Unit 5

Question 1

Who is in charge of elections?

Question 2

State

Answer 2

• Sets time and dates for most elections.
• Creates rules and procedures for voter registration.
  -Draws Congressional district lines.
• Certifies election results.

Question 3

Federal

Answer 3

-Sets date for federal, and general elections.
- Has Judicial Jurisdiction on election policy.
-Addresses Suffrage (right to vote) in Constitutional amendments.
-Enforces relevant civil rights legislation.
- Administers and enforces campaign finance rules.

Question 4

Voting Vocab

Question 5

Precinct

Answer 5

Cities, towns, and counties are broken into wards. They are broken up into precincts. Each precinct has a designated polling place where you can vote.

Question 6

Initiative

Answer 6

Citizens can propose legislation.

Question 7

Referendum

Answer 7

Voting yes or no on an issues.

Question 8

Recall

Answer 8

Removing someone from office before their term is up.

Question 9

Incumbency Advantage

Answer 9

Someone that holds the office that they are running for.
- The incumbent in any election is far more likely to win!
- they are well known, have more funds from previous elections, they have more power because they are already holding governmental office.

Incumbents Senators are less likely to get elected than incumbent House members.

Question 10

Road to the White House

Question 11

1. Primary Election Season

Answer 11

Each party chooses its nominee.

Question 12

2. The Convention

Answer 12

Nominees are officially announced.

Question 13

3. General Election Season

Answer 13

The Republican Candidate and the Democratic Candidate campaign nationwide until the election in November.

Question 14

4. The Electoral College Vote

Answer 14

Electors from each state determine the President and the Vice President.

Question 15

5. The Inauguration

Answer 15

President and the Vice President are inaugurated on January 20th.

Question 16

Primary Elections

Answer 16

Every states primary systme looks different is held at a different time, starting with the Iowa Caucus.

Question 17

Types of Primaries

Question 18

Closed Primary

Answer 18

You have to vote for who you are registered to vote. So only one vote.

Question 19

Open

Answer 19

“An open ballot system is a voting method in which voters vote openly, in contrast to a secret ballot, where a voter’s choices are confidential.”

Question 20

Caucus

Answer 20

” A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party.” People in these places yell and try to convince others to vote for someone different.

Question 21

Modern Issues with Elections

Answer 21

• Dependence on professional consultants.
  -Rising campaign costs and intensive fundraising efforts.
  -duration for election cycles.
  -Impact of and reliance on social media for campaign communication and fundraising.

Question 22

Hard v. Soft Money

Question 23

Hard Money

Answer 23

Money that is spent directly to help or hurt a particular candidate (person). Hard money is subjected to regulations by the Federal election Commission and there are limits on how much someone can donate.

Question 24

Soft Money

Answer 24

Money that is given to a polticla party or interest group, As of 2010 soft money is not subject to any limits or regulations.

Question 25

Political Action Committee (PAC)

Answer 25

Organizations that collect funds and use them to influence political campaigns ( either by supporting or opposing a candidate.)

Question 26

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)

Answer 26

Passed by Congress in 2002. Said national political party committees can no longer receive “soft money”= that is unlimited donations to political parties from individuals, unions, or organizations.

Question 27

Citizen United V. FEC (2010)

Answer 27

Court case that found BCRA unconstitutional because it violated the free speech rights of individuals or corporations who wanted to donate to campaigns.
It created something called supper pacts.

Question 28

Fifteen Amendment

Answer 28

It expanded to the right to vote to African American men.

Question 29

Seventeenth Amendment

Answer 29

It expanded the right to vote because it allowed for the direct election of senators in each state.

Question 30

Nineteenth Amendment

Answer 30

It expanded the right to vote to woman.

Question 31

Twenty Fourth Amendment

Answer 31

It expanded voting rights b/c it made poll taxes or paying to vote illegal.

Question 32

Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Answer 32

It lowered the voting age to 18.

Question 33

Rational Choice

Answer 33

Voters choosing a candidate they believe will vote and pass laws they believe in.

Question 34

Retrospective voting

Answer 34

Voting for a candidate based on their passed.

Question 35

Prospective voting

Answer 35

Its voting for a candidate based on what they could potentially do.

Question 36

What is a linkage institution?

Answer 36

The structures within society that connects people to their government.