Mid 2
Republicans
-White evangelical Protestants -White non-Hispanics -social issues, such as views on abortion -religious and social conservatives -business owners -conservative -maintaining high levels of military spending -tax relief for corporations and upper-income voters
battleground
-Wisconsin -Pennsylvania -Florida
ballot initiative
-allows citizens to place proposed law directly on ballot
Allowing citizens to vote directly on things like legalization of marijuana or changing the minimum wage are examples of __________. These have a tendency to -_________ turnout.
-ballot initiatives -increase
digital participation
-becoming more popular over time -includes signing an online petition
Policies that cultural conservatives DO NOT want to enact
-climate change mitigation -promotion of gender equality -expanded LGBTQ rights
Match each industry with the urban area it is most associated with.
Fort Worth: cattle Houston: energy San Antonio: military installations Austin: high tech
The current party system is most characterized by which of the following?
Party Polarization
Saudi Arabia is the only place in the world that has a larger oil reserve than which oilfield in Texas?
Permian Basin
When Texas entered the Union in 1845, what did Texas do with its public lands?
Texas retained control of public lands
To prevent having multiple candidates from the same party competing with one another in a general election, political parties take which of the following actions?
holding nomination elections
Maria is deciding whether to vote to re-elect a sitting president or to vote for the other party's challenger. She decides to engage in retrospective voting. As a retrospective voter, she might consider which of the following factors?
how the economy did during the president's previous term in office
Buckley v. Valeo (1974)
introduced idea that campaign contributions count as speech
Relative to campaigns in the nineteenth century, today's campaigns require ________ effort by campaign workers and _________ campaign money.
less more
The __________ or caucus votes determine the allocation of __________ at the party's convention. In addition to selecting the party's nominee, delegates also vote on the __________ at the convention.
primary delegates party platform
congressional elections
two years
midterm elections
two years
decreased turnout
voter ID laws
Which form of political participation is most common in the United States?
voting in a general election
How are campaigns different now compared to several decades ago?
-Almost all campaigns make use of public-opinion polls of likely voters. -Campaigns make use of big data to inform their campaign strategies. -Campaigns more often engage in micro-targeting.
2020 presidential election
-There was a sizable gender gap among voters. -Ideological moderates and independents supported Joe Biden over Donald Trump.
political party platforms
-They are statements of policy positions. -Party platforms represent compromises by the various groups in the party.
In what ways did Texas benefit from the United States' membership in the landmark NAFTA trade deal?
-Trade stimulated growth along Texas's border -NAFTA helped speed up a diversified economy -Texas goods have has more access to foreign markets
Why can it be challenging to find quality candidates to run for office?
-Candidates expect to have their lives scrutinized during a campaign. -Party leaders are rarely willing to offer monetary support unless a candidate can raise some funds on his or her own. -Even running for a lower office requires raising large sums of money.
In order to equally represent and mobilize the broadest range of voters, which two of the following characteristics do political parties need to have?
-Competitiveness -Responsibility
What are two possible explanations for the rise of party polarization in Congress?
-Congressional districts are deliberately drawn so that they are "safe" for one party or another. -Members of the public are self-sorting into liberal or conservative geographic areas and news consumption, creating "safe" districts.
Recent research and opinion polls suggest that women tend to offer greater support to candidates from the _____ Party. Surveys suggest that women voters tend to support war _____ than male voters, and ______ stronger action from the government on social programs.
-Democratic -less -favor
Although ___________will continue to have control of the U.S. House of Representatives,_________ gained over a dozen seats. Most Republicans________ their re-election bids in the Senate, and partisan control of the Senate will be determined after the Georgia _________ election in January 2021.
-Democrats -Republicans -won -runoff
Which of these factors contribute to the gender gap in elections?
-Female voters are generally increasing in their support of Democratic candidates. -White male voters are generally increasing in their support of Republican candidates.
Which of the following statements about the cotton economy in Texas are accurate?
-It established an underclass in Texas society -It helped bolster the Populist movement
Why might digital media be more effective than television ads?
-It may be more effective with viewers because internet users seek out information. -It is cheaper. -It offers more possibilities for free advertisement.
Which of the following statements about the Latino population in Texas are true?
-Latinos have become the majority in major Texas cities -Latinos are a diverse population -Latinos are concentrated in south and west Texas
Texas is often described as sharing features of both individualistic and traditionalistic political cultures for which of the following reasons?
-Limited regulation on individuals and businesses is intended to encourage self-interested hard work. -Political elites, such as business leaders, have a dominant voice in how the state is run. -Taxes are kept low, and social services are minimized.
Which of the following statements are correct regarding the stability of party identification?
-Looking at the electorate as a whole, party identification is stable. -Individuals rarely change their party identification.
examples of micro-targeting
-Marceline is strongly pro-life, and she receives a phone call from a pro-life supporter of a local candidate. -Jake is a doctor, and he receives a campaign mailer about a candidate's position on medical malpractice reform.
Which of the following statements are true regarding political independents?
-Most independent voters tend to support one party more than the other. -A bit more than one-third of the electorate identifies as independent.
majority-minority districts
-Most such districts occur because of the geographic concentration of minority populations. -The Supreme Court has generally opposed the creation of such districts. -They occur when more than 50 percent of the people living in the district come from a minority racial or ethnic background.
nonbattleground
-NY -TX -CA
the role of partisanship in elections
-Party loyalties are fairly stable but can change over time. -Partisan loyalty has a large impact on voters' evaluations of candidates and their vote choice.
Party machines in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries were strong because they controlled which aspects of politics?
-Patronage -Nominations
Rank the following elections by voter turnout levels, from highest participation rate to lowest.
-Presidential elections -midterm elections -state and local elections
Redistricting
-Redistricting is conducted to account for population shifts within a state. -Redistricting can sometimes result in gerrymandering, in which districts are drawn in such a way to give one group (party, race, or ethnic group) an advantage over another.
voter registration
-Registration requirements produce an electorate that is better educated, more affluent, older, and whiter. -The lack of being registered deters many potential voters from casting a ballot.
Which of the following statements about political culture accurately describe Texas?
-The political culture of Texas is being influenced by changing demographics. -The political subcultures in urban and suburban areas have increasingly diverged. -Values in urban areas are strongly influenced by the diverse populations living there.
Which two (possibly contradictory) statements best reflect the current state of parties in the electorate?
-There are more independent voters now than ever before. -Party identification has gotten stronger among active voters.
Since America's Founding, candidates for president have been nominated using a variety of methods. Put the following nomination methods in order from earliest in American history to the most recent.
-congressional "King Caucus" -delegates chosen by state party leaders -delegates chosen by primaries and caucuses
increases turnout
-early voting -permanent absentee ballots -same-day registration
Which of the following goals would be consistent with the La Raza Unida Party platform?
-expand voting access for Latino citizens -increase the number of Latino officials in public office
Which factors help explain why the Austin metro area has a higher average income than other major metro areas in Texas?
-high tech -state capital -highly educated workforce
traditional participation
-includes voting -has existed since the founding of the country
Order the political candidates on their likelihood of attracting campaign donations from interest groups from most likely to least likely.
-incumbent member of majotiry party -incumbent member of minority party -challenger candidate from majority party -challenger candidate from minority party
Which of the following economic activities are located primarily in the Gulf Coastal Plains region?
-industrial manufacturing -timber -fruit and vegetable farming -petroleum export
grassroots campaign
-organizationally driven -local campaign
After the decline of party machines, state and local party organizers have become active in which of the following ways?
-recruiting candidates -spending money on "party-building" activities -voter registration drives
Which of the following are the three fundamental problems of democracy that political parties solve?
-regulating the number of people seeking office -accomplishing legislative goals -mobilizing voters
Main characteristics of the American national electoral system
-single-member district -plurality system
referendum
-state legislature refers laws to voters for popular vote -required for changes to state constitutions -present in 50 states
mass media campaign
-statewide campaign -money-intensive
Which physical regions of Texas are most likely to remain consistently controlled by Republicans?
-the Great Plains -the Interior Lowlands
Policies that cultural conservatives DO want to enact
-traditional marriage -school choice -immigration restrictions -limits to abortion
Texas is often most characterized by which two political cultures?
-traditionalistic -individualistic
explain why turnout is higher in competitive elections?
-voters are more interested in competitive elections -voters know about the candidates in competitive elections
Democrats
-young voters -women -African Americans -party affiliation -position on immigration reform -organized labor -non-White racial and ethnic groups -liberal -increased regulation of business -expanding social services spending
order in which they gained the right to vote from earliest to most recent.
1. white men with property 2. black men 3. women 4.people aged 18-20
NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and the world's largest inland desalination plant at Fort Bliss in El Paso are great examples of which of the following?
Cities gain significant financial and technological advancements from government programs.
For most of Texas history, rural White conservatives gave the ____ control of state government but now constitute the overwhelming majority of support for the ____ in Texas
Democratic Party Republican Party
Political parties in Texas are currently more influential in some parts of the state than in others. Match the party with the areas in Texas in which it tends to dominate. Democratic Party Republican Party
Democratic Party: urban areas Republican Party: suburban areas rural areas
What is the most important factor in determining how many major political parties a country has?
Electoral rules
A party will only support an issue if their constituents favor such policies.
False
The United States uses a proportional representation system.
False Although most countries use such a system, the United States uses a single-member, winner-take-all system.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Democrats ______vote by mail for all Americans, but Republicans _______it. No-excuse absentee ballots tend to_________ voter turnout.
Favored Opposed Increase
The city of ____ is the largest in the state, with a population of over 2.5 million people, while the ____ metro area is the largest metropolitan area in the state, with over 6.9 million residents.
Houston Dallas-Fort Worth
Why does "Juneteenth" hold a particularly special place in Black communities in Texas?
It commemorated the day enslaved people in Texas were emancipated
In the early twentieth century, less than 50 years after the end of the Civil War, influential groups in the state sought to rewrite history by promoting the ____ narrative, which suggested that the South's primary cause was not to protect ____ but to valiantly protect _____ from an overreaching federal government.
Lost Cause slavery states' rights
The persistent poverty created by the sharecropper and tenant farmer systems had what political impact on Texas?
Poor farmers supported Populist movements that led to stronger popular control of government
Which of the following statements accurately describes the trend in the number of Latino officeholders in Texas from 1980 through the early twenty-first century?
The number of Latinos in public office has increased dramatically since the 1980s
Why do party activists tend to devote their time to politics?
They feel they have a stake in election outcomes.
National conventions no longer spend much time on debating the selection of the presidential nominee for their party.
True
One of the most common reasons that people do not turn out to vote in elections is that they are not registered.
True
were emancipated in 1865, they were disenfranchised by the ____ and forced to pay _____ taxes in order to vote. It was only after the Voting Rights Act of ______ that the political system opened up for African Americans.
White primary poll 1965
Drew is voting in a congressional election for the first time. He has decided to support Clyde, a former youth minister, over Cheryl who was recently implicated in a savings and loan scandal because he views Clyde as being more trustworthy. What factor that can influence voter decisions does is Drew considering?
candidate characteristics
Voter ID laws tend to ____ voter turnout, especially among ____ and ___ -income individuals
decease African Americans low
What is the most effective way to boost voter mobilization?
face to face interaction with a canvasser
presidential election
four years
Citizens United v. FEC (2010)
government could not restrict independent expenditures by corporations or unions
Which of the following ways has been used to deal with the controversy surrounding memorials and monuments to the Confederacy and its leaders placed on public grounds?
providing more historically accurate and inclusive context by moving them or adding new monuments
Which term describes a narrow view of the world that is associated with rural values and is often intolerant of diversity?
provincialism
Texas surrendered claims to land in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma in the Compromise of 1850 in order to do which of the following?
raise money and pay off its debts
McCutcheon et al. v. FEC (2014)
removed limits on how many PACs or candidates an individual can give to
Business interests are a large part of the Republican coalition in Texas. In recent years, priorities of business interests have been challenged by which of the following groups that make up another important part of the Republican coalition?
social conservatives
Duverger's law
suggests that election systems based on single-member districts and that require the winner to have a plurality of votes cast will tend toward a two-party system.
Why are third parties often short-lived?
the major parties absorb their programs and their popular ideas.
Which of the following is the biggest driver of Texas's population growth?
the natural difference between births and deaths
