POLS 207 Exam 2 Notes: Political Participation

popular participation is

the essence and definition of democracy

conventional political participation includes

voting, running for office, participating in marches and demonstrations, giving money or time to efforts, attending rallies or events, writing letters or emails, wearing a button, discussing issues, belonging to an organization

sustained political participation

consistent voting in presidential and nonpresedential elections

midterm election

a congressional election not accompanied by a presidential election

What is protest?

collective activity to obtain consensus

Civil disobedience

Break “unjust” laws, and accept punishment

Violence as political participation

Criminal, generally irrational, and self-defeating

What makes protests effective?

• positive media coverage

• this ties in to how important public opinion is

• clear, concise, and attainable goals

• nonviolence

Where did the words Civil Disobedience come from?

Henry David Thorough invented this term in his book titled Civil Disobedience

When did the elimination of property qualifications happemn?

early 1800s

WHat is the “white primary”, why was it deemed unconstitutional?

WHen was the “white primary” deemed unconstitutional?

1944

What is the Civil Rights act of 1964?

What is the 24th amendment?

In 1964 banned poll taxes

When and how was 18 year old voting acheived?

1971, with the 26th amendment

When and how were poll taxes eliminated?

24th amendment, 1964

Who was known as the first “common man” president?

Andrew Jackson

What was the 15th amendment supposed to do?

Give all males 21+ the right to vote, but many Black males still could not vote due to discriminatory voting standards

The court case where grandfather clauses were rules unconstitutional

Guinn vs. United States 1915

What led to white only primaries being deemed unconstitutional?

Smith v. Alvright

What is the 5th section of the voting rights act of 1965?

to change any voting laws it must be approved by the department of justice

John _ says that voting rights have been set back 50 years

said on steps of Lincoln memorial

2007 Texas passed a law requiring photo id to vote

26th amendment

min voting age for national elections can be no higher than 18

What are the voter requirements in Texas?

• citizen if the US

• at least 18 years old

• resident of the state for 30 days

The only way Texas can legally take away you right to vote

if you have a felony and still are serving time for your felony or deemed of unsound mind by a court of law

What is rationality in social sciences?

Not mental state of mind, usually cost benefit analysis

What is the biggest cost to voting?

information cost

What are some reasons for variations in voter turnout?

socioeconomic (high education/income means more likely to vote), partisan (higher turnout in swing states), media (discourages later voters), legal and procedural explanations (differences in registration procedures, federally mandated “motor voter” registration law, difference in actual voting experience like time, place, equipment, ballots, and poll workers)

education is the single greatest predictor of whether you will vote

To increase voter turnout

make it easier to vote

what is a political party?

an organization that seeks to achieve political power by placing their representatives in public office through elections

what is the main goal of political parties

win elections, your ideologies mean nothing unless you are winning elections

what is the goal of interest groups

advance the interests of their members

What is one difference between political parties and interest groups

political parties can be policy generalists whearas interest groups focus on specific issues

What is the responsible party model?

A party system in which each party offers clear policy alternatives and holds their elected officials responsible for enacting these policies in office

What is the candidate centered model?

Individual candidates rather than parties raise funds, create personal organizations, and rely on professional consultants to direct their campaigns

what is a caucus

A meeting of people is the general definition, sometimes surrogates and canidates show up

Why is the Iowa caucus so important?

media attention, money, and momentum

What are super delegates (democrat)/ unpledged delegates (republican)

Not already pledged to a candidate and can sway nominations

What do you need to run for office?

• campaign manager

• fundraising manager

• cmapaign counsel

• hire media and campaign consultants

• assemble campaign staff

• get a research staff and policy advisers

WHat is the canidate centered model of elections?

• the advent of primary elections

• decline in party affiliation, increase in split-ticket voting

• increased focus on candidate rather than party

• influence of mass media, particularly television and the web

• decline in political patronage

What is ticket splitting?

Voting for candidates from different parties for different roles in the same election

What is patronage?

material inducements to gain voter loyalty

What is the downs model?

economic theory of democracy, single line political spectrum,

What is the central downs theory?

most people place themselves on the middle of the political spectrum

What political functions do parties perform?

• organize elections and narrow the choices of political office seekers confronting voters

• they play an important role in voter choice

• party organizations and activists in the state play an important role in guiding their party and voters

• The democratic and republican parties perform the central task of organizing state legislatures

What is an open primary?

You choose on election day in which primary to vote in. In Texas though you have to stick with the party you chose to vote in the primary though.

What is a closed primary?

You must be registered with the party that you would like to vote in before you vote

Texas has primaries in March in even numbered years

Texas is technically a closed primary, but it operates as an open primary

What do legislators normally look like?

• most are college educated

• average age of 56 years old

• recruited from affluent families

• lawyers trained to deal with public policy

• amateurs because they are part time

• occupation is normally flexible work responsibility or retired persons, lawyers, business owners, physicians

• “citizens legislature”

Texas requirements to be in the legislature

• citizen of the US- can vote basically

What is gerrrymanderiung

the drawing of district lines for partisan advantage

Baker vs. Carr

1971, first put in place the idea of one person, one vote - more about how your vote is supposed to count equally with representation

Voting act of 1965

no more than 10% difference in voting districts

How does a bill become a law in Texas?

What is a bill?

A proposed law

Who can write a bill?

Anyone- congress, legislature, interest groups, governor, but it must be introduced by a legislator or congressional representative

the speaker of the house has almost autocratic power over the house

committees are the workhorses of the state legislature, they do most of the work

What is a favor report?

majority vote coming out of a comittee

House in Texas and Nation there are many more laws on debate

Rules and calendar committee sets the rules for how a bill will be debated in the house

the luitenant govenor is the most powerful position in Texas State Politics, then Speaker, than Govenor

Senate delaying tactic

senator can tag a bill, fillabuster

Most legislatures do not read all the bills they vote on

What is a filibuster?

control over the senate through lengthy debate

How does filibustering in Texas work?

you must talk about the bill you are filibustering, you have three strikes to stay on topic

What is a vote of quorum?

to hold a vote in the senate there must be 53 members in the US senate and 13 in the Texas senate

What is the job of the conference committee?

smooth over the bill, review it, they only have 140 days

signatures on bills passed by the legislature

• speaker of the house

• clerk of the house

• lieutenant gov

• secretary of the senate

gov in Texas does not have a pocket veto, must sign a veto report

only gov can call a special session, not legislature

most chambers have 20 to 30 standing committees, assignments are typically made by leadership with occupational background being a factor and generally reflect the preferences of the chamber

critical assesment of the state legislatures

• state legislatures are not popular with the American people

• despite institutional reforms, higher salaries, more professional legislatures, longer sessions, increased staff and better resources, legislatures still have not improved their standing with the American people

• Americans are generally cynical and view government negatively