POL 1101 Exam 3

political parties

groups of people with similar interests who work together to create and implement policies

purpose of political parties

• drafting legislation

• guiding proposed laws through Congress and informing party members how they should vote on important issues

• nominating candidates to run for state government, Congress, and the presidency

• coordinating political campaigns and mobilizing voters

was washington for or against parties?

against

3 shifts in 2024 that got Trump reelected

• MAGA movement

• white (blue collar/union)

• men of color (hispanic, black)

what drove the MAGA movement?

whats the result of polarization?

dominant R/D districts due to gerrymandering, amplified interparty conflict

Bull Moose (Teddy Roosevelt)

• campaign reform

• womans suffrage

• social insurance

• 8 hour work day

Reform Party (Ross Perot)

• reduce national debt

• campaign finance reform

• term limits

key structural issue for 3rd parties

electoral college

Christian Coalition (Ralph Reed)

• score cards

• mobilized the churches

why did GA move so fast with republican domination?

will the MAGA vote go on the midterm election with the struggling economy right now?

types of elections

• primary

• general

• majority

• plurality

• rank choice

primary elections

• open (any voter regardless of party)

• closed (party members only)

• blanket/jungle (all candidates appear on the same ballot)

majority elections

number of votes needs to be more than half

runoff election

a second election for if the candidate with the most votes fails to get the minimum percentage of votes state law requires

plurality elections

number of votes is more than any other candidate but not necessarily the majority

rank choice voting

voters rank candidates by choice

interest group

any formal association of individuals or organizations that attempts to influence government decision-making and the making of public policy

role of interest groups

• offer or encourage voting

• campaigning

• contacting lawmakers

• informations the public about causes

state ethics commission

collects campaign contribution disclosure reports, personal finance disclosure reports, and lobbyist disclosure reports

can a governor run for more than 2 terms in GA

yes, not consecutive

3 most important roles

• governor

• lieutenant governor

• speaker

• chair

trial courts

• superior (broad civil and criminal jurisdiction)

• magistrate (issue warrents, minor criminal offenses)

• probate (estate management, execution of wills)

• juvenile (all cases involving juveniles)

• state (traffic violations, issue search and arrest warrants, hold preliminary hearings)

• municipal courts (within a city, violation of local ordinances, traffic violations)

what is the key power of the chairperson?

decide what bills the committee votes on and decide who gets to speak

current speaker

Jon Burnes

current lieutenant governor

Bert Jones

legislation process

• interest group

• house or senate draft bill

• top 4 important signatures

• bill introduced (in the hopper)

• assigned to a committee

• committee interest group

• rules committee

• floor vote

• process repeated on the other side

• governor sign/veto

budget process

• executive branch dept requests money (interest group involvement)

• governor creates budget (interest group involvement)

• budget bill drafted

• budget bill introducced

• assigned to committee (appropriations)

• assigned to sub committee

• committee vote

• rules committee

• house floor vote

• repeat in senate

• conference committe (if disagree)

• floor vote

• governor sign/veto/line item veto

types of local governments

• counties (subdivision of the state, organized by the state)

• cities (municipal corporation, organized by a community)

• school board

what tax do citizens put pressure on local government to lower?

property tax

top 2 sources of income

• income tax

• sales tax

where does your money go?

healthcare

SPLOST

• one-cent sales tax on retail puchases within a county, approved by voters

• used for roads, parks, other infrastructure

ESPLOST

• specific type of SPLOST where the funds are designated for educational purposes

• used to fund capital improvements and debt repayment for school projects (new schools, renovations, techonolgy upgrades)

what is showing up in local communities thats upsetting people?

• data centers

• ice/detention facilities (converted warehouses)

city government

• roads/bridges within cities

• police

• fire dept

• parks

• zoning/planning

• garbage/sewer/water

• building regulations

county government

• roads/bridges between cities

• police + 911

• public health/hospitals

• fire dept

• parks

• jails + courthouses

• elections

• libraries

• carry out locally state programs

• mass transportation

• property/marriage records

• tax assessment/collections

board of commissioners

multi member elected board that acts as the legislative and often executive authority for the county

sole commissioner

a single elected official who holds all of the legislative and executive powers

elected chief of executive office

a separation of powers where a board of commissioners handles policy, while a separate, elected CEO handles day-to-day administration

consolidated government

the merger of a city government and county government into one unified jurisdiction

cultural issues on the school level

• book banning

• CRT (critical race theory)

• trans athletes

• bathrooms

• school safety

• school vouchers

goal act

reduce higher education costs by eliminating graduate PLUS loans and capping graduate student borrowing

trump admin impact on local gov

• sanctuary cities

• DEI

• public safety

• schools

• public health

save america act 2026

would require citizenship and ID when voting

buckley v valeo (1976)

redistricting independent spending by individuals and groups was a violation of free speech under the 1st amendment

mcain feingold act (2002)

restricted corporations or labor organizations from financing issue based advertising on behalf of candidates

PACs

• can take up to $5,000 per year from individuals

• $5,000 to candidates for each election

• up to $10,000 between primary and general election

• $15,000 to political party committees

• spend unlimited on ads/other messages to support.oppose candidate

super PACs

• can take unlimited amounts of money from individuals, corporations, unions

• spend unlimited on independent expenditures to support.oppose candidates

• cannot give directly to candidates or parties

• cannot coordinate spending with candidates or parties

large campaign donors

50% of the $15.9 spent in the 2024 election cycle came from the top 1% of special interest donors

super PAC ads vs candidate ads

• super PAC: candidates did not appear or speak

• candidate: candidate lays out their plan

elements of a successful local campaign

• name recognition

• branding

• messaging

• differentiate

• visibility

• fundraising

is it more expensive to campaign in a rural community or a city?

• rural (more money spent because people are farther/harder to reach)