POLS 100 government final study guide

what are political parties?

group of officeholders, candidates, activists, and voters who identify with a group label and seek to elect individuals to run under that label

What are the three components of political parties?

governmental party, organizational party, and party in the electorate

what do political parties attempt to influence?

the government by electing their members to important government offices, thereby controlling government

how do political parties differ from interest groups?

the latter accept government and its personnel as a given and only try to influence polices

what do interest groups not run for?

candidates fro political office

two-party system

A political system in which only two political parties have a realistic opportunity to compete for control

why are parties important?

many voters develop a psychological tie to one or another party that shapes individuals’ understandings of politics

what is a party identification associated with?

variety of characteristics like race, ethnicity, gender, religion, class, ideology, and region

third parties

parties that organize to compete against the two major American political parties, often giving voice to issues unattended by the major parties

third parties and independents include what?

populists, the progressives, and independents like Ross Perot, Ralph Nader (green) and Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura

what limits third parties success?

single-member districts, the plurality system, federal campaign financing, among others, institutional barriers

challenges third parties face: institutional barriers; what form can institutions take?

formal/informal rules and procedures, conventions, and social norms. Shape human life, interactions, and decsion-making processes

single member district (system); sometimes called first Past the post system

there is one seat available in each electoral district, and voters cast one ballot for thier preferred candidare. The winner is the one with the “most votes” or plurality not necessarliy a majority of votes

plurality system

An electoral system in which to win a seat in the representative body, a candidate needs to receive only the most (plurality) votes in the election, not necessarily the majority

proportional representation

electoral districts typically have multiple seats up for grabs and parties win seats in proportion with their vote share total

why does the US use single member plurality

to decide elections at the national level and many state-level contests

Maurice Duverger 1954

relationship between electoral rules and number of parties in a party system

Duvereger’s law

single member plurality favours 2 party system

what was Maurice Duverger point he was trying to make?

emphasize how plurality-based electoral rules (most votes win) penalize smaller (3rd) parties; they get nothing for finishing second

what two effects does Duverger’s law have?

mechanical and psychological

duverger’s law mechanical effect

how votes are translated into seats; in SMP this means the one seat in each electoral district goes to the candidate/party with the most votes

duverger’s law psychological effect

How the rules impact thinking and strategy; should voters vote strategically? What about party donors or potential candidates?

how can third party candidates receive public funds

under federal election law, candidates in preseidential elections can receieve public funds after the election ONLY if they acheieve at least 5% of the popular vote

Co-optation of issues

3rd parties can have an outsized influence by forcing major parties to talk about issues they may not have focused on or by taking a tougher stance

parties’ important electoral roles include what?

recruit and nominate candidates, register and activate voters, simplify the choices for the electorate

strategic mobilization

parties, candidates, and campaigning make a difference in convincing the voters “to” vote and “which” candidate to vote for. Parties have developed extensive data files on potential voters, parties focus their eforts where it will do the most good

how do parties and candidates help facilitate voter choice

providing information when voters must choose among obscure candidates and vote on unclear referenda and translate public preferences into policy

parties as institutions

parties’ relationships with and influence on governmental institutions are significant; parties organize the institutions of government

parties as institutions: Congress

depneds on the party to determine House and Senate leadership

Speaker of the House

selected by the majority party; party who holds majority of legislative seats in the house

what type of system is the congressional committee system

two party system

parties as institutions: the Presidency

leads the winning party, depends on members of Congress from their party to support legislative initiatives

Healthy political parties

extremely important for maintaining political equality, democracy, and liberty

what do strong parties encourage?

effective electoral competition and representation of interests

What do advocates for responsible party government argue?

for a strong role for parties in defining stances, mobilzing voters, and fulfilling campaign promises

what are the many problems of american politics in recent years

low turnout, high levels of special interest influence, lack of effective decision-making can be traced to the declining strength of American parties

political participation

a wide range of activities designed to influence the government; measure of how democratic a society is

non electoral political participation

can indicate in greater detail what citizens want or how intensly they feel about issues; that is, voting is limited in message and by how often it occures; that is, voting doesn’t tell us why someone voted the way they did

voting rights and turnout

states determine voting requirements; however, because of civil rights conflicts, various constitutional amendments and court decisions, the states’ discretion over voting rights has been limited

voter turnout in the US

remains low in comparison with other Western democracies

why is voter turnout so low in the US

restrictive voting laws, registration requirements, frequency of elections, perceived differences between parties, choices offered by the parties

what do new restrictions look like?

requiring certain forms of ID, documentary proof of citizenship to register, cutting back on early voting, banning mail-in ballots, and making it harder for felons to get their right to vote back

who established registration laws?

state governments and some state laws make it more difficult

Why do states with lenient registration laws (same-day registration or longer registration periods) have higher turnout?

as the election draws nearer, voter interest in the election reaches a high point

registration reform in 2993

in an effort to increase the numbe rof elegible voters, congress encacted the “motor voter” law (NVRA)

motor voter law (NVRA)

makes registration process much easier by linking registration to the application of driver’s licenses or state ID which lowers registration costs

frequency of elections

another factor that reduced voter turnout; no other democracy has elections of its national legislature every 2 years and only a few elect their executive as often as 4 years

what are state and local elections schedule separately from?

national elections

European countries elections

scheduled on Sundays or declare election day a national holiday

when are US elections held

traditionally on Tuesdays

why are americans soemtimes asked to vote twice?

to fill a single office: primary and general elections

what election do many americans skip?

The primaries; the average turnout is 30%

studies indicate that turnout is higher where?

in nations whose political parties represent clear cut alternatives; who is in office will make a difference

why do some americans vote while others dont?

because they can (resources) because they want to (civil education) and because someone asked (mobilization)

studies condlude that voter turnout is tied to what?

ethnic group, education levels, employment status, religion, age

civic education

Americans are taught to equate citizenhsip with electoral particiaption

civic training

legally required part of the elementary and secondary school curriculum; a strong sense of civic duty, interest, engagement, and knowledge is important

political mobilization

process by which larger numbers of people organized for a political activity

what is the most significant factor affecting participation

whether people are mobilized by parties, candidates, interest groups, and social movements

people are more likely to participate when what?

someone asks them to get involved

in the past what did parties, organizations, and social movements rely on for participation?

perosnal contact to mobilize voters

today, what do parties, organizations, and social movments rely on for participation?

fund raising, advertising organizations, and connections to citizens extend no further than their checkbooks and social media

Our uneven pattern of political participation, specifically low voter turnout, and increased importance of checkbook democracy challenge Americans to do what?

to consider whether our levels of political participation continue to live up to our ideals of democracy and equality

what are the two types of elections held in the united states?

primary and general; both held at state and federal levels

Proportional representation

most European nations employ an electoral system that uses this

presidential election timeline

primary election, national convention, general election, and electoral college

when are primary elections for the president

Jan-Jun

when are national conventions for the president

july-sept

when are the general election for the president

November

when is the electoral college election for president

January

how is the president elected

candidates must complete in state primaries and caucuses that occur in the first 6 months (jan-jun) of an election year to gain party nomination

what are the two early and important primaries/caucus

new hampshire (primary) and iowa (caucus) which traditionally comes first

front loading

The process by which states move their primary/caucus elections earlier to have a greater influence over the nomination

super tuesday

when most states hold their primaries

primary or caucus

competition between candidates of the same party. It allows the voters to choose the party’s candidates for general election

closed primary

only registered party members can vote in the party’s primary

open primary

registered voters choose which party’s primary to vote in

how often does a party hold a national convention

every 4 years

national conventions

select the party’s nominee for president; however, modern conventions simply confirm the winner of the primary season

what does the national convention serve as

opportunity to display party unity and strength, adpot a party platform, and establish party rules

general elections

candidates lucky enough to survive the nominating process go on to this

what are modern elections driven by

polling, the media, public relations, and new technologies like phone banks, direct mail, and the internent

what impact does increasing the importance of money have on political equality

It lessens grass root movements and gives a huge advantage to wealthier interests

what does the constitution provide regarding the electoral college

the election of the president and vice president

what happens under the electoral college system

voters cast their ballots, not for the president and VP themselves but for states of electors (loyal party members, governors, legislators, etc)

each state selects a number of electors equal to what for the electoral college?

its total number of US senators and representatives

how many electoral votes does IL have?

20; 18 reps. and 2 senators

what does a candidate need to do to be elected president by the electoral college?

receive a majority (270) of the total number of electoral college votes (538) if there is a tie then the house decides

Bucklet vs Valeo 1976

Restricting campaign spendings equals limiting free speech (1st amendment). The Court did uphold limits on direct contributions to candidates (corruption)

citizens united vs F.E.C 2010

Corporate and union funding of independent political broadcasts cannot be limited under the 1st Amendment. The government cannot suppress political speech based on the speaker’s corporate identity, overturning earlier precedents.

soft money

donations and spending have increased because the court has said its unconstitutional to limit

hard money

donations and spending continue to be regulated

P.A.C.s and super P.A.C.s

independent political fundraising groups that can accept unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations, and unions so long as there’s no coordination with the official campaign

historically, when do realignments occur?

when large numbers of voters permanently shift their support from one party to another

Voting qualifications are determined by what?

states, subject to certain federal rules and limits

the constitution was amended to allow women the right to vote in all public elections with what amendment?

19th amendment

the most recent expansion of the suffrage in the United States took place in 1971 when what?

voting age was reduced from 21 to 18

voter turnout over the last 50 years has what?

declined

Which of the following is NOT a form of political participation?

watching news on TV