AP gov UNIT 4

What is frontloading?

the tendency for states to hold their primaries early in the year

What is the strongest indicator
whether or not a person will vote?

Education

Would a 35 year old female, Jewish teacher vote Democrat or Republican?

Democrat

Would a white 45 year old male evangelical Christian business owner vote Democrat or Republican?

Republican

What issues do conservatives tend to support?

- Protection of American businesses
- Tax cuts
- National defense
- Death penalty

What issues do liberals tend to support?

- Social programs
- Environmental programs

What is the "coattail effect"?

the tendency for the political party of the winning president to pick up seats in Congress

What happens as regards seats gained from the coattail effect at the midterm elections?

The party of the president loses seats

Which group has had the largest gain in the past 50 years?
- Republicans
- Democrats
- Independents

Independents

Name several things that can keep a person from being able to vote?

• Not a citizen
• Not old enough
• Not a resident
• Failure to register

In which type of primary can an Independent not vote?
- Open
- Closed
- blanket

Closed

What groups tend to vote Republican?

- the wealthy
- protestants
- whites
- males

What groups tend to vote Democrat?

- the poor
- almost all religious groups
- females

What ethnic group is the most loyal of the Democratic voters and tends to vote for the most liberal of the candidates within the party?

The black population

What is the most common form of political activity?

Voting in presidential elections

What is voter turnout for the U.S. as to participation and as compared to other industrialized countries?

Low voter turnout

What is political socialization?

It is the way that political values are passed on to the next generation

What is the strongest factor in political socialization?

Family

What does it mean to "balance the ticket"?

For a presidential candidate to choose a vice presidential candidate which will add balance and appeal to the national ticket

To whom are public money available to?
- presidential candidates
- congressional candidates
- gubernatorial candidates

Presidential candidates

What happened when 18-21 year olds got the vote?

Very few turned out to vote

What is a description of a critical election?

When groups of voters change their traditional patterns of loyalty

If a state has 10 electoral votes and the Democratic candidate gets 60% of the popular vote, how many electoral votes does he get?

All

Name several ways that the electoral college affects campaign strategy

It encourages campaigning in populous, competitive states

Who does the electoral college help?

The two major parties

Who does the electoral college hurt?

Third parties

What is the biggest advantage to someone running for political office?

Being the incumbent

What is political efficacy?

The belief that one can make a difference by politically expressing an opinion and then acting accordingly

What happens in a maintaining election?

The political party in control of the
federal government maintains control

What is pork barrel?

Funding for projects meant to benefit constituents

Which area of the United States changed from traditionally Democratic to Republican in the past 30 years?

The South

What kind of government does split ticket voting lead to?

Divided Government

What does most TV coverage of campaigning cover?

Day to day political activities

What are reasons why people don't
vote.

• Registration requirements
• Lack of political efficacy
• Weekday elections
• Frequency of elections

What is an open primary?

allow independents to vote

What is a closed primary?

Only Democrats and Republicans can vote (for their own party)

What is the effect upon political parties of the Single Member District System?

Strengthens the 2 major parties and weakens 3rd parties

What is the highest percentage of turnout for voters in the US?

50%

What is divided government?

Either the president, the House of Representatives, or the Senate is controlled by one party and the other(s) are controlled by the other party.

How many electoral votes does each state get?

Their number of representatives plus their 2 senators

Who's advice do presidential candidates rely on?

Political Consultants

What are some political values that most Americans share?

• Individual freedom
• Representative democracy
• Equality of opportunity
• Due process of law

What is the biggest influence upon individuals voting in presidential elections?

Partisanship

What did Buckley v Valeo say about congressional spending?

Due to First Amendment freedom of expression, there could be no limit on congressional spending of personal money for elections

What are the hard money limits for individuals?

$2000

What are the hard money limits for PACs?

$5000

What is a 527?

a tax-exempt group that can spend unlimited amounts of money independently for or against a candidate

What can't 527s (SuperPacs) do?

They cannot work with any campaign nor can they ask for people to vote a certain way

Do both presidents and congressmen have term limits?

Only for presidents

Do most voters actually show up and vote on election day?

No

What are linking institutions?

• The media
• Political parties
• Interest groups
• Pacs

Why are polls conducted?

To find out what the voters want and to predict winners of elections

Since the 1960s, support has declined for which party by white southerners?

Democratic Party

What are advantages of an incumbent?

• Franking privilege
• Name recognition
• More money
• Paid staff
• Free travel