Chapter 7

Reconstruction after the Civil War was led by the ________ Party.

Republican

Which of the following statements about age and political participation is true?

Young people are far less likely to participate in politics than older people.

It is likely that eliminating state-level voter registration laws would ________ voter turnout among ________.

increase; younger people

Historically, electoral realignments occur

when new issues combine with economic or political crises to mobilize new voters and persuade large numbers of voters to reexamine their traditional partisan loyalties

501(c)(4)s

nonprofit groups that also engage in issue advocacy; under Section 501c(4) of the federal tax code, such a group may spend up to half its revenue for political purposes and donors do not have to be identified, hence the name dark money (236)

527 committees

nonprofit independent groups that receive and disburse funds to influence the nomination, election, or defeat of candidates; named after Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, which defines and provides tax-exempt status for nonprofit advocacy groups (236)

A(n) ________ occurs when a voter can wait until the day of the primary to choose which party to enroll in to select candidates for the general election.

open primary

political parties

organized groups that attempt to influence the government by electing their members to important government offices (205)

third parties

parties that organize to compete against the two major American political parties (216)

Private groups that raise and distribute funds for election campaigns are called

political action committees.

divided government

the condition in American government wherein the presidency is controlled by one party while the opposing party controls one or both houses of Congress (216)

Dealignment refers to

the decline of partisan attachment within the electorate, the growth in the number of voters identifying themselves as independents, and the rise of split-ticket voting.

In which of the following years was there an electoral realignment?

1896

When Hillary Clinton won the plurality of votes in California during the 2016 election, and California had 53 representatives in the House of Representatives, how many electoral votes from California did she win?

55

Which of the following would be an example of a referendum?

A vote on whether to overturn a law passed by the New York state legislature and signed by the governor of New York that imposes higher taxes on wealthy residents.

The Supreme Court ruled that the government could not restrict independent expenditures by corporations or unions to political campaigns in

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010).

Which of the following statements about the current Republican Party is most accurate?

The Republican Party is divided between pro-business conservatives, who favor global free trade, and far-right conservatives, who are opposed to U.S. involvement in the global economy.

incumbent

a candidate running for re-election to a position that he or she already holds (206)

proportional representation

a multiple-member district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote (217)

caucus (political)

a normally closed political party business meeting of citizens to select candidates, elect officers, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters (227)

two-party system

a political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control of the government (page 209)

open primary

a primary election in which the voter can wait until the day of the primary to choose which party to enroll in to select candidates for the general election (227)

closed primary

a primary election in which voters can participate in the nomination of candidates but only of the party in which they are enrolled for a period of time prior to primary day (227)

political action committee (PAC)

a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns (205)

recall

a procedure to allow voters to remove state officials from office before their terms expire by circulating petitions to call a vote (228)

ballot initiative

a proposed law or policy change that is placed on the ballot by citizens or interest groups for a popular vote (228)

general election

a regularly scheduled election involving most districts in the nation or state, in which voters decide who wins office; in the United States, general elections for national office and most state and local offices are held on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November in even-numbered years (every four years for presidential elections) (227)

The Jeffersonian Republicans were best known for their support of

a weak national government, with the states retaining most powers.

party identification

an individual voter's psychological ties to one party or another (218)

When Richard Nixon employed his "southern strategy," he

appealed to disaffected white voters in the South.

Both 527s and 501(c)(4)s

can spend unlimited amounts on political advocacy as long as their efforts are not coordinated with those of any candidate's campaign.

primary elections

elections within a political party to select the party's candidate for the general election (227)

An advertisement emailed only to evangelical Christian voters about a Democratic candidate's support for abortion would be an example of

micro-targeting.

A serious candidate for a U.S. House of Representatives race must raise at least ________ while a serious candidate for a U.S. Senate race must raise at least ________.

several hundred thousand dollars; several million dollars

What issue led to the demise of the Whig Party?

slavery

Third parties in the United States typically represent

social and economic interests that are disregarded by the two major parties for certain reasons.

socioeconomic status

status in society based on level of education, income, and occupational prestige (222)

Which of the following political officers is/are subject to recall elections?

the governor of the state of California

electoral college

the group of electors who formally select the president and vice president of the United States (229)

majority party

the party that holds the majority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate (208)

minority party

the party that holds the minority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate (208)

turnout

the percentage of eligible individuals who actually vote (221)

electoral realignment

the point in history when a new party supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the dominant political force; in the United States, this has tended to occur roughly every 30 years (215)

referendum

the practice of referring a measure proposed or passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection (228)

mobilization

the process by which large numbers of people are organized for a political activity (222)

nomination

the process by which political parties select their candidates for election to public office (206)

suffrage

the right to vote; also called franchise (221)