Political Participation

Question 1

political parties

Answer 1

Group of people with common political goals, which hopes to influence policy through the election process.
Parties run candidates for office who represent the political agenda of party members. They therefore serve as a institutional link between the electorate and politicians

Question 2

interest groups

Answer 2

A type of linkage Institution
Political group organized around a particular political goal or philosophy. Interest groups attempt to influence public policy through political action and donations to sympathetic candidates

Question 3

Political Action committee (PAC’s)

Answer 3

Type of linkage institution
The fundraising apparatus of interest groups. Donations to and contributions from PAC’s are regulated by federal law. PAC’s contribute heavily to the reelection campaign of Representatives and senators sympathetic to the PAC’s political agenda.

Question 4

527 groups

Answer 4

Type of linkage institution
a tax exempt organization that promotes a political agenda, not regulated by the FEC

Question 5

elections

Answer 5

type of linkage Insutiton

Question 6

media

Answer 6

type of linkage institution

Question 7

A linkage institution

Answer 7

is a structure within a society that connects the people to the government or centralized authority.

Question 8

Rational choice

Answer 8

Rational choice voting is based on what is perceived to be in the citizen’s individual interest

Question 9

Retrospective voting

Answer 9

Retrospective voting involves the decision of whether a party or candidate in power should be reelected based on recent history and performance

Question 10

Prospective voting

Answer 10

Prospective voting is based on the potential performance of a party or candidate should they be elected

Question 11

Party-line voting

Answer 11

Party-line voting occurs when an individual votes for a candidate from one political party for all public offices

Question 12

two-party (bipartisan system)

Answer 12

a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape.

Question 13

Party Realignment

Answer 13

shift of one group from a party to another

Question 14

party platform

Answer 14

a list of goals that outlines the party’s positions on both issues and priorities

Question 15

primary elections

Answer 15

Election in which voters decide which of the candidates within a party will represent the party in the general election.

Question 16

national convention

Answer 16

held every four years to nominate the presidential candidate

Question 17

coalition

Answer 17

A combination of groups of people who work together to achieve a political goal. Coalition also form among legislators who work together to advance or defeat a particular bill

Question 18

party bases

Answer 18

A group of people that associate themselves with a certain party. They are usually living in a state that is red or blue, and they fit into the social classes that the certain party aims to attract

Question 19

critical election

Answer 19

when a new party comes to dominate politics

Question 20

dealignment

Answer 20

a result of party members becoming dissatisfied as a result of some policy position taken by the party

Question 21

splinter parties (bolster parties)

Answer 21

split away from major party

Question 22

doctrinal parties

Answer 22

Parties that have a specific platform or stance (more broad than single issue parties). These parties represent an ideology considered too radical by the mainstream parties

Question 23

single issue parties

Answer 23

Parties that are formed to promote one specific issue

Question 24

independent candidates

Answer 24

run without party affiliation

Question 25

lobbying

Answer 25

when interest groups try to influence legislators

Question 26

class action suits

Answer 26

A lawsuit filed on behalf of a group of people, and whose results affect that group of people as a whole. Interest groups such as NAACP often use these as a means of asserting their influence over policy decisions

Question 27

amicus curiae briefs

Answer 27

“friend of the court” briefs that qualified individuals or organizations file with lawsuits to which they are not a party, so the judge may consider their advice in respect to matters of law that directly affect the cases in question

Question 28

influence peddling

Answer 28

the practice of using personal friendships and inside information to get a political advantage

Question 29

Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)

Answer 29

allowed corporations, unions, and trade associations to form political action committees as a means of raising campaign funds

Question 30

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) 2002

(McCain-Feingold Act)

Answer 30

further regulated campaign finance and PAC donations by prohibiting contributions (soft money) to national political parties
and limited the use of corporate and union money for ads discussing political issues within 60 days of a general election and 30 days of a primary

Question 31

Super Pac’s

Answer 31

A type of political action committee that does not have the donation limits, but cannot donate directly to a specific candidate

Question 32

Federal Election Commission

Answer 32

Independent regulatory agency charged with administering and enforcing the federal campaign finance law.

Question 33

Hard money

Answer 33

tightly regulated contributions to candidates.

Question 34

Soft money

Answer 34

unregulated, unlimited contributions to political parties to general party-building activities

Potential uses of soft money were limited by congress with the passage of the McCain-Feingold Act

Question 35

Incumbent advantage

Answer 35

((1) politicians who run for reelection win 90% of he time
(2) incumbent senators have a tremendous electoral advantage. House incumbents have an even greater advantage

Senators must run worldwide and they face a serious challenge. On the other hand house members run in their home state districts, where constituents are overwhelmingly one party due to gerrymandering

Question 36

gerrymandering

Answer 36

partisan redrawing of congressional district borders

Question 37

nominations

Answer 37

parties choose their candidate for the general election

Question 38

plurality

Answer 38

greatest number of votes, but not more than the total votes cast or majority (more than half)

Question 39

general elections

Answer 39

voters decide who will hold elective office

Question 40

runoff primary

Answer 40

happens if no candidate receives the required share of votes a runoff primary is held between the top two. Runoffs occur most often when many challengers vie for an open office, especially when none of them are well none

Question 41

delegates

Answer 41

pledged to a particular candidate

Question 42

state caucuses

Answer 42

Meeting of local party members for the purpose of choosing delegates to a national party convention. The term also refers to a meeting of the Democratic members of the House of Representatives

Question 43

conventions

Answer 43

meeting of delegates of a political party at the local, state, provincial, or national level to select candidates for office and to decide party policy

Question 44

superdelegates

Answer 44

a leader in the National Democratic Party who has a vote at the national convention; they are not selected by state party members.

Question 45

McGovern-Fraser Commission

Answer 45

To promote diversity within the delegate pool, the McGovern-Fraser Commission was created in 1968
recommend that delegates should be represented by the proportion of their population in each state

Question 46

presidential elections

Answer 46

elections In which the president is chosen

Question 47

midterm elections

Answer 47

elections that occur between presidential elections are called midterm elections

Question 48

federal matching funds

Answer 48

these funds double all campaign contributions by 250$ and less by matching them. To receive these funds candidates must obey federal spending limits

Question 49

Super Tuesday

Answer 49

Many States hold their primaries on the same day in early march

Question 50

front-loading

Answer 50

Because early primary’s have grown increasingly important in recent years, many States have pushed forward the date of their primary elections. Political analysts refer to this strategy as front-loading

Question 51

platform

Answer 51

a set of principles, goals, and strategies designed to address pressing political issue

Question 52

brokered conventions

Answer 52

when no candidate has received the pledge of a majority of conventions delegates, conventions decide who the nominee will be

Question 53

post-convention bump

Answer 53

Polls taken immediately after conventions shows the candidates approval ratings up significantly

Question 54

Electoral College

Answer 54

Constitutionally established body created for the sole purpose of choosing the president and vice president.

Voters choose a presidential ticket, the winner in each state usually receives all of the state’s electoral votes and a majority is required to win. If a majority cannot be reached the election result is determined by the House of Representatives

Question 55

divided government

Answer 55

when one party controls the house or Senate or both and the other controls the white house

Question 56

voter turnout

Answer 56

measures the percentage of voters that have actually taken part in an election (the proportion of eligible voters who actually cast a vote)

Question 57

mandate

Answer 57

Lots of support from an elected official perceived through election results

Question 58

split-ticket voting

Answer 58

Choosing candidates from different parties for offices listed on the same ballot. Voters have been more inclined to vote a split ticket in recent decades. This trend has led to a divided government