Unit 2-Vocab test

Question 1

Political efficacy

Answer 1

A belief that you can take part in politics (internal) or that the government will respond to the citizenry (external).

Question 2

Political cleavage

Answer 2

Cleavage separates the voters into advocates and adversaries on a certain issue, or voting for a certain party. If you imagine parties on a horizontal line for a certain issue, cleavage is the vertical line that divides the parties into supporters and opponents of the issue.

Question 3

Political socialization

Answer 3

process by which people form their ideas about politics (political orientation) and acquire their ideas about government; process by which political values are formed and transmitted from one generation to the next
Influenced by family, peers, school, interest groups, socioeconomic status, religion, etc

Question 4

Civic Duty

Answer 4

A belief that one has an obligation to to participate in civic and political affairs, ie voting

Question 5

Exit polls

Answer 5

a poll of voters taken immediately after they have exited the polling stations asking for whom the voter actually voted; media asks every 10th person who exits a voting place and uses answers to predict outcome of the election

Question 6

Margin of error

Answer 6

measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll

Question 7

Public opinion polls

Answer 7

Interviews or surveys with samples of citizens to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population

Question 8

Random sampling

Answer 8

Method of sampling public opinion that gives anybody in the public the same chance to get selected. Random sampling in theory is the best method for getting a completely unbiased sample.

Question 9

Straw polls

Answer 9

Unscientific surveys used to gauge public opinion on a variety of issues and policies.

Question 10

Stratified sampling

Answer 10

Variation of random sampling that splits the population into subgroups, then weights them based on demographics of the entire nation.

Stratified sampling does not allow volunteers, as volunteers usually have different beliefs than those who do not volunteer to be questioned.

Question 11

Tracking polls

Answer 11

Opinion poll in which the same sample, ie a small number of voters, is questioned periodically to measure shifts in public opinion

Question 12

Conventional participation

Answer 12

Actions of private citizens by which they seek to influence or support government and politics through traditional means, ie voting, volunteering for a campaign, serving in an office

Question 13

Motor-voter law

Answer 13

requires all states to allow voters to register by mail when they renew their drivers’ licenses and provides for the placement of voter registration forms in motor vehicle, public assistance, and military recruitment offices, passed in 1993

Question 14

Unconventional participation

Answer 14

Activities that are legal but often considered inappropriate. Young people, students, and those with grave concerns about a regime’s policies are most likely to engage in unconventional participation
ie, signing petitions, supporting boycotts, and staging demonstrations and protests.

Question 15

Ticket splitting

Answer 15

voting with one political party for one office and with another party for other offices

It has become the norm in American voting behavior.

Question 16

Retrospective judgement

Answer 16

A voter’s evaluation of the performance of the party in power

Question 17

Prospective judgement

Answer 17

a voter’s evaluation of a candidate based on what he or she pledges to do about an issue if elected

Question 18

Closed primary

Answer 18

a primary in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote

Question 19

Crossover voting

Answer 19

voting by a member of one party for a candidate of another

ie a voter registered as a Democrat voting for a Republican candidate for President

Question 20

Electoral college

Answer 20

A body of electors chosen by voters to cast ballots for president and Vice President

Question 21

Electorate

Answer 21

a body of people allowed to vote in an election; in U.S. Includes those over age 18

Question 22

Front loading

Answer 22

The recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention.
Purpose- hope to lend decisive momentum to one or two presidential candidates and thus have disproportionate influence on each party’s nomination

Question 23

General election

Answer 23

The decisive elections in which all registered voters cast ballots for their preferred nominees for a political office
As opposed to a primary election

Question 24

Gerrymandering

Answer 24

The legislative process through which the majority party in each statehouse tries to assure that the maximum number of representatives from its political party can be elected to Congress through the redrawing of legislative districts.
Party goals: To enhance political party strength/to minimize the strength of the opposition party;
To protect incumbents;To increase or decrease minority representation; To punish foes/to reward friends.

Question 25

Incumbent

Answer 25

in United States politics, the current holder of a political office; usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent(s).

Question 26

Iniative

Answer 26

a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote (plebiscite) enables citizens to bypass their state legislature by placing proposed statutes and, in some states, constitutional amendments on the ballot.

Question 27

Mandate

Answer 27

A command, indicated by an electorate's votes, for the elected officials to carry out their platforms.

Question 28

Midterm election

Answer 28

a general election that does not coincide with a presidential election year, but occurs two years into the term of a president i.e. in the middle ...

Question 29

Open Primary

Answer 29

type of direct primary open to voters regardless of their party affiliation; Voters need not publicly declare their party affiliation but must vote for candidates of only one party opposite of a closed primary

Question 30

Primary Election

Answer 30

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

Question 31

Reapportionment

Answer 31

the process by which congressional districts are redrawn and seats are redistributed among states in the house. reapportionment occurs every ten years, when census data reportsshifts in the population of districts. each district must have an equal number of residents. states may lose or gain seats during reapportionment, but the total House membership remains 435

Question 32

Recall

Answer 32

procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his or her term has ended; Recalls are initiated when sufficient voters sign a petition Aka recall referendum or representative recall

Question 33

Plurality

Answer 33

the excess of votes or seats won by the winner of an election over the runner-up when no candidate or party has more than 50 % (Occurs in an election with more than 2 candidates)

Question 34

Redistricting

Answer 34

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population

Question 35

Referendum

Answer 35

Process which allows citizens to repeal a law through a popular vote Constitution does not allow this at a national level because founders views this direct democracy as too dangerous; only done at state and local levels Differs from an initiative which allows citizens to vote in a new law

Question 36

Super delegates

Answer 36

The Democratic Party has super-delegates( 20% of delegates) which include elected officials, like members of Congress, and party officials. They are "uncommitted and are not bound in any fashion" to any one candidate. In other words, they can throw their support to whomever they want at the convention.

Question 37

Super Pac

Answer 37

Officially known as "independent-expenditure only committees," these may not make contributions to candidate campaigns or parties, but may engage in unlimited political spending independently of the campaigns. Also, unlike traditional PACs, they can raise funds from corporations, unions and other groups, and from individuals, without legal limits.

Question 38

Conservative

Answer 38

Political philosophy based on tradition and stability preferring gradual development vs. abrupt changes low taxes , limited govt, less govt regulation, strong national defense, individual responsibility for personal needs ie retirement $

Question 39

Moderate

Answer 39

Voters who describe themselves as centrist often mean that they are moderate in their political views, advocating neither extreme left-wing politics nor right-wing politics

Question 40

Liberal

Answer 40

A person whose views favor more govt involvemnt in business, social welfare, minority rights, &increased govt spending

Question 41

Libertarian

Answer 41

political philosophy that upholds liberty as its principal objective. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and freedom of choice, emphasizing political freedom, voluntary association, and the primacy of individual judgment.

Question 42

Political culture

Answer 42

historically-based, widely-shared beliefs, feelings, and values about the nature of political systems, which can serve as a link between citizens and government Ie US participant political culture

Question 43

Political ideology

Answer 43

a code of beliefs or views about governments and politics that may influence the way we vote or whether or not we support certain legislative actions Contrast: political culture is something we share, while a political ideology is something we use to define ourselves and make political decisions