Voters And Voting Flashcards
Is the right to vote a civil liberty?
It is not a civil liberty, it is a political right
What two things mean the right to vote?
Suffrage and the franchise
Define electorate
Those eligible to vote. Roughly 2/3 of the United States
Who sets suffrage qualifications
States, but the constitution places five restrictions
What is the 15th amendment
No state can deny a person the right to vote by race, color, previous servitude
What is the 19th amendment
No state can deny a person the right to vote by gender
What’s the 23rd amendment
People in Washington DC can vote
What is the 24th amendment
No state to require a poll tax
What’s the 26th amendment
No state may deprive a person 18 and older a right to vote
What are ways states can limit voting
Are they citizens? Enter are they residents? you must register to be a voter Transients can't vote Some states allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections if they will be 18 during the general election
Can aliens vote
Not currently
What is the average residency in order to vote
30 days
Why is there voter registration
To prevent voter fraud
What are transients
Someone who moves around. The military is exempt
Which state allows 17-year-olds to vote if they’ll be 18 on the day of the presidential election
Nebraska
How early must you register before an election
30 days
What states allow same-day registration to vote
Maine and Wisconsin
How many eligible voters vote
Less than a half
How many of those who vote are nonvoting voters
Approximately 12%
What is a nonvoting voter
Someone who doesn’t vote complete vote
When are nonvoting voters more common
For state elections and in the top half of the ballot
When do more people vote
In presidential year elections, and in general elections
What are reasons for nonvoting?
Handicapped, hospitalized, in jail, religious beliefs restricted, race or religion discrimination, traveling
What are examples of nonvoters
The system is meaningless, they don’t matter
Those who believe if they vote it won’t matter in the end
Their vote won’t make a difference, and they want world peace
The procedures are too cumbersome
They’re apathetic
What is the number one reason for not voting
Apathy
what are sociological characteristics of people who vote
Higher income
Higher education, higher occupational status, married people, between 35 and 65
What is a psychological factor of people who vote
They identify with a party
What are characteristics of people who vote
ballots are competitive and therefore more interesting, community pressure, they have a sense of political efficacy, white
Why was the 15th amendment ignored for 90 years
The Supreme Court said it didn’t apply to voting in states
What is the voting rights act
It ended the use of Jim Crow laws
What were Jim Crow laws
Laws designed to prevent blacks from voting
How did the voting rights act change voting
The number of people who voted substantially increased
What are split ticket voters
Those who don’t identify with the party
What party is rapidly growing and has one third of all three party votes
Independent
What are demographic factors of those who vote
They are millennials, single women, minorities
What are millennials
People born since 1980
What don’t you need to win an election anymore
A white man’s vote, because that minorities and single women are growing rapidly and voting more
What is a vote to the future
Mandate
What is the vote on the past
Verdict
What are most elections about
Money and the economy
What are the three types of elections
The party primary, general election, referendum
What type of election is for nominees
Party primary
What is an election for officeholders
A general election, the winner will take the office
What type of election is for legislation
Referendum
What is a referendum
People, not legislators voting on a bill
What is the initiative
Voters, through petition, propose a law for referendum
What is a caucus
Where leaders of a party cheese nominees
What are primary elections
When the party selects nominees for an election
What are the three types of primary elections
Closed primary, open primary, blanket primary
What is a closed primary
It can only be voted in by registered members of the party
What is an open primary
You don’t have to be registered in a party to vote for that party
What is a blanket primary
When all parties are listed on one Ballot
Who runs against each other
All Republicans and all Democrats
Who votes in primaries
The largest supporters of a party
Why do blanket elections cost less Then other primaries
Because they only have one election
What showed that only a few people fund entire elections
Nixon and the Watergate scandal
What did the federal election campaign act of 1971 try to do
Regulate Hard money, set reporting requirements and limit donations, create the Federal election commission, give federal financing
What is hard money
Money given directly to a candidate or campaign
What is a reporting requirement
You must report transactions more than $100 pertaining to an election
What is the Federal election commission
An agency created to monitor elections
What is federal financing
Money given toward an election campaign, but only if your party has 5% or more of the vote in the previous election
What case said limting the amount of money spent or donated by a person in a campaign violated the First Amendment-free speech
Buckley versus Valeo
What is a loophole to hard money
Soft money
What is soft money
Money spent on behalf of a party or candidate without their knowledge and without going to them
What tried to eliminate soft money, raise limits for Hard money, and said corporations unions and interest groups can’t run a political act within 60 days of the general election
McCain Finegold
What is a political action committee (pac)?
A group making a donation for more than $100 for each election. Usually formed out of existing groups
What is bundling
Sending lump donations. More money speaks louder in a campaign
What is a 527
A nonprofit charity. It is a loophole and you can have unlimited money for election
What case took limits from corporations, saying they can now donate infinite money to campaigns instead of being treated like people
Citizens United versus Federal election commission
What’s a super PAC
A large group not incrimination with the campaign or candidate creating issues. The ads suggest but do not state to vent for a candidate
What is an interest group
A group trying to influence the government
What does the electoral college only apply to
The presidential election
Is the electoral college biased in favor of large or small states
Small
How many votes from the electoral college must you have to win
270
What do you need to win the electoral vote
To win the right states, not the popular vote
What is the electoral college a result of
Compromise between sovereign citizens versus sovereign states
What are three different arguments for the electoral college
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it,
The electoral college exists because federal system; states elect the president not voters,
preserves the two party system and third-party cannot win
What says all electors vote for a candidate with the most votes
Unit rule
What is political efficacy
If you feel your votes count
What is an Australian ballot
Government printed, private ballot
What is a red blue America
It’s states being categorized as Republican or Democrat
What does dyed in the wool mean
You were strictly for one party
What does straight ticket mean
You only vote for one party
What is partisanship
You’re partial towards one party
What are the five restrictions on the power that states have to set the right to vote
The 15th amendment, 19th amendment, 24th amendment, 26th amendment, you can vote for Congress if you vote for the largest party of state legislature
What is the coattail effect
People are more likely to be elected from the winning party
What is the turn out for midterm elections
Poor
What is an office group ballot
You do not have the option to vote for all of one party at the same time
What is the party column ballot
You have the option to vote for all of one party at once
What is a splinter party
A party that splits off from the main party
What is the campaign strategy in primaries?
Get well-known, and win early
What is a dark horse
The candidate who blindsides their competitors
What is an invisible primary
It’s when you don’t flat out say that she’s going to run
What is frontloading
Pushing a primary earlier to get more publicity
What is super Tuesday
The day that most primaries of the south are held on
What case since money isn’t limited take oneself in campaigns
Buckley versus Valeo
Why are conventions held
To decide nominees
What is a balanced ticket
When a ticket is balanced with one candidate having a running mate with a different demographic
What is the RNC
The Republican national committee
What is the DNC
Democratic national committee
What is a pac
It’s what interest groups use to transfer hard money to candidates
What is political machine
It’s a “get out the vote organization” for party
What is endorsement
When a race dropout endorses another candidate
What is fat cat
A wealthy political contributor
What is the coalition
When minorities join together to become a majority
What is bellwether
It’s a state that predicts the national power
What is plurality
When you get the most, but not the majority vote
What is a runoff election
Extra election to determine the winner
What is the number one indicator of if a person will vote
There in a party
What is the number one indicator of how a person will vote
How their spouse votes
Why is the Democratic Party growing
Because the minority groups are growing
What is the bad part of primaries
Mostly political extremists vote in primaries, therefore political extremists win
