Government chapter questions

Votes allocated to states by formula: # of House seats + 2 ("Senate Bonus") Every state holds single, statewide election day (first Tuesday in November - fixed by statue) Unit Rule: All votes awarded to winner of statewide vote (except ME and NE) Simple majority (50%+1) of all electoral college votes required to win election If no majority, the vote goes to the House of Representative (House contingency election) 131 needed for majority With no majority winner, top three proceed to a House vote (12th amendment)

How does the Electoral College work?

Public defenders are paid by the government, but they work on behalf of clients who can't otherwise afford private representation. If you're charged with a crime that could lead to incarceration, but you're unable to afford a private attorney, then you may be eligible for public defense. This is also referred to as court-appointed representation.

How does the public defender system work?

The abolitionist movement, the women's suffrage movement, the civil rights movement, primarily movements that supported one form of minority or another. −17th -1913 -Direct election of Senators. −19th -1920 -Extended suffrage to women. −23rd -1961 -D.C. Electoral College votes. −24th -1964 -Abolishes poll taxes−26th -1971 -Makes voting age 18 and up.

What are key "democratizing actions" across American history?

It is "undemocratic;" It permits the election of a candidate who does not win the most votes; and Its winner-takes-all approach cancels the votes of the losing candidates in each state The Electoral College ensures that all parts of the country are involved in selecting the President of the United States. The Electoral College guarantees certainty to the outcome of the presidential election. The Founding Fathers enshrined the Electoral College in the US Constitution because they thought it was the best method to choose the president.

What are the arguments for and against the system as it exists today?

Too long Devoid of substance Too expensive

What are the three major criticisms of the modern campaign system?

Toward a More Responsible Two-Party System," packed with sweeping recommendations. The report urged political parties to become much more tightly organized, nationally oriented and disciplined

What did the APSA Committee in 1950 recommend for the American party system

PID (Party Identity) is best predictor of vote−Voters are socialized into PID −But party bonds are not strong and can be broken in a wave election (Eisenhower)−No stable preferences; candidates can sway voters with appeals to emotion, personality, etc.

What did the authors of The American Voter (1960) argue about the electorate in their time?

The right to privacy refers to the concept that one's personal information is protected from public scrutiny. U.S. Justice Louis Brandeis called it "the right to be left alone." While not explicitly stated in the U.S. Constitution, some amendments provide some protections.

What is the "right to be left alone"?

Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Arizona, Georgia, Virginia, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, Colorado, North Carolina, and Maine.

Which states are most competitive today, and how has that changed over the past few decades?

Voters in swing states hold immense power of the sway of a vote, while voters in regions were the population is small tend to have a much higher weight in their ballot than those in large populations. Also as with states that are locked in as republican or democratic strongholds, people who oppose either party makes their votes virtually worthless.

Which voters have more "power" over the election, and which have less, because of the Electoral College?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, Rosa Parks,

Who were the major figures in the Civil Rights movement, and how did they push for equality?

To re-legitimize the system and the regime Legitimacy of leaders is based on FAIR, FREE, COMPETITIVE ELECTIONS Government must claim consent of the governed *of incumbents who seek reelection Strategic retirement: weak incumbent chooses to retire rather than face defeat redistricting, shifting demographics, scandal Modern campaign is constant : "24/7/363" Presidents campaign for at least 2 years "invisible primary" begins up to four years before elections

Why do we have elections, and why do we say that elections "cause" campaigns?

Originally, the Electoral College provided the Constitutional Convention with a compromise between the popular election of the President and congressional selection.

How does the Electoral College of today differ from the system envisioned by the framers?

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the most comprehensive civil rights legislation ever enacted by Congress. It contained extensive measures to dismantle Jim Crow segregation and combat racial discrimination, it also contained provisions barring discrimination and segregation in education, public facilities, jobs, and housing. It created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to ensure fair hiring practices, and established a federal Community Relations Service to assist local communities with civil rights issues. The bill also authorized the US Office of Education to distribute financial aid to communities struggling to desegregate public schools.^2 2

How did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 change the political landscape of the U.S.?

a scientific poll is that scientific polls typically randomly select their samples and sometimes use statistical weights to make them representative of the target population. Individuals are motivated by goals, expressed as "preferences" Individuals take action, conditional on available information, best suited to realizing those preferences. Calculate cost and benefit of action−Cost: acquiring information, time loss−Benefit: odds of your vote affecting the outcome

How does scientific polling work? Is voting "rational" - if so, when, and under what conditions?

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 removed barriers to black enfranchisement in the South, banning poll taxes, literacy tests, and other measures that effectively prevented African Americans from voting. The bill outlawed poll taxes, literacy tests, and other practices that had effectively prevented southern blacks from voting. It authorized the US attorney general to send federal officials to the South to register black voters in the event that local registrars did not comply with the law, and it also authorized the federal government to supervise elections in districts that had disfranchised African Americans.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 change the political landscape of the U.S.?

Clear and present danger was a doctrine adopted by the Supreme Court of the United States to determine under what circumstances limits can be placed on First Amendment freedoms of speech, press, or assembly. A direct indictment is one in which the case goes straight to trial, before an inquiry is completed, circumventing the preliminary hearing.

What is the clear and present danger standard vs direct incitement standard?

the right to trial by jury; The right to trial in a timely manner; the right to be informed of the nature and cause of all accusations against you; the right to confront witnesses against you; the right to have legal counsel available to you; and the right to compel witnesses to testify on your behalf.

What protections are provided to the accused under the Bill of Rights?

Jim crow laws: Literacy tests, poll taxes, the grandfather clause.

What tactics did southern states use to disenfranchise African American voters?

It was not ratified. The Equal Rights Amendment was passed by Congress on March 22, 1972 and sent to the states for ratification. In order to be added to the Constitution, it needed approval by legislatures in three-fourths (38) of the 50 states.

What was the final fate of the Equal Rights Amendment?