unit 3 - MCQ

15th amendment

extended right to vote to african american men

14th amendment

birth right citizenship

17th amendment

popular election of senators

19th amendment

gave women the right to vote

24th amendment

abolition of barriers to voting - eg. poll taxes

26th amendment

right to vote for 18-20 yr. olds

structural barriers to voting

• ID must be present

• when you can vote

• employers stance/time off

incumbency advantage

• media already covers them

• name is already known

• franking

• already have a platform

open primaries

primary election where all registered voter’s can vote regardless of their party affiliation

closed primary

primary election in which people who are registered members of that political party can vote

caucus

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

party conventions

formal, national meeting of a political party's delegates to nominate candidates for the general election (especially for president and vice president), adopt a party platform, and sometimes revise party rules.

electoral college

each state gets electoral votes that equal number of US reps. +2 more

• gives each state more of a “voice”

rational choice theory

voting based on a persons best interest

retrospective voting

voting based on the incumbents preformance

prospective voting

voting based on what the person in office will do for you

party - line voting

voting for candidates who belong only to one political party for all the offices on the ballot

citizens' belief that they can understand and influence political affairs, and that the government will be responsive to their demands.

midterm election

takes place in the middle of a President’s time in office, all representatives run, and 1/3 of senate runs

demographics

different groups eg. ethnicity, economic status, amount of schooling

linkage institution

connects citizens to the government and plays a role in elections

super delegates

party leader/ activist who isn’t pledged to a candidate based on the outcome of the state’s primary caucus

• belong to democratic party

front - load

state decisions to push its primary/caucus as early as possible in the election season to gain more influence in presidential nomination process

national convention

meeting where delegates officially select their party’s nominee for the presidency

candidate - centered campaign

trend in which candidates develop their own strategies and raise money with less influence from the party’s elite

types of linkage institutions

• political parties

• interest groups

• the media

function of political parties

• provides cues for voters

• provides a platform of issues

• recruit candidates for gov’mt offices

• nominate candidates for gov’mt office

• raise $ for candidate campaigns

• support for candidates campaigns

• mobilize voters and “get out to vote” campaigns

party coalition

groups of voters who support a political party over time

realignment

when the groups of people who support a political party shift their allegiance to a diff. political party

critical election

a major national election that signals a change in the balance in power between the two parties

party eras

time period when one party wins most national elections

era of divided gov’mt

a trend since 1969, where one party controls one/both houses of congress and the president is from the opposing party

two-party system

a system in which two political parties dominate politics, winning almost all elections

proportional representation system

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

single-member plurality

election system for choosing members of the legislature where the winner is the candidate who receives the most votes, even if the candidate doesn’t receive a majority of the votes

(U.S.)

third parties

minor political party in competition with the two major parties

types of 3rd parties

• ideological

• single-issue

• economics protest

• splinter party

roles of 3rd parties

• spoiler

• innovator

• critic

spoiler

take votes away from a major party, and changes the outcome of the election

innovator role

come up with a new idea → if the idea becomes popular, the big parties add it to their party platform to gain votes

why can’t 3rd parties win?

• not automatically on ballot (have to go state by state)

• money (don’t raise as much)

• debates (invited only if polling 15% nationally)

• electoral collage → winner takes all, hard to get electoral votes

• media pays attention to major parties

  • pay attention to 3rd party when they mess up

free-rider

individuals who enjoy collective goods and benefit from the actions of an interest group without joining 

selective benefits

benefits available only to those who join the group

economic interest groups

groups advocating on behalf of the financial interests of their members

public interest groups

act on the behalf of the collective interests of a broad group of individuals

single issue groups

associations focusing on one specific area of public policy, often a moral issue about which they are unwilling to compromise

government issue groups

organizations acting on behalf of local, state, or foreign gov’mts

lobbying

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

revolving door

the movement of individuals between positions in government and lobbying positions

grassroots lobbying

mobilizing interest groups members to pressure their representatives by contacting them directly through phone calls, email, and social media

amicus curiae brief

a brief filed by someone who is not a party to a case in attempt to persuade the court to agree with arguments set forth in the brief

iron triangle

the coordinates and mutually beneficial activities of congress and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals

issue network

the webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and policy advocates

franking privilege

if you are in office you can send mail to all of your constituents for free

taft-harley act

corporations and unions can’t contribute directly to a specific candidate

federal campaign reform law

limited amnt. that a person can donate, limits amnt. of personal money a person can use, created PACS, created FEC

• limit on donations was overturned

FEC

independent agency w/t 6 members that oversee campaign finance and laws

soft money

$ given to party to be spent on party activities eg. get out to vote act

hard money

$ to candidate who decides how to spend it

dark money

$ from 501© and 527 given privately and controlled by the IRS

news media

broad term that includes newspapers, magazines, radio, television, internet sources, blogs, and social media that cover important events

social media

forms of electronic communication that allow users to create and share content or to participate in social networking

agenda setting

media’s ability to highlight certain issue and bring them to the agenda of the public

mass media

sources of information designed to reach a wide audience, including newspapers, radio, television, and internet outliers

wire services

an organization that gathers and reports on news and then sells the stories to another outlet

investigative journalism

an approach to newsgathering in which reporters dig into stories, often looking for instances of wrongdoing

broadcast media

outlet for news and other content including radio and television that bring stories directly into people’s homes

partisan bias

the slanting of political news coverage in order to support a political party/ideology

horse-race

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