AP Gov (Part 2)

Question 1

An election between candidates from the SAME party, which decides who will be nominated by the party to run in the general election

For President, your goal is to win a majority of the DELEGATES (people who vote at the national convention)

Answer 1

Primary Election (Primary and Caucus)

Question 2

Members of congress cannot be sued for something that they say or write in connection with their legislative duties

Answer 2

Privileged Speech

Question 3

Once a candidate has secured their parties nomination, a candidate then competes against a nominee from an OPPOSING party to win elected office

For President, your goal is to win a majority of the ELECTORAL VOTES (to win the electoral college)

Answer 3

General Election

Question 4

A meeting of party members to select delegates supporting one or another party candidate

Note: They have a lower percent of voter turnout than “regular” primaries and occur in IOWA, NEVADA, NORTH DAKOTA, WYOMING, and GUAM

Answer 4

Caucus

Question 5

Voters must affiliate/register under a given party to vote in that party’s primary, and must do so prior to arriving at the polling place

Answer 5

Closed Primary

Question 6

All voters, regardless of political affiliation, can participate in any party’s primary (you still can only vote in one party’s primary)

Answer 6

Open Primary

Question 7

Unaffiliated voters may chose which party primary to vote in, though they must affiliate with a party in order to do so, often this can be done on Election Day for non affiliated voters

Answer 7

Semi-Closed / Modified Primary

Question 8

In the voting both you are able to mark on a ballot that contains candidates of all political parties, you can vote regardless of which party they belong to

Answer 8

Blanket Primary / “Jungle Primary”

Question 9

Reduced control by party leaders (Party’s as organizations are weak) and Increased power of citizens over candidate selection

Answer 9

What are the consequences of this process of candidate selection? (Primary)

Question 10

Those who tend to be more ideologically extreme and have a bigger influence in elections because they are the ones who participate due to their strong passion

Answer 10

Politically Elite / Political Activists

Question 11

What are the other consequences of this process of candidate selection? (General)

Answer 11

-Candidates must first appeal to political elites in their party during primary elections

• In the general election, that same candidate must change how they campaign to appeal to the more moderate general election voter
• Candidates must spend more time and money on campaigning

Question 12

What states are the most important during primary elections?

Answer 12

The first states to vote: Iowa, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Nevada

Question 13

What happens if neither candidate wins at least 270 electoral votes?

Answer 13

The House of Representatives votes to select the president from the top three finishers in the electoral college. Each state delegation in the house gets only 1 vote (so small states and large states are equal, like in the senate)

Question 14

Whichever candidate gets the plurality of the votes, gets ALL the states electoral votes
(The system used by most of America)

Answer 14

Winner-Take-All System

Question 15

The state distributes its electoral votes proportionally based on the overall percentage of the vote won by each candidate.

Answer 15

Proportional System

Question 16

National Party Leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the democratic national party convention

Answer 16

Superdelegates

Question 17

An elector who votes for a presidential candidate other than the one who carried the state

Answer 17

Faithless Elector

Question 18

What are the 5 main consequences of primary elections?

Answer 18

1) Party is less powerful since they do not get to pick the candidate. Instead power belongs to the people.

2. Lower turnout means candidates must campaign to appeal to voters that turn out to vote in the primary election (= political elites) & then alter their campaign strategy in the general election to appeal to moderates (think accordion)
3. Candidates prioritize campaign in early states (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, & Nevada). In most years, the nomination has already been secured before some states have even voted in the primary.
4. America spends WAY more money on elections than other countries that do not have a primary (longer election, more candidates, weaker party label)
5. There is PUBLIC fighting within the party to win the nomination. Then, the party has to come together to take on the opposing party.