ap gov unit 5 (wilkosz)
Unit 5 Test Review
Format: 20 MC Questions (3 points each)
1 Scenario Concept Application FRQ (15 points)
Vocab and Topics:
Candidates
candidate recruitment
parties often ask viable candidates to run and target seats they see as winnable
Third Party Candidate
someone who represents a political party that is neither Democrat nor Republican
Independent candidate
a candidate who is not associated with any political party
Coalition
Alliance of groups with common interest or goals
For political party to be successful they need coalition
Party coalition: groups that identify with political party, usually described in demographic terms like African American Democrats
Party System in the US
First Party System
Democratic-Republicans
Anti- feds gain power from the feds
Coalition formed around agriculture and land
Jackson and the Democrats(1828-1856)
Andrew Jackson
Everyone (except the rich) liked Jackson In the early 1800’s
Republican era: Lincoln (1860-1896)
Anti-slavery in new states
Republican party in office for another 60 years
Era 3b: Republican era
Republicans are in power until 1930s
1932 called the “watershed election
Watershed: transition between two things
Era 4: New Deal Coalition (1932 - 1964)
Plan FDR formulated to get country out of depression
Most support after his first term
Coalition include:
Urban dwellers
Labor unions
Catholics and Jews
The poor
Southerners
Black People
Era of divided party gov. (1968-present)
No one party dominates
Democrats control White House, Republicans control Congress
Candidate-centered campaigns have become more common over time
Major Parties vs. Third Parties
Why only two parties?
History- Federalists vs Anti-Federalists
Structural Barriers- Single-member districts and Winner-take-all voting
Money- Financing, Ballot access, exposure
Reactions from major parties- Adopting minor party views
Ralph Nader- Green party who ran with environmental issue stances
Republicans and Democrats started adopting stances and addressing those ecological concerns with their platforms
Why Third Parties?
Ideological Parties
Libertarians- want the government hands-off in all areas
Splinter Parties
Factions split off from a major party
Economic Protest Parties
Single-Issue Parties
Attempt to take in money and put forth candidates, but ballot access makes it difficult
Third parties can play a spoiler role- cause problems by “stealing “votes from major party candidates
there have been no minor party presidential wins since Lincoln in 1860
There have been third-party congress members
Interest Groups
Organizations that seek to influence government policy by helping candidates who support their policy goals and by lobbying elected officials and bureaucrats
Involved in the policy process from the outside
A linkage institution
Benefits of interest groups
Reflects pluralism and encourages voices in all 3 branches
Encourages lobbying
Educate the public and legislators
Drawbacks
They promote their interest only
“Astroturf” is deceitful (claim that they have more support than they do)
Iron triangles lead to inequality of resources and access over time
Groups with more power and influence can smother smaller groups
Lobbying
Persuasion--using reports, protests, informal meetings, or other techniques to convince elected official or bureaucrat to help enact a law, craft regulation, or do something else that their group wants
Lobbying Congress/policymaking
inside lobbying- direct contact with policymakers
legislative testimony
assistance in bill writing
direct contact with executive agencies
outside lobbying- indirect methods to influence decisions (talk to voters)
educate members on key issues
increase general public awareness of key issues through media efforts
organize and coordinate “grassroots lobbying” efforts to contact policymakers to influence decision-making
Monitor government programs
evaluate effectiveness
suggest changes
Direct lobbying
Attempts by interest group staff to influence policy by speaking with elected officials or bureaucrats
directly involved in government, professional, few members
Grassroots lobbying:
Lobbying strategy that relies on participation by group membres like protests or letter-writing campaigns
not professional, convincing politicians through a big number of people
Lobbying the judicial branch
Direct sponsorship
filing amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs
brief that informs the court of the group’s policy preferences, generally in the guise of legal arguments
Iron Triangles
Informal alliance of elected officials, bureaucrats, and interest groups designed to let these groups and individuals dominate the policy-making process in a particular area
Prongs: congressional subcommittee, bureaucracy (usually agency or department), and interest groups
All prongs want to influence each other as shown by the arrows
Electoral College
Number of votes determined by congressional representation (H of R + Senate)
To win, you need majority(270+)
“Faithless electors”
Focuses where candidates need to get the most votes
Landslide
makes it so that the candidates don’t need just a majority vote, they need to win states
Winner take all
Candidates who receives the most votes gets all of the state’s convention delegates
Some Republican states use this method
Proportional Allocation:
All Democratic and some Republican states use this method
Dividing each state’s delegate seats among candidates based on percentage of popular vote cast for each candidate
Ex: candidate wins 40% of votes, so they get ~%40 of delegates in state convention
Citizens United v FEC
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission is a landmark Supreme Court case from 2010 that ruled that corporations and unions can spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns, as long as they do so independently of a candidate's campaign. This decision expanded the concept of free speech under the First Amendment, establishing that spending money in elections is a form of protected speech and reshaping the landscape of campaign finance in the United States.
The Citizens United decision overruled previous rulings that limited corporate and union spending in elections, significantly changing campaign finance laws.
The case arose from a challenge to the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) which restricted independent expenditures by corporations and unions shortly before elections.
Following this ruling, the creation of Super PACs became widespread, allowing for massive sums of money to flow into political campaigns without direct ties to candidates.
Critics argue that Citizens United leads to corruption and undermines democracy by giving wealthy individuals and corporations disproportionate influence over elections.
The ruling has sparked ongoing debates about the role of money in politics and calls for reforms to campaign finance laws in an effort to reduce its impact.
The court ruled that limits on contributions from individuals and corporations was a violation of free speech
Corporate funding of ads and broadcasts cannot be limited
Political spending by corporations, associations, and labor unions is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment
goes back to the problem that the political conversation will be dominated by the richest
Federalist 10
The more freedom people have, the more likely they'll form factions
Cannot prevent people from forming factions but can lessen its effects
Determined that a big country was needed to deal with factions since a big country has a lot of people and factions, not allowing one faction to rise and dominate.
Political parties (goals and structure)
In the U.S., the two main political parties are the Democratic Party (more liberal) and the Republican Party (more conservative). These parties reflect the ideological divide and help organize and mobilize voters
purpose of political parties is to get people elected to public office
connect with and persuade voters
vet candidates
motivate volunteers
mobilize voters
educate voters
register voters (more so for Democrats)
train candidates and volunteers
Democrats tend to want hands-on economics and hands-off with social ideas, Republicans vice versa
Both parties discuss the economy, jobs, education, and healthcare
fewer people back stricter gun laws in recent years than in 2019
Parties in Government
Construct policy
pass legislation
work to maintain power
Impact of 24 hour news media
The role of the media in providing citizens with information:
Demand for instantaneous new reporting has led to the growth of 24-hour news operations and a shift to online media consumption
Role of media (bias)
Media Conglomerates
Companies that control large number of media sources across several types of media outlets
Ex: New Corp, 21st Century Fox, Disney
Framing
How you choose to present and tell the story
Hard News
Just the facts
Investigative journalism
Soft News
Human interest, entertainment stories
Based on the topics you choose
Leaking
As long as journalists doesn´t ask person to provide them confidential information
It is a crime for journalists to seek and steal confidential information or bribe someone to steal it
Someone provides nonpublic info to reporter
Watchdog
Media’s role as provider of info on activities of government and elected officials like insight on their policy successes and failures and scandals
Filtering/agenda-setting/gatekeeping
Influence on public opinion that results from journalists and editors’ decisions about which of many potential stories to report on
Types of bias
Ideological bias
Corporate bias
Pro-Government bias
Sensionalist
Racial bias
Where bias is shown
Selection vs. omission
Placement
Choice of headlines, photos, captions
Manipulation of statistics
Choice of sources
Word choice and tone
Free rider problem
Result of relying on others to contribute to collective effort while failing to participate on one’s own behalf, yet still benefiting from the group’s success
Electioneering
involved in campaigns maybe through raising money for a campaign, forming a PAC for ads, volunteering for a candidate, etc.
Campaign finance
Steps to running a political campaign
Depending on which office your running for, you may have a challenger
Start a Political Action Committee
Raise $$$
You need pact: a group you create to raise money for an issue
Less rules for how to raise money
Need to pay for ads, bumper stickers, staff, etc.
Hire staff, recruit volunteers
Get media attention
Have interviews or get them record rally
Canvass, phone bank, collect data
Debate?
Send mailings, make public appearances
Win the primary!
Repeat for the general election
May shift your perspective a bit because you are running against a different party
Election spending has increased greatly over the years
Campaign professionals- modern campaigns require professional consultants to run them
campaign manager
public relations expert
dedicated fundraisers
social media consultants
Canvassing- paid and volunteer positions to raise funds for a candidate.
increased reliance on social media
The biggest proportion of funding goes toward ads
Most advertisements criticize the opponents
1974- Federal Elections Campaign Act (FECA)
created a new federal commission called the Federal Election Commission
FEC was created to oversee and regulate the money being spent on political campaigns
Established limits for:
How much money a person could give to a political candidate
How much money candidates could spend on their campaign
Elections (midterm and presidential)
Presidential election years: years divisible by 4; House (run every 2 years), ⅓ Senate, some local
Two phases of presidential elections
First phase
Party primary/Caucus across States
identifying the party’s nomination at the national convention
Second phase
general election across the country
Electoral College to elect the president
Midterm elections: years divisible by 2; House, ⅓ Senate, some local
Mid way through the presidential cycle
Off-Year Elections: odd-numbered years; local elections only
More split or quarrelsome your state is in political elections, the more likely people will vote
President usually sets up vice president to run for their party in next 4 or 8 years
Primary
Vote for a candidate on a ballot
Closed primary
Only registered party members can vote in party primaries (Ex: Republican votes in Republican primary)
Open primary
Anyone can vote in any primary, even Independents
Caucus
Vote with your feet
Need 15% people in your group for candidate to be represented in next caucus
More democratic
Can choose proportional or winner-takes-all delegates
Super PAC
Not limited in terms of using their money
Are required to list their donors
Regulation of communication between candidates and Super PACs are very limited
Cannot be coordinated with candidates
Can spend as much as they want and can receive unlimited amounts of money
PAC
$2,500 (just good to know)
Interest group
Can give money directly to as many candidates as they want
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)
Most important legal provisions of this act was a ban on soft money contributions. It prohibited parties from spending soft money.
a federal law enacted in 2002 that aimed to regulate the financing of political campaigns in the United States. It sought to eliminate soft money contributions to national political parties and impose stricter limits on individual contributions, thereby promoting transparency and accountability in campaign finance. The BCRA was significant in shaping how campaigns are funded and operated, reflecting ongoing concerns about the influence of money in politics.
increased the amount of Hard money that could be given
Made transparent and regulated the amount of soft money that could be given
“Stand by your Ad” Provision: “I’m ___, and I approve this message.
Hard Money
Contributions given directly to a candidate
Soft Money
Money donated to a party or interest group who can buy advertising on the candidate’s behalf
Not subject to campaign finance laws
Public policy
A choice that the government makes in response to a political issue. A policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem.
Political efficacy
Political efficacy refers to the belief that one's actions can influence political processes and that individuals have the capability to make a difference in governance. This concept is crucial as it shapes how individuals view their participation in politics, especially in relation to voting and civic engagement. When people feel a high level of political efficacy, they are more likely to participate in elections, believing their vote matters.
Higher levels of political efficacy are associated with increased voter turnout, as people who believe they can make a difference are more likely to cast their ballots.
Youth and marginalized groups often report lower political efficacy, which contributes to lower participation rates in elections among these demographics.
Political campaigns that effectively communicate the impact of voting can boost individuals' feelings of political efficacy, leading to greater engagement.
Changes in laws and accessibility around voting can also influence political efficacy by either empowering citizens or creating barriers to participation.
Research shows that education plays a significant role in enhancing political efficacy, with more educated individuals feeling more capable of influencing political outcomes.
A belief that you can take part in politics (internal) or that the government will respond to the citizenry (external).
Polarization
the growing gap between the stands of the parties policy issues. On the negative side, polarization makes compromise more difficult.
when the members of govt. become more loyal to their party, creating a more partisan govt.
Demographic factors
People’s political ideologies often vary based on their demographics, including factors like age, race, gender, religion, and socioeconomic status. For example, younger people may lean more liberal, while older individuals might hold more conservative views.
Think party coalitions (defined somewhere else)\
Age
Younger voters are more likely to vote Democrat
Baby Boomers (I forgot the rest)
Older voters are more likely to vote Republican
Silent Generation
Race
White people are more likely to vote republican
African Americans are more likely to vote democrat
East Asians are more likely to vote republican (conservative)
Ethnicity
Minorities are more likely to vote democrat
Democrat views align with their interests the most
Gender
Women tend to be more likely to lean democratic
Education
More educated people are more likely to vote Democrat
Less educated people are more likely to vote Republican
Wealth
Wealthier- Republican (don’t rlly want their taxes to be spent on helping the poor)
Poorer - Democrat bc democrats have more policies that help with poverty + other financial programs
Religion
Christians are more likely to be Republican
Jewish voters are more likely to be Democrats
Non-religious people are more likely to to be Democrats
Urban (city) vs. Rural
City dwellers are more likely to vote democratic
Country dwellers are more likely to be republican
Suburbs (50/50), tend to be more Republican at times
Business
Business owners are more likely to vote Republican
Horse race media (horse race journalism)
Type of election coverage that focuses more on poll results and speculations about likely winner rather than substantive difference between candidates
Ex: analysis on them or their behavior
Electorate
all the people in a country or area who are entitled to vote in an election
Incumbent
someone who is running for reelection
have a huge advantage
Very rare to lose
In house, they have 2 years to show the benefits of electing official, giving them advantage in reelection
Name recognition: you recognize someone’s name and you just vote for them
Types of voting (straight ticket, split ticket, rational choice, etc)
Split-ticket voting
voting for a presidential candidate of one party and legislators of another
split ticket voting is voting for candidates of different parties on the same ballot
Straight ticket voting
voting exclusively for the candidates of one party
straight ticket voting is voting for candidates of the same party on the same ballot
Rational choice voting
Assumes that political actors will make decisions based on their own benefit, carefully weighing all choices.
Referendum
Direct vote by citizens on policy change proposed by legislature or another government boyd
common in state and local elections, but there’s no mechanism for national-level referendum
Initiative
Direct vote by citizens on policy change proposed by fellow citizens or organized groups outside of the government
getting questions on ballot requires collecting set numbers of signatures from registered voters in support of the proposal
no mechanism for nation-level initiative
Confirmation bias
a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence
What they learn from media tends to reinforce pre existing beliefs b/c people can choose which coverage to consume
13th, 14th, 15th amendment
13th Amendment: Abolished slavery except for a criminal punishment.
14th Amendment: Gave civil liberties to all freed slaves. Provides equal protections of laws for all citizens (equal protections clause). All people born in the U.S are citizens. Selective incorporation of due process clause.
15th Amendment: Gave African American males the right to vote
24th and 16th amendment
24th Amendment: abolished poll taxes (don't have to pay money to vote)
16th Amendment: Grants Congress the power to levy and collect income taxes.
Federalism
The division of power across local, state, and national levels government
causes our political parties and elections to be decentralized
National, state, county, and precinct party conventions and chairs