Untitled Flashcards Set

Flashcard 1
Q: What is suffrage?
A: Suffrage is the right to vote. Historically, the U.S. limited who could vote, but today the federal government sets the voting age while states determine the voting process (except for general elections).

Flashcard 2
Q: What did the 15th Amendment achieve, and what challenges did African Americans still face?
A: It granted black men the right to vote, yet many faced disenfranchisement through literacy tests, poll taxes, and white primaries.

Flashcard 3
Q: What actions were taken to improve voting rights for African Americans?
A: Laws made interfering with voting illegal, federal registrars helped register voters in the South, and 1960s Civil Rights legislation increased black political influence.

Flashcard 4
Q: What is gerrymandering and how did it affect black representation?
A: Gerrymandering involves drawing district lines to minimize black representation (using tactics like cracking, stacking, and packing). Some court rulings later limited its use, helping blacks gain more representatives.

Flashcard 5
Q: How did the women's suffrage movement evolve before the 19th Amendment?
A: Initially, only some women (like property owners) could vote. Leaders such as Susan Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul pushed for full voting rights, culminating in the 19th Amendment in 1920.

Flashcard 6
Q: Which amendments expanded voting rights and who remains ineligible?
A: The 15th (black men), 19th (women), and 26th (citizens 18+). However, felons, the mentally ill, and non-citizens cannot vote.

Flashcard 7
Q: How has voter turnout changed as voting rights expanded?
A: In 1840, about 80% of eligible voters participated, but today turnout is closer to 50%.

Flashcard 8
Q: What are the two main types of political participation?
A: Conventional participation (voting, writing letters, donating) and unconventional participation (protests, boycotts).

Flashcard 9
Q: Which demographic factors influence voter turnout?
A: Education, income, occupation, and age—all tend to affect participation, with older voters typically participating more.

Flashcard 10
Q: Why is voter turnout often low in the U.S.?
A: Many non-voters are satisfied with the status quo, are turned off by political campaigns, or face obstacles like having to register themselves (unlike in many other democracies).

Flashcard 11
Q: What is the Motor Voter Law?
A: Enacted in 1993, it expanded voter registration by allowing people to register when renewing their driver's license or by mail.

Flashcard 12
Q: Who are political delegates and how do their roles differ between Republicans and Democrats?
A: Delegates are party insiders who vote at national conventions. Republicans have unpledged delegates, while Democrats use pledged delegates (based on primary results) along with superdelegates (party officials).

Flashcard 13
Q: What is the purpose of primaries and caucuses in the nomination process?
A: They are methods for selecting delegates to the national convention and eliminating weaker candidates as the nomination process progresses.

Flashcard 14
Q: How do primaries differ from caucuses?
A: Primaries are statewide elections where voters cast ballots, whereas caucuses are meetings of party members who vote to select delegates.

Flashcard 15
Q: Why is winning early in the primaries important?
A: Early winners gain momentum, media exposure, and campaign contributions, establishing them as front runners.

Flashcard 16
Q: What are the roles of key committees at a party convention?
A: The Credentials Committee verifies delegate eligibility; the Platform Committee drafts the party’s positions; and the Rules Committee sets the convention’s rules.

Flashcard 17
Q: What does the term “war chest” refer to in a campaign?
A: It’s the pool of funds a candidate raises to pay for ads, travel, and other campaign expenses.

Flashcard 18
Q: What are some common campaign strategies?
A: Participating in televised debates, targeting battleground states, mobilizing supporters, and increasing visibility through public events.

Flashcard 19
Q: What are the main goals of a presidential campaign?
A: To mobilize supporters, persuade undecided voters, and convert opposition—ultimately winning enough delegates for the party nomination.

Flashcard 20
Q: Why did the framers establish the Electoral College?
A: They created it as a compromise to avoid direct popular election, balancing power between Congress and the people, and reinforcing the federal system.

Flashcard 21
Q: How does the Electoral College work?
A: Voters select electors (equal to the state’s Congressional representation, plus 3 for DC) who then vote for President and VP. A candidate needs at least 270 out of 538 electoral votes to win.

Flashcard 22
Q: What happens if no candidate wins a majority in the Electoral College?
A: The House of Representatives selects the President from the top candidates, with each state having one vote.

Flashcard 23
Q: What is the significance of the 12th Amendment?
A: It requires separate electoral votes for President and Vice President, preventing tie issues and clarifying the election process if no candidate secures a majority.

Flashcard 24
Q: What are faithless electors?
A: Electors who vote for someone other than the candidate they pledged to support. Though rare, they have not yet altered an election outcome.

Flashcard 25
Q: What are initiatives and referendums?
A: They are forms of direct democracy—initiatives are citizen-driven efforts to place measures on the ballot, while referendums are proposals by legislatures for voter approval. They empower direct policy making but can also lead to ballot fatigue.

Flashcard 26
Q: What is meant by the “incumbency advantage”?
A: Incumbents benefit from name recognition, established support, and privileges (like franking), making them harder to defeat.

Flashcard 27
Q: Why can Senate elections be more competitive than House elections?
A: Senate races, often with higher stakes and less direct voter contact, attract stronger challengers and make incumbents more vulnerable.

Flashcard 28
Q: What is the “6-year itch” phenomenon?
A: It refers to the tendency for office holders from the president’s party to lose seats in the sixth year of a two-term presidency.

Flashcard 29
Q: How does party identification influence voter behavior?
A: It is the strongest predictor of how people vote and influences decisions like ticket splitting.

Flashcard 30
Q: How do race, ethnicity, and gender affect voting patterns?
A: African Americans tend to lean Democratic, Hispanics lean Democratic (though not as strongly as AAs), men are more likely to vote Republican, and women tend to vote Democratic.

Flashcard 31
Q: How does religion influence voting tendencies?
A: Jewish voters often lean Democratic; Catholic Christians generally lean Republican (especially on pro-life issues); and Evangelical Protestants strongly support Republicans due to shared social and family values.

Flashcard 32
Q: What factors, beyond party identification, influence how voters choose candidates?
A: A candidate’s personality, style, appearance, stance on issues, and whether voters engage in retrospective (past performance) or prospective (future promises) voting.

Flashcard 1
Q: Are political parties mentioned in the Constitution?
A: No, political parties are not mentioned in the Constitution; they’re discussed in Federalist #10, and figures like Washington warned about their dangers.

Flashcard 2
Q: How did some Founders view political parties (PP)?
A: Some Founders saw them as a threat to stable government, fearing that parties would become factions fighting only for narrow interests rather than representing broad segments of society.

Flashcard 3
Q: What is the primary goal of political parties?
A: Their goal is to control government by recruiting, nominating, and electing public officials, ultimately aiming to win elections and exercise power.

Flashcard 4
Q: What is the origin of the donkey as a symbol for Democrats?
A: During the 1828 election, opponents of Andrew Jackson called him a “jackass.” Political cartoonist Thomas Nast later popularized the donkey as a symbol for the Democrats.

Flashcard 5
Q: How did the elephant become associated with the Republican Party?
A: Thomas Nast also contributed a cartoon where a donkey in a lion’s skin frightened a zoo elephant labeled “The Republican vote.” The elephant became the enduring symbol for Republicans.

Flashcard 6
Q: What are the three components of a political party?
A: They include the party of the electorate (those who identify with the party), the party in government (elected officials), and the party organization (workers and activists running the party).

Flashcard 7
Q: When and where did the first official Republican meeting take place?
A: It took place in 1854 in Jackson, Michigan, marking the early organization of what would become the GOP.

Flashcard 8
Q: What issues led to the emergence of the First Party System?
A: Debates over the ratification of the Constitution and the balance of national versus state power set the stage, exemplified by the rivalry between Federalists and Anti-Federalists during Washington’s era.

Flashcard 9
Q: What marked the transition in the First Party System during the 1800 election?
A: Thomas Jefferson’s victory as a Democratic-Republican, after splitting from Federalists, marked the first time a party-nominated candidate won the presidency.

Flashcard 10
Q: How did the Second Party System develop?
A: The split of the Democratic-Republicans led to the formation of Democrats, who supported Andrew Jackson, and the Whig Party, led by Henry Clay, while the Federalist Party dissolved.

Flashcard 11
Q: How did the Third Party System give birth to the current two-party system?
A: The Whig Party split into factions over slavery, with anti-slavery members forming the Republican Party (nominating Lincoln in 1860) and pro-slavery forces aligning with the Democrats.

Flashcard 12
Q: What characterizes the “Golden Age” of political parties (1874–1912)?
A: This era featured strong party organization, intense party identification, and the dominance of political machines (like Boss Tweed’s Tammany Hall) that mobilized immigrant votes.

Flashcard 13
Q: Who were the political machines and what role did they play?
A: Political machines were local power structures that secured votes through patronage and social services, achieving very high voter turnouts during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Flashcard 14
Q: What was the aim of the Progressive (“Bull Moose”) Party during the Fourth Party System?
A: Progressives sought to reduce party control over government by increasing direct voter participation through reforms like direct primaries and civil service merit systems.

Flashcard 15
Q: What led to the emergence of the Fifth Party System?
A: Immigrants and women joined the Democratic coalition, helping elect FDR in 1932 and creating the New Deal Coalition that dominated for decades.

Flashcard 16
Q: What is party realignment?
A: It refers to shifts in voter loyalty from one party to another, such as the Southern realignment where Republicans have dominated the South since 1968.

Flashcard 17
Q: What is secular realignment?
A: It’s a gradual shift in party coalitions due to demographic changes (e.g., generational shifts) that alter which groups support which party.

Flashcard 18
Q: What is dealignment and what factors contribute to it?
A: Dealignment occurs when voters lose strong party loyalties—often due to ticket splitting, rising independent voters, lower turnout, and political apathy—though hyperpartisanship has countered it somewhat.

Flashcard 19
Q: How do critical elections affect the party system?
A: Critical elections, driven by voter polarization around new issues, can signal a realignment by shifting the balance of party support (e.g., issues of national power, slavery, or economic depression).

Flashcard 20
Q: Why does the U.S. have a two-party system?
A: The winner-take-all (WTA) electoral system in single-member districts discourages third-party formation, ensuring that only two major parties typically win congressional seats.

Flashcard 21
Q: What are the types of minor parties in the U.S.?
A: They include ideological parties (e.g., Libertarian, Socialist), one-issue parties (e.g., Prohibition, Women’s suffrage), economic-protest parties (e.g., Populist), and factional parties (splits from major parties).

Flashcard 22
Q: What challenges do minor parties face in U.S. elections?
A: They often struggle with perceptions of a “wasted vote,” difficulties getting on ballots, limited media coverage, and the constraints of the WTA system.

Flashcard 23
Q: Have any third-party presidential candidates been successful?
A: Yes, for example, Ross Perot in 1992 captured 18.9% of the popular vote, although no third party has won an electoral vote since Wallace in 1968. Their role often involves refocusing major parties on overlooked issues.

Flashcard 24
Q: What must third parties do to become significant players in U.S. politics?
A: They need to form coalitions of independent groups, nominate a strong presidential candidate, and challenge the winner-take-all system that underpins the two-party structure.