U.S. Voting Rights, Electoral Processes, and Political Parties

What is suffrage?

The right to vote

What is the electorate?

The potential voting population

Who had the right to vote when the United States was first founded?

White male property owners

Which amendment protected Americans from being denied the right to vote regardless of race?

15th Amendment

Which amendment protected Americans from being denied the right to vote because of sex?

19th Amendment

When was the 19th Amendment passed?

1920

Which amendment lowered the minimum voting age to 18?

26th Amendment

What was the biggest flaw with the 15th Amendment?

Lack of enforcement of the provisions led to some States using legal devices to deny African Americans the right to vote

What is gerrymandering?

The practice of drawing electoral district lines in order to limit the voting strength of a group or party

Which act established the National Commission on Civil Rights?

Civil Rights Act of 1957

What was one responsibility of the Commission on Civil Rights in terms of voting?

Investigate claims of voter discrimination

What were the provisions in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that dealt with voting?

-Prevents the use of any voter registration or literacy requirements in an unfair or discriminatory manner - this law relied on judicial action to overcome racial barriers and emphasized the use of federal court orders to help enforce the law

What are the 5 provisions in the United States that relate to voting?

1. Any person whom a State allows to vote for its most numerous branch must also be allowed to vote for U.S. Senators and Representatives. 2. No State can deprive any person of the right to vote 'on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude' (15th Amendment). 3. No State can deprive any person the right to vote on account of sex (19th Amendment). 4. No State can require a tax as a condition to taking part in the election of a federal officeholder (24th Amendment). 5. No State can deprive any person who is at least 18 years of age the right to vote because of age (26th Amendment).

What are the 3 qualifications that one must meet in order to be eligible to vote?

1. Citizenship - Most States require that a voter must be a US citizen. 2. Residency - You must be a resident of the State you are attempting to vote in. 3. Age - You must be at least 18 years of age to vote.

What is registration in voting?

A procedure of voter identification intended to prevent fraudulent voting.

What is purging in voting?

Local election officials reviewing the lists of registered voters to remove the names of those no longer eligible to vote.

True or False - In Texas, any government issued ID will satisfy voter ID requirements.

True….

What are the 5 options that a voter has when casting their ballot?

1. Vote FOR Candidate A. 2. Vote AGAINST Candidate A. 3. Vote FOR Candidate B. 4. Vote AGAINST Candidate B. 5. Not vote for either candidate.

What is ballot fatigue?

The phenomenon by which voters cast fewer votes for offices listed toward the bottom of the ballot.

What are cannot voters?

People that are ineligible to vote.

What are actual nonvoters?

People who are eligible to vote but choose not to.

What is political efficacy?

Lacking any feeling or influence or effectiveness in politics.

What are the three sources we can use to study voter behavior?

1. Results of particular elections. 2. The Field of Survey Research. 3. Studies of political socialization.

What are some sociological factors that can influence voting?

Education, Gender, Age, Religion, Ethnic Background, Geography, Population Shifts, Family and Other Groups.

What are some psychological factors that can influence voting?

Candidates and Issues, Party Identification.

What is straight ticket voting?

Voting only for candidates of one political party.

What is split ticket voting?

Voting for candidates from different political parties.

True or False - Most election laws are State laws and not federal.

True.

When is the federal election day?

First Tuesday, after the first Monday of November every even-numbered year.

What is a precinct?

Voting District.

What is a polling place?

The place where voters who live in a precinct go to cast their ballots.

How do most States count ballots?

Electronic Data Processing.

What is public opinion?

The complex collection of the opinions of many different people.

What are public affairs?

Those events and issues that concern the people at large.

What are some influences on a person's political attitudes?

Family, School, Early Attitudes, Multimedia, Peer Groups, Opinion Leaders.

How can we measure public opinion?

Elections, Interest Groups, Media, Polls.

What are straw votes?

A poll that seeks to read the public's mind by asking the same question of a large number of people.

What is a universe in polling?

The whole population that a poll aims to measure.

What is a sample in polling?

Representative slice of a universe.

What is a political party?

A group of persons who seek to control government through the winning of elections and holding of public office.

What are the two major political parties in the United States?

Republican and Democratic.

What are the three main elements of a political party?

Party Organization, Party in Government, Party in the Electorate.

What are some roles of political parties?

Nominating Candidates, Informing and Activating supporters, Governing.

True or False - The Framers wanted political parties to be formed when they wrote the Constitution.

False.

What are ideological parties?

Parties based on a particular set of beliefs, such as economics, social beliefs, or politics.

What are single-issue parties?

Parties that focus on a single public question.

What are economic protest parties?

Parties that are a result of economic discontent but do not have any clear-cut ideological base.

What are splinter parties?

Parties that have split away from one of the two main parties.

What is a major impact that third parties can have on elections?

They can split the vote of one of the two main parties and swing the election towards the other party.

True or False - The President's party is typically more united and more structured than the other party?

True…

What is nomination?

The naming of those who will seek office.

What are the methods of nomination?

1. Self-Announcement. 2. Caucus. 3. Convention. 4. Direct Primary. 5. Petition.

What is the oldest form of nominations?

Self-Announcement.

What is a caucus?

A group of like-minded people who meet to select the candidate they will support in an upcoming election.

What was the first party to introduce conventions as a form of nominating candidates?

Anti-Masons.

What is the method of nominating candidates that is most common today?

Direct Primary.

What is an open primary?

A party's nominating election in which any qualified voter can cast a ballot.

What is a closed primary?

A nominating process in which only declared party members can vote.

What portion of the vote must a candidate receive in order to win a runoff primary?

Majority vote - 50%.

Where do political parties officially nominate candidates for Presidential Elections?

The National Convention.

What percentage of the electorate are swing voters?

1/3.

What are battleground states?

Those States in which the outcome is 'too close to call.'

Who organizes Presidential Debates?

Commission on Presidential Debates.

How is a President elected?

Electoral College.

How many electoral college votes are required for a candidate to win?

270.