Unit 5 AP GOV

Political Parties

run for office and their #1 goal is to get candidates elected

Interest groups

• do not run or hold office

• Focus on specific issues and work with political parties to get legislation passed in their interest’s favor 

Majority parties

• Republicans and Democrats

• More likely to win elections because of their popularity and focus on a broad range of issues that impact Americans

Minority Parties/third parties

focus on a specific issues and less likely to win elections

Primary Elections

 narrow downs who the candidate will be for each political party

Primary

• formal/traditional ballot voting 

• New Hampshire first primary

Caucus

• informal where voters meet, discuss, and vote like a town hall meeting 

• Iowa first caucus 

Open Primary

voters can pick on the day of the election which political party they want to vote for 

Closed Primary

voters are only allowed to vote for the party they are registered for  

What is the reason for frontloading?

states move up their election dates to be earlier in the calendar year because it brings attention and money to the state 

Midterm

• every 2 years

• this is when Senators and Representatives are elected

General Election

• every 4 years

• this is when the president and Representatives are elected (depending on year Senators)

• More Americans vote in the general election

National Conventions

• Each party holds their own 

• Political party officially announces who their candidate will be for the presidential race 

• Announce the running mate (VP)

• Write and put out their party platform (list of the issues and opinions of the political party)

Order of Election Cycle

1. Meet requirements 

2. Primary Elections 

3. National Convention 

4. Campaign/Debate 

5. General Election

Pros of the electoral college

• provides more of an even playing field for all states to have a voice in the election

• founding fathers wanted the most educated people to make decision

Cons of the electoral college

• a candidate can win the popular vote but not get enough electoral votes

• the American people aren’t directly electing the President 

Winner-Take-All

The majority of votes goes to that one candidate 

Congressional District Method 

• Maine and Nebraska 

• The electoral votes stem from how each individual district within the state votes 

• Splits the electoral votes for that state

How does each state get their number of electoral votes?

• 2 Senators + # of Representatives (based on state’s population) 

• 100 Senators + 435 Representatives + 3 electoral votes for D.C. = 538 electoral votes 

• 270 IS THE WINNING NUMBER

What happens when no candidate wins 270 electoral votes?

• House of Representatives picks the president 

• Senate picks the VP

Incumbent

• person who currently holds office and is seeking reelection 

• Biggest factor for determining if an incumbent will be reelected: ECONOMY!

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)

placed strict limits on campaign finance of how much and when the money could be used

Citizens United v. FEC

• a movie about Hillary Clinton was created and the FEC (police of campaign finances) stopped them from releasing the movie because it violated the timeline of BCRA 

• Supreme Court declares that corporations have Constitutional rights 

• Supreme Court said BCRA was in violation of the 1st Amendment Freedom of Speech 

Hard Money

money goes directly to the candidate; limited

Soft Money

money goes to the political party; unlimited

Gatekeeper

media decide what stories are being told

Scorekeeper

occurs when the media is keeping track of election results 

Watchdog

looking out for the interest of the people (expose stories to the American public) 

Media

Broadcasts information for the general public

Realignment

switching party loyalty by important voting groups

Dealignment

voters detaching form political party and becoming independent

Types of Minor Parties

• Single Issue (Green Party)

• Splinter (Dixiecrats)

• Economic Protest (Populist)

• Ideological (Socialist Party)

Grassroots lobbying

Encourages people to contact their Congressional representatives directly in an effort to affect policy

FEC

Independent agency created to to monitor and enforce campaign regulation

FECA

Placed limits on individual and PAC contributions

PAC

• group that pools voluntary donations from members or employees to donate to campaigns, political parties, or to advocate for/against candidates and legislation

• Federal law limits on contributions and donations

• Requires to disclose donors

Super PAC

• Collects and spends unlimited amounts

• May not coordinate with candidates or campaigns

• Required to disclose donors