Studied by 7 people
Why is voter registration important?
It prevents people from voting more than once or claiming to be someone else when they vote.
Why are voting restrictions bad?
Can limit voter turnout
How does/did the government limit voter turnout?
poll taxes, literacy tests, violence
What is the grandfather clause?
Laws that stated that if a voter's farther or grandfather had been eligible to vote on January 1st, 1867 the voter did not have to take a literacy test.
What did the 24th amendment do?
outlawed poll taxes
What is the VRA and what do they do?
Voting Rights Act in 1965. Protects rights of minority voters by denying state laws based on race.
What is Shelby County v Holder
Removed the state requirement to have federal preclearance before changing voting laws
Was the change under VRA positive?
Yes, voting registration in black voters jumped 40-50+% higher.
How are states currently limiting voting methods?
photo ID, specific day to vote, in person
Why do some states dislike online voting?
It can cost 250-750k to implement and increases chance of online fraud.
What is the residency requirement?
how long a citizen must live in a state to vote
National Voter Registration Bill ("Motor Voter Act"), 1993
allows people to register to vote when they get their driving license
Phantom Voters
when people who move/die but are still registered to a state
What did the Help America Vote Act of 2002 do?
replace punchcard and lever-based voting systems; create the Election Assistance Commission to assist in the administration of federal elections; and. establish minimum election administration standards
Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program
program that allows states to check for duplicate registrations in different locations
What is the purpose for The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program?
enables federal, state, local government agencies and licensing bureaus to obtain immigration status information needed to determine a noncitizen applicant's eligibility for many public benefits.
What are some of the requirements a person needs to vote?
Over 18, not in jail (sometimes can't ever be in jail), other state-specific laws)
white primary
the practice of keeping black people from voting in the southern states' primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation
Under which case were white primaries declared unconstitutional?
Smith v Allwright in 1949
How does one calculate voter turnout?
Calculate how many people voted over how many people COULD have voted
What are some factors influencing the voter turnout?
Age, income, education, gender, race
What does the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) do?
advocate for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues
What are some groups trying to encourage younger age voter turnout?
When We All Vote, Rock the Vote
What decreases voter turnout?
The polls are only on election day (some people can't take the day off), negative stories about the candidates, lack of knowledge, apathy, being a chronic minority, and voter fatigue
Why are photo ID laws difficult?
Texas doesn't allow student IDs as a proper ID, not everyone has a photo ID, the IDs have to have specific information or you are denied the ability to vote
What is the Tillman Act?
banned corporations from giving money to politicians
What is the Federal Elections Campaign Act?
Candidates have to report how much they are spending on their campaigns
What is the Federal Elections Committee?
enforces election laws
Buckley v. Valeo
A case in which the Supreme Court of the United States upheld federal limits on campaign contributions and ruled that spending money to influence elections is a form of constitutionally protected free speech. The court also stated candidates can give unlimited amounts of money to their own campaigns.
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act)
requires ads to have a personal endorsed message, restricts money given to parties, blocks ads 30 days before a primary and 60 days before a general election
McConnell v. FEC
the supreme court upheld all major elements of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, including those permitted regulation of soft money and issue ads.
Citizens United v. FEC
A 2010 decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts can't be limited. started the. formation of Super PACS.
What are the campaign contribution limitations? Individual
Individuals can donate 2900 per candidate per election, 5000 to PACS, and 36500 to parties
What are the campaign contribution limitations? PACs
5000 per candidate, 15000 nationally
Why did Citizens United challenge BCRA
Citizens United wanted to release a film about Clinton, but it would fall within the NO ADs timeframe.
Why is the Iowa Caucus important?
The first big thing in the elections and can give the winner huge publicity.
Why are caucuses less common than primaries?
it takes 2-3 days, is transparent, and intimidating for less-experiences voters
When do national elections hold primaries?
March and later. Only Iwoa, New Hampshire, and South Caroline hold theirs in January or February.
Why is frontloading important
Helps leading candidate win by eliminating time for voters to be swayed, secondly helps the candidate who won the "invisible primary" (Spent more money)
How do parties prevent frontloading?
Offering extra delegates to states with later nominations
What are conventions?
Held between June-September and last 4-5 days. That is when candidates introduce their platform.
Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929
-caps house at 435: one of the other states has to lose a seat -creates a zero sum game -no one can win something unless all others lose -fixed outcome
What happens if their is a tie in the presidential election?
If their is a presidential tie, the House decides the president
What is political efficacy
the citizens' faith and trust in government and their belief that they can understand and influence political affairs
What is civic duty?
the idea that citizens have a responsibility to help their country
Why are civic duty and political efficacy important?
the lack or have of it determines voter turnout
What are the three primaries?
blanket, closed, and open
what is soft news
A soft news story tries instead to entertain or advise the reader. You may have come across newspaper or TV stories that promise "news you can use." Examples might be tips on how to stretch properly before exercising, or what to look for when buying a new computer.
How are online ads presented
via social media or under search engines
what happens to non-partisan candidates if you straight ticket vote?
they will not receive any votes
What is retrospective voting?
voting based on the past performance of a candidate
What is pocketbook voting?
applying incumbent past behavior to predict the future
What is strategy voting
Voting for the 2nd or 3rd choice to waste votes or prevent another candidate from winning
What is the incumbent's franking privilege
Incumbent is allowed to send a certain amount of free mail to district voters
Why is gerrymandering so controversial?
Gerrymandering or drawing district lines to achieve favorable political results for one political party
Other than the presidential election, US elections follow the plurality vote system. What is that?
It means that in most elections, you only need past 50% of the votes to win
Why was the 1968 Democratic National Convention significant?
It formed the McGovern-Fraiser Commission
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Flashcard (36)