POLS Unit 2

POLS 207

 

State and Local Government

Review Sheet – Exam 2



This is a list of general topics you will need to know in order to do well on the second exam. The exam covers the topics of participation, political parties, and legislatures (Chapters 5–7)



1)    How do most people participate in the political system?

Through voting - additional ways are running for office, participating in marches/protests, donation, rallies, writing letters or emails, discussing issues with family/friends, etc.



2)    What is a rational voter?

One that will vote only if the personal benefits outweigh the costs (costs being time)



3)    Know who votes and who does not?

Educated people will vote/senior citizens since they are more experienced and knowledgeable. People with less education are less likely to vote. 



4)    Why do some states have higher voter turnout?

They are swing states - the ones who mainly decide elections (battleground states)



5)    How could voter turnout be increased?

Making it easier to vote, more people will vote. More education, more likely to vote. Moralistic culture



6)    Who or what determines voter qualifications?

States determine voter qualifications for state elections and federal government for federal elections



7)    Know the amendments to the U.S. Constitution that concern voting

15th - banned race discrimination, but restricted to all males only over 21

19th - banned gender discrimination, women allowed to vote

24th - banned poll taxes 

26th - voting age drops from 21 to 18



8)    Know the responsible party model

Heavily dependent on parties - they recruit candidates for office, organize legislatures to ensure party control, educate people about issues and simplify choices, and develop and clarify alternative policy positions for voters



Problems - parties don't offer clear policy alternatives and voter decisions are not motivated primarily by policy considerations.



9)    Know the different types of primaries

Open primary - individuals from both party affiliations can vote on a party’s candidate primary

Closed - Only people registered with a party can participate in the party primary

Semi closed - registered party members can only vote in their party’s primary, but independent voters can choose which party’s primary to vote in

Blanket - all candidates regardless of party affiliation appear on the same primary ballot, and all voters can vote for any candidate

Jungle - places all candidates on a single ballot, regardless of party affiliation 



10) Know the different types of elections (i.e., general, primary, initiative, recall, etc.)

Primary - allow voters to select candidates who will run in the general election

Runoff - second round elections to determine the winner of a primary when no candidate achieves a majority of the votes. If no candidate gets majority, the top two with the most votes go to second round

General - determines the officials who will hold public office at various levels of government including federal, state, and local levels. 

Midterm - congressional elections for all members of the house of representatives and one third of the senate. Occurs every 2 years. 

Initiative - allows citizens to propose new laws or amendments to the constitution through a petition

Referendum - allows citizens to approve or reject laws or policies enacted by the legislature

Recall - allows voters to remove elected officials from office before the end of their term. 



11) What do the national party committees do?

Responsible for day to day operations - keeps the party going between election cycles.

In the past, the parties would organize every 4 years just for elections



12) When is negative campaigning successful?

Negative campaigning works when one candidate points out real problems with their opponent to make people doubt them. It’s most effective if it’s done close to the voting day (so the opponent has less time to respond), and if it sounds fair and not too mean. People are more likely to believe it if it connects with worries they already have and comes from someone they trust.




13) Know the following Supreme Court cases:

a.     Baker v. Carr - This Supreme Court case addressed the issue of "one person, one vote" in legislative districts. The Court ruled that federal courts could review cases involving state legislative districting, which previously was considered a "political question" and left to states. This decision allowed courts to require states to redraw legislative districts to ensure equal representation, marking a shift in the Court’s involvement in electoral matters.



b.     Reynolds v Sims - built on the precedent set in Baker v. Carr. state legislative districts must be roughly equal in population to uphold the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. This reinforced the principle of "one person, one vote," requiring states to structure their legislative districts so that each vote carried equal weight, fundamentally altering representation in many states.




14) Know the functions of legislatures

  1. Lawmaking: Drafting, debating, and passing laws.

  2. Representation: Acting on behalf of constituents' interests and concerns.

  3. Oversight: Monitoring and reviewing the actions of the executive branch and other government entities.

  4. Budget Approval: Reviewing and authorizing government spending and budgets.

  5. Constituent Services: Assisting constituents with issues related to government programs and services.

  6. Debate and Deliberation: Providing a forum for discussing and debating public policies and issues.



15) Why do incumbents win?

Incumbents are people currently holding office. If you can control the legislature, then you can control the redistricting population. Incumbent president has an advantage over the new guy



16) What is apportionment?

Distribution of seats in a legislative body. Specific allocations of funds to different departments, programs, and projects within the state budget.



17) What is gerrymandering?

Manipulating the boundaries of an electoral constituency so as to favor one party or class

  • Counties need to be compact, contiguous, and of equal population size.

    • If qualities are met, gerrymandered counties usually are legal, even if evidence of racial gerrymandering is present.



 

18) Know the different types of legislative sessions

  • Biennial Session (140 days every 2 years)

    • Once 140 days are over, they are finished.

    • Only the governor can call a special session, stipulating what specific things they can talk about, and can only last 30 days. There is no limit on the amount of special sessions to call, but the legislature can push back on that.

  • 31 senators

  • 150 representatives



19) What do committees do?

Committees in government review, amend, and debate proposed legislation, conduct investigations, oversee government operations, and gather information on specific issues. They streamline the legislative process by focusing on specialized areas, helping lawmakers make informed decisions.

Keep the party functioning between elections



20) Who determines the membership of legislative committees?

The party leaders in each chamber of congress or state legislature



21) What is pigeonholing?

  • Goes to a committee, and no one does anything about it.

    • No markups, no agenda for it, nothing at all

  • The bill dies in committee. (the first red hand in the image above)

  • If this happens in the subcommittee, the bill dies.




22) Know the requirements for election to the Texas State Legislature

  • Very minimal, in an attempt to not exclude people from running.

  • However, there are many informal qualifications that disqualify many people.

    • Most legislators are from affluent, upper class families.

    • Usually part time legislators, work jobs such as lawyers, business owners, physicians, etc.

      • Usually people who are full time working a job / in school as a student aren’t here, as there is little flexibility in their schedules.

    • College Educated

    • Avg. age is 56 




23) How is legislative leadership chosen?

Legislative leadership is chosen by members of each party in the legislature, typically through internal elections held at the beginning of each session. 



24) How long is the legislative session in Texas?

140 days every 2 years



25) Know the principle-agent model discussed in class

  • Legislature, Congress cannot implement their own laws, needs an agent to execute those laws.

  • The agent executes the laws (in TX State level, it is the executive branch, state attorney general)

  • Congress can investigate any problems in the executive branch (oversight), and discuss what went wrong with the laws congress writes.



Post adjournment veto - they can't overturn it