Q

poll tax

A

a payment required by a gov’t to vote

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12
Q

absentee ballot

A

voting completed and submitted by a voter the before the election day without going to the polls

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13
Q

rational choice voting

A

voting based on what one believes is in people’s best interest

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14
Q

retrospective voting

A

voting based on incumbent’s past performance

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15
Q

prospective voting

A

voting based on what a candidate promises

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16
Q

party-line voting

A

voting for who is in the political party you agree with

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17
Q

electoral college

A

a constitutionally required process for selecting the president through slates of electors chosen in each state who are pledged to vote for a nominee in the presidential election

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18
Q

winner take all system

A

a system of elections in which the candidate who wins plurality of voters within a state revives all of that state’s votes in the electoral college

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19
Q

battleground states

A

a state where the polls show a close contest between the Democratic and Republican candidate in a presidential election.

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20
Q

swing states

A

states where levels of support for the parties are similar and elections swing back and fourth between the two parties

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21
Q

federal election campaign act (FEC)

A

created the federal elections commission, set rules requiring disclosure of the sources of campaign funds, placed limits on campaign contributions, instituted a system of public financing of federal elections, etc.

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22
Q

what does the federal elections commission do?

A

they oversee campaign finance laws

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23
Q

BCRA

A

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act: placed stricter donation limits on individuals and PACS
BCRA was challenged, under the claim that it violated the 1st amendment right to free speech. Portions of the BCRA was struck down because labor unions and corporations are persons under the law

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24
Q

super PACS

A

a PAC that can spend unlimited amounts on a political campaign, but cannot coordinate with the campaign.

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25
Q

19th amendment

A

the right to vote cannot be abridged on the basis of sex

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26
Q

15th amendment

A

the right to vote cannot be abridged by race or color

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27
Q

straight ticket voting

A

voting for all the candidates on a ballot from one political party

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28
Q

split ticket voting

A

voting for candidate from different parties in the same election

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29
Q

party coalition

A

groups of voters who support a political party over time

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30
Q

realignment

A

when groups of people who support a political party shift their allegiance to a different party

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31
Q

critical election

A

an election that signals the change in the balance of power between two parties

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32
Q

party era

A

a time period when one party wins most national elections

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33
Q

era of divided government

A

trend since 1969; when one party controls one or both houses and the president is from the opposing party

34
Q

delegates

A

a person who acts as the voter’s representative at a convention to pick a party’s nominee

35
Q

nomination

A

a formal process through which parties choose their candidates for political office

36
Q

primary election

A

an election in which a state’s voters choose delegates who support a political candidate for nomination or an election by a plurality vote to select a party’s nominee for a seat in congress.

37
Q

open primaries

A

all eligible voters may vote in a party’s primary election

38
Q

closed primaries

A

only people registered with a certain political party can vote in that party’s primary election

39
Q

caucus

A

state’s eligible voters meet to select delegates to represent their preferences in the nomination process

40
Q

how does the republican party award delegates?

A

awards delegates either to the winning candidate state-wide, or, (more commonly) by splitting delegates between winners in the state overall and winners in individual congressional districts

41
Q

how does the democratic party award delegates?

A

delegates are awarded through a proportional system in which delegates are divided based upon total vote share. However, the elite within the democratic party are given special representation as superdelegates

42
Q

national party convention

A

party delegates go to vote on presidential candidates in a primary election; delegates officially select their party’s nominee

43
Q

superdelegates

A

a party leader or activist who is not pledged to a candidate and can vote for whoever they like

44
Q

proportional primaries

A

delegates are apportioned proportionally to the amount of votes they got

45
Q

winner take all

A

If a candidate wins in a state, all the delegates of that state go to that candidate

46
Q

froant-loading

A

a decision by a state to push its primary or caucus to a date as early in the election season as possible to gain more influence in the presidential nomination process

47
Q

candidate-centered campaign

A

a trend where candidates develop their own strategies and raise money with less influence from the party leaders.

48
Q

two party system

A

a system where two political parties dominate elections

49
Q

proportional representation systems

A

an election system for a legislature in which citizens vote for parties, rather than individuals, and parties are represented in the legislature according to the percentage of vote they revive

50
Q

single member plurality system

A

one of the reasons why we have a two party system; people only vote for one candidate, and the candidate who gets the most votes wins

members of the legislature are chosen in a “winner take all” system, where the winner is the candidate who revives the most votes, even if the candidate did not win the majority of the votes

51
Q

interest groups

A

voluntary associations of people who come together to reach certain policy goals

52
Q

participatory democracy theory

A

citizens can impact policymaking through their involvement in civil society, or groups outside the government that advocate for policy goals

53
Q

pluralist theory

A

a theory that political power is distributed among many competing groups

54
Q

policy agenda

A

the set of issues that the government, voters, and the public are paying attention to

55
Q

collective agenda

A

political action that happens when individuals contribute to a larger group or goal

56
Q

collective good

A

a public benefit that individuals can enjoy even if they do not help achieve it

57
Q

free riders

A

people who enjoy collective goods without joining interest groups: ex, a union negotiates higher salaries for everyone in a company, and everyone, including those who did not join the union+ did not pay their union dues benifit

58
Q

selective benifits

A

benefits that only help those in a group

59
Q

lobbying

A

interacting with government officials to advance a group’s policy goals

60
Q

revolving door

A

the movement of individuals between positions in government and lobbying positions

61
Q

how do lobbyists impact congress?

A
  • contact members of congress
  • prepare research briefs to bring more attention to their issues
  • draft bills, lobby members of congress to introduce legislation, help plan for legislative strategy to move bills through commitees
  • funding congress appropriates for agencies and programs
62
Q

How does lobbyists work with the judiciary?

A
  • shape how laws are interpreted by filing lawsuits
  • amicus cuiae briefs,
  • influence judicial opponents through presidential nominations or senate conformation process
63
Q

amicus cuiae briefs

A

breifs filed by someone who is not a party in a case in attempt to persuade the court to agree with their ideas.

64
Q

iron triangle

A

the coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, congress, and interest groups to reach policy goals.

65
Q

bureaucratic agencies

A

agencies like the United States Environmental Protection Agency

66
Q

issue network

A

webs of influence between the iron trangle

67
Q

news media

A

a broad term that includes magazines, radios, television, and the internet, blogs, etc, that cover important events

68
Q

agenda setting

A

the media’s ability to highlight certain issues and bring them to public attention

69
Q

mass media

A

sources of information designed to reach large audiences (radio, newspapers, tv, internet outlets)

70
Q

investigative journalism

A

a type of journalism in which reporters dig into stories and act as detectives, looking for instances of wrongdoing

71
Q

horse- race media

A

coverage of political campaigns that focuses more on drama rather than policy

72
Q

what are some criticisms of ideologically driven news?

A

could lead to polarization, as people who consume ideologically driven news will only be consuming media that furthers with their world view

73
Q

new media

A

all of the various platforms through which individuals receive, share, and produce content

74
Q

media consolidation

A

the majority of the media is owned by a few companies

75
Q

why can media consolidation be dangerous?

A

businessmen, not journalists, have a lot of control over what issues are highlighted in the public. Businessmen have financial incentives to highlight what makes them the most money, so issues like climate change and human rights are underreported

76
Q

how has the new media changed what is in the news

A

the line between entertainment and news is being blurred as news that grabs attention is shared more.

77
Q

partisan bias

A

the slanting of political news coverage in support of a political party or ideology

78
Q

structural barriers to voting:

A
  • states can choose how, when, and where to vote

- voter registration laws

79
Q

functions of political parties:

A
  • mobilization of voters and educating
  • establishing party views
  • campaign management
  • recruiting candidates
80
Q

power of congress *** very important

A
  • pass a federal budget
  • power to raise revenue (tax)
  • power to coin money
  • power to declare war
  • power to raise and maintain armed forces