POLS 207 TAMU Smith Exam 2

What is pigeonholing?

when a bill is ignored, it never makes it out of the committee, its put aside for further consideration

Name the requirements for election to the Texas State Legislative:

-26 years of age
-citizen of Texas for 5 years prior to election
-resident of the district they were elected one year prior to election

How is legislative leadership chosen?

by the members of their party in the Senate at the beginning of each Congress

How long is the legislative leadership chosen in Texas?

-House of Representative: 2 year terms
-Senators: 4 year terms

Why do incumbents win?

>>visibility - campaigning for re-election, the people already know who they are voting for
>>resources of office - stars, offices, expense accounts, travel budgets
>>money - interest groups
>>professionalism & careerism

What is apportionment?

determination of residents that should live in a representative's district must be equal
- one person, one vote

Gerrymandering

redrawing district lines to make an advantage for a party or candidate or group

Biennial Sessions

meet every 2 years

Annual Sessions

meet every year

Special Sessions

may be called by government or legislative leaders for important reasons

What tasks do committees do?

>>consider bills in their particular area
>>most chambers have 20-30 standing committees

When is negative campaigning successful?

>>when negative ads focus on political issues rather than personal qualities
>>when used by challengers rather than incumbents
>>when released through media, not TV

What is negative campaigning?

attacking the opponent and putting them in a bad light

What happened in Baker vs. Carr?

the court decided that redistricting issues present justiciable questions, enabling federal courts to intervene in and to decide redistricting cases
>>districts were forced to have equal populations
- the power went from rural to urban districts

What happened in Buckley vs. Valeo?

stated that limited candidate's expenditures that are made from one's own personal funds is a violation of the 1st Amendment
>>putting a cap on the amount of money candidates could spend on their campaign was a violation of their rights

What does the state legislature do?

-approve budgets
-enact laws
-oversee state agencies
serve constituents

Who/what determines voter qualifications?

National government
-the states used to be in control

15th Amendment

banned race discrimination to vote (1870)

19th Amendment

banned gender discrimination (1920)
>>women could vote

24th Amendment

banned poll taxes (1964)

26th Amendment

set the voting age as 18 (1971)

What is the Responsible Party Model?

each party offers clear policy alternatives and holds their elected officials responsible for enacting policies

Closed Primaries

any voter can vote for any party

Run-off Primaries

a second election is held and the candidate with the highest score is the one that runs for an office in the first primary

Presidential Primaries

voters may vote in general election or a secret ballot
>> candidates are chosen by name

What type of primary is Texas?

a closed primary but operates as an open primary

What do national party committees do?

raises money and spends money for political campaigns

What are national party committees?

an organization with a political party

How do most people participate in the political system?

-voting
-running for office
-participating in marches
-donating
-writing letters
-sending emails

What is a rational voter?

one who weighs the personal benefits with the costs
>>seeks to maximize personal benefits and minimize costs

Who votes?

women, high income, smart people

Who doesn't vote?

young people, poor, unemployed, least educated

Why do some states have a higher voter turnout than others?

Socioeconomic Characteristics
>>high educations, incomes
Partisan Competition-Related Expansion
>>swing states
Media Predictions
>>discourages late voters

How can voter turnout be increased?

>>easier to vote before election day by mail
>>polling places for people with disabilities
>>better voting equipment
>>better procedures
>>voter education programs

Who determines membership of legislative committees?

the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate