unit 5

Question 1

15th amendment

Answer 1

granted African Americans the right to vote

Question 2

17th amendment

Answer 2

allowed the direct election of senators

Question 3

19th amendment

Answer 3

granted women the right to vote

Question 4

24th amendment

Answer 4

banned poll taxes

Question 5

26th amendment

Answer 5

made the minimum voting age 18

Question 6

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Answer 6

prohibits racial discrimination in voting

Question 7

Motor Voter Law

Answer 7

allowed voters to register to vote at the DMV

Question 8

rational choice voting

Answer 8

the voter votes based on what they believe is in their own best interest

Question 9

retrospective voting

Answer 9

the voter votes based on an assessment of the incumbent’s past performance

Question 10

prospective voting

Answer 10

the voter votes for the candidate that promises policies favored by the voter

Question 11

party-line voting

Answer 11

the voter votes only for candidates within the same political party

Question 12

demographics

Answer 12

a population’s age, race, gender, etc.

Question 13

political efficacy

Answer 13

how much a person believes their vote matters

Question 14

electorate

Answer 14

the citizens that are eligible to vote

Question 15

linkage institution

Answer 15

structures that allow citizens to interact with the government (political parties, interest groups, AARP, etc.)

Question 16

critical election

Answer 16

an election that changes the balance of power in the government

Question 17

regional realignment

Answer 17

shifts in political alignment/support at a regional level

Question 18

realignment

Answer 18

larger groups of people shifting their support at a national level

Question 19

divided government

Answer 19

one party controlling both the House of Reps and the Senate, while the opposite party is in office (ex. Rep Congress & Dem president)

Question 20

incumbency advantage phenomenon

Answer 20

the person who held office previously has a better chance of being reelected than a new candidate

Question 21

open primary

Answer 21

a primary election that is open to any political party

Question 22

closed primary

Answer 22

a primary election that is reserved for a single party to participate in

Question 23

caucuses

Answer 23

political meetings where members of a party meet to discuss/debate political candidates

Question 24

party conventions

Answer 24

large-scale meetings where delegates meet to officially nominate a candidate for office/discuss the party platform

Question 25

Congressional and state elections

Answer 25

voters choose representatives for Congress and state legislatures

Question 26

electoral college

Answer 26

an indirect election of the US president comprising electors from each state based on its congressional representation

Question 27

PAC (Political Action Committee)

Answer 27

organized groups that raise and contribute money to influence elections

Question 28

Super PAC (Political Action Committee)

Answer 28

independent action committees with no financial contribution limits

Question 29

soft money

Answer 29

money used for party-building activities/issue advocacy (not for a certain candidate)

Question 30

hard money

Answer 30

contributions donated directly to a candidate/campaign

Question 31

issue ads

Answer 31

political ads that focus on promoting/opposing policy issues rather than candidates

Question 32

investigative journalism

Answer 32

thorough reporting that aims to expose undisclosed information about candidates to the public

Question 33

election coverage

Answer 33

news reporting that provides information about political campaigns, candidates, etc. to inform the public

Question 34

political commentary

Answer 34

opinion-based analysis of current political events/policies/developments (ex. Rachel Maddow)

Question 35

“horse race” journalism

Answer 35

political campaign coverage that focuses on the drama of the campaign rather than policy issues