ANG Exam 5

Chapter Eight: Political Parties

Front: Political party
Back: An organization that seeks to gain power by electing candidates to public office to influence government policies.

Front: Role and purpose of political parties
Back: Parties organize support for candidates, simplify choices for voters, and help operate the government.

Front: Two-Party System
Back: A system where two main political parties dominate politics, often leading to stability but limiting choice.

Front: Political patronage
Back: Rewarding loyal party members with government jobs or contracts.

Front: Duverger’s law
Back: Theory that single-member district systems tend to favor a two-party system.

Front: Single-member districts / Multiple-member districts
Back: Single-member: one winner per district; Multi-member: multiple winners per district, usually seen in proportional systems.

Front: Plurality system
Back: Candidate with the most votes wins, even if they don’t have the majority.

Front: Partisanship
Back: Strong loyalty to a political party, often over compromise.

Front: Trends in party identification
Back: Shifts in which parties Americans identify with, often influenced by major events or demographics.

Front: Primary
Back: Election within a party to choose its candidate for the general election.

Front: Closed primary
Back: Only registered party members can vote to choose the party’s candidate.

Front: Open primary
Back: Any registered voter can vote in either party’s primary.

Front: Affective polarization
Back: Growing feelings of dislike or distrust between members of different political parties.

Front: Negative partisanship
Back: Voting not out of support for one’s party, but dislike for the other party.

Chapter Ten: Elections and Campaigns

Front: Presidential elections
Back: National elections held every four years to elect the president.

Front: Congressional elections
Back: Elections for seats in the House and Senate; House every two years, Senate every six.

Front: Midterm elections
Back: Elections in the middle of a president’s term, often seen as a referendum on their performance.

Front: The Nomination Stage
Back: The process where each party selects its candidate for the general election.

Front: Retail politics
Back: Direct candidate interaction with voters, like rallies and town halls.

Front: Delegates
Back: Representatives chosen by voters to support a candidate at a party convention.

Front: Proportional representation
Back: Allocation of delegates or seats based on the percentage of votes a candidate/party receives.

Front: Winner-take-all
Back: System where the candidate with the most votes wins all the delegates or representation.

Front: King Caucus
Back: Early system where party leaders in Congress selected presidential candidates.

Front: The General Election Stage
Back: Final election where voters choose from party nominees for office.

Front: Party conventions
Back: Meetings where parties officially nominate their presidential candidates and adopt platforms.

Front: Party platform
Back: A party’s official stance on key issues and policy goals.

Front: Electoral College
Back: System for electing the U.S. president where each state’s votes are based on its representation in Congress.

Front: Direct Democracy Elections
Back: Elections allowing voters to decide directly on issues (not candidates).

Front: Ballot initiative
Back: Voters propose and vote on laws or amendments directly.

Front: Referendum
Back: Voters decide on measures passed by the legislature.

Front: Why Is Campaign Spending So High in the US?
Back: Campaigns require high spending on ads, outreach, and events, especially due to the large scale of U.S. elections.

Front: Wholesale politics
Back: Campaigning on a large scale, like national ads and speeches, rather than individual interactions.

Front: Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
Back: Supreme Court decision allowing campaign spending limits but protecting candidate self-funding.

Front: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)
Back: Supreme Court case allowing unlimited political spending by corporations and unions.

Chapter Eleven: Interest Groups

Front: Interest Groups
Back: Organizations that influence government policy on behalf of a specific cause or group.

Front: Role and purpose of interest groups
Back: Advocate for issues, provide information to lawmakers, and represent diverse interests.

Front: Pluralism
Back: Theory that a variety of groups can influence government, leading to balanced representation.

Front: Types of Groups
Back: Includes economic (business, labor), public interest, government, and others.

Front: Lobbying
Back: Efforts by groups to directly influence lawmakers’ decisions.

Front: PACs
Back: Political Action Committees that collect and distribute funds to support political candidates.

Front: Why Do People Join Groups
Back: To gain benefits, advance causes, or feel a sense of community.

Front: Informational benefits
Back: Information or training provided to group members.

Front: Material benefits
Back: Tangible rewards for joining, like discounts or services.

Front: Solidary benefits
Back: Social benefits from belonging to a group, like friendships.

Front: Purposive benefits
Back: Personal satisfaction from promoting a cause one believes in.

Front: Free-Rider Dilemma
Back: Problem where people benefit from a group’s work without joining or contributing.

Front: Collective goods
Back: Benefits that are available to all, not just group members.

Front: Free riders
Back: People who gain benefits from a group without contributing.

Front: Major Criticisms with the Interest Group System
Back: It can be dominated by wealthy groups, leading to unequal influence.