AP GOV MIDTERM
4. Voter turnout is influenced by constitutional provisions, voting laws, and demographics. (a) Identify the effect of one of the following amendments on the electorate. Fifteenth Amendment Nineteenth Amendment Twenty-sixth Amendment b) Explain how each of the following factors may affect voter turnout. Motor voter laws Photo identification laws (c) Select one of the following demographic features and describe its relationship to the likelihood of a person voting in an election. Education Age (d) Explain why voter turnout is different in each of the following. Presidential versus midterm elections Primary versus general elections
(a) Fifteenth Amendment: gave African Americans the right to vote Nineteenth Amendment: gave women the right to vote Twenty-Sixth Amendment: gave citizens age 18 and over the right to vote (b) Motor Voter laws add more registered votes to the rolls, potentially changing voter turnout Photo identification laws create a potential barrier for those without an accepted form of ID, changing voter turnout (c) Education has a positive correlation with voter turnout, higher education=more likely to vote Age has a positive correlation with voter turnout; the older the person, the more likely he or she is to vote (d) media coverage is greater in presidential elections and more interest in the president because he or she is a more prominent public figure general elections draw more attention than primaries in the media, independents are less likely to partake, and increased interest and importance in general elections
10. "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, 1870 Despite the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment, voter turnout among African American citizens was very low throughout the first half of the twentieth century. Over the past 50 years, civil rights policies have changed substantially, along with a significant increase in African American voter turnout. (a) Explain how two measures taken by some states prior to the 1960s affected voter turnout among African American citizens. (b) Facing discrimination at the voting booth, many African American citizens turned to alternative forms of political participation. Describe two alternative forms of participation that helped bring about changes in civil rights policies. (c) Choose one of the forms of participation you described in (b) and explain why it was effective in changing civil rights policies.
(a) Literacy tests were tests that everyone had to take before voting, it was meant to mainly keep poor African Americans living in the south from voting. The grandfather clause was implemented in many southern states to keep african americans from voting. It stated that in order to vote, your grandfather had to have voted. The problem was that african american grandfathers were slaves, so obviously their grandfathers couldn't vote. (b) An alternative form of political participation that African Americans took part in were protests. Even though they couldn't vote, they were still voicing their opinions on various civil rights policies. Another form of political participation was interest group activity, like NAACP (the national association for the advancement of colored people). They helped lobby for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. (c) One form of participation that was effective in changing civil rights policies was interest group activities, like the NAACP. This particular group, among many others, would wage legislative battles, organize mass protests, and publish crucial statistics to help pass major legislation. They helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
13. In October of 2018, musician Taylor Swift used the social media site Instagram to endorse candidates for the United States Congress in the upcoming election. The post was a rare political statement from the pop star, who noted that "I've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but . . . I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. . . . So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do." Immediately following Swift's Instagram post, thousands of 18- 24 year olds signed up to vote. Swift added a link to the website vote.org in her bio, which lists voting procedures in various states. (a) Referencing the scenario, describe the structural barrier to voting that is discussed above. (b) Explain why the structural barrier described in part A may be more of an obstacle in some states than in others. (c) If youth voter turnout increases as a result of the actions in the scenario, explain how this could affect the way candidates run campaigns in the future.
(a) The structural barrier discussed in this scenario is voter registration. In other democracies, voter registration is typically done automatically for citizens but in the United States it is each citizens personal responsibility. This process can be confusing especially for young voters with not much political experience. (b) Technically each state's rules vary for each election and voter registration procedures can vary from state to state. This makes the process more complicated in some states and simpler in others, leading the voter turnout to be uneven throughout the nation. (c) This could result in the candidates targeting the youth in their campaigns in the future. It also may result in candidates using celebrities as a campaigning method. Lastly, it may make the candidates in the future more inclined to use social media platforms when trying to reach their voters.
1. In the last half of the twentieth century, voter turnout in federal elections has declined. During the same period, voter turnout has been higher in presidential elections that in midterm elections. (a) Identify two factors that have contributed to the overall decline in turnout in federal elections and explain how each factor has contributed to the overall decline. (b) Identify and explain two reasons why voter turnout has been higher in presidential elections than in midterm elections.
(a) Voter apathy (people feel that their votes don't matter) which leads to people not go vote because they think that their opinions don't matter to the government and their are no laws or national election day to let people off of work to go vote leads to a decline in the voting output (b) Voter turnout is high for presidential elections because (a) people feel that the presidential election is more important and (b) there is more media publicity during the presidential elections
9. Political parties play important roles in United States elections and government institutions. Over the past several decades, the influence of political parties in elections has declined while their strength in Congress has increased. (a) Describe two important functions of political parties in United States elections. (b) Describe one important role political parties play within Congress to promote the party's public policy agenda. (c) Explain how each of the following factors has weakened the influence of political parties over the political process. Direct primaries Candidate-centered campaigns (d) Explain how party polarization has strengthened party influence in Congress.
(a)Provides a platform for people with similar opinions. Not everyone has time to sit down and watch debates and stuff, so they can just vote for the people who are aligned with the same party as them because they are likely to think the same way. Raise funds - members of the party can donate money to the campaign because they want that person to win because they have the same political opinions. (b) The Majority party controls floor debates. It is easy to promote your agenda when you control the conversation. It would be very hard to promote your agenda if you were not the majority party. Leadership positions in Congress are assigned on a party basis. (c)Direct primaries - a candidate could win who is not supported by the party Candidate-centered campaigns - candidates choose themselves which issues they will talk about (d) people are not likely to vote across party lines
11.A significant feature of the electoral college is that most states have a winner-take-all system. (a) Describe the winner-take-all feature of the electoral college. (b) Explain one way in which the winner-take-all feature of the electoral college affects how presidential candidates from the two major political parties run their campaigns. (c) Explain one way in which the winner-take-all feature of the electoral college hinders third-party candidates. (d) Explain two reasons why the electoral college has not been abolished.
(a)The winner-take-all feature of the electoral college means that the candidate who wins the most votes in a given state wins all of that state's electoral college votes. This means that even if a candidate wins a state's popular vote by a small margin, they are awarded all of that state's electoral college votes. (b)Presidential Candidates will put more value into the swing states to win all the votes of that state, therefore giving them a major advantage in electoral college votes. (c)The third-party candidate is more likely to have a fraction of the votes from each state but not win many, if any, states. (d) 1. An amendment must be passed which is difficult to do. 2. There's not an alternative method that everyone agrees to in place.
14. The 1992 presidential election featured a competitive race between Republican President George H. W. Bush, Arkansas Democrat Governor Bill Clinton, and Texas billionaire Ross Perot, who ran as an independent. Despite having an approval rating of over 90 percent a year earlier, Bush's popularity steadily fell due to a weak economy. Clinton rose in the polls by focusing on the economy and by courting independents and younger voters. Perot was the charismatic wild card, with a self-financed campaign and strong support in all regions of the country. Perot led in the polls as late as June, engaging new voters and receiving strong media attention. While he received 19 percent of the popular vote on election day, the highest for a third-party candidate since 1912, Perot found himself with no electoral votes when the dust settled on November 3. In the context of the scenario, describe a characteristic of the electoral process that led to Ross Perot not winning any electoral votes. In the context of the scenario, explain how the result of the electoral process described in part A could affect future third-party or independent candidates running for president. Explain how the electoral process described in the scenario affects democratic participation.
A. Robert Perot was able to win 19% of the popular vote, which was the most for a third party candidate, however all of these votes were spread out across the country, keeping him from winning out any of the states for an electoral vote. B. Third party and independent candidates have to be able to concentrate their campaigning in certain states in order to win out that state for an electoral vote because just winning the popular vote will not win them the election. C. It might keep them from voting because they'll believe their vote doesn't really count.
6. Citizens often choose to participate in the political process in ways other than voting. (a) Identify two forms of participation in the political process other than voting. (b) Explain two advantages of each form of participation you identified in (a).
A. signing a petition and participating in an interest group activity B. Signing a petition can allow citizens to have their voice heard by officials without having to go vote, especially because there are some restrictions to voting such as needing an ID and signing petitions can allow people who might not pass the voting requirements to have their voice heard in government. Petitions also give citizens the right to appeal to the government in favor of or against policies that affect them or in which they feel strongly. Participating in an interest group allows people to feel connected to the political and social community. Interest groups can also influence decision makers and public policies for their cause.
3. The framers created the electoral college to elect the president of the United States. This system influences the campaign strategies of presidential candidates. a: Describe one reason that the framers chose to use the electoral college as the method to elect the president. b:Describe the message the cartoon above conveys about presidential elections. c:Explain why California, Texas, and New York do not appear prominently in the cartoon above. d:Describe two campaign tactics presidential candidates use to win the key states identified in the cartoon above.
A:The Framers didn't trust ordinary citizens to be informed enough to adequately pick the president and that's why they chose to use the electoral college. B:The cartoon conveys that the candidate needs to win more electoral votes from swing states and win the swing states as a whole. It criticizes the fact that candidates will often spend more time campaigning in the "battleground" state shown in the cartoon, and ignore smaller states or safe states. C:The reason Texas, Cali, and New York aren't on the map is because they aren't swing states. therefore the candidate doesn't need to go visit them because they only focus on winning the swing states. D:Candidates will target these swing states with campaign visits, advertising and staffing.
2. Trust and confidence in government have declined in recent decades. (a) Explain how divided government has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government. Be sure to include a definition of divided government in your response. (b) Explain how the increased cost of election campaigns has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government. (c) Explain two specific consequences of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior.
a) A divided government is when one party controls the White House, and another controls one or both houses of Congress. There has been a decline in trust because a divided government leads to a slowed-down confirmation process, and it takes everything much longer to get anything done. This causes the people to feel that the government is not doing its job on their behalf. (b) Since the increased costs of elections large sums of money are required to be donated whether that is from wealthy people, corporations, or PAC's. This causes the people to lose faith in the candidates because they feel that the candidate is entitled to their donors, which leads to corruption. (c) Protest and a decline in voting are consequences of the decline in trust and confidence in government. Protest allows people to speak their minds about issues without the government getting involved. A decline in voting shows a loss of trust because they feel that the representatives do not represent the voice of the people, so they give up voting.
12.Nominees for the presidency of the two major parties are chosen by delegates at national conventions. How these delegates are chosen varies across states and between the political parties. Define each of the following methods used by states to choose delegates to party conventions. Open primary Caucus Republican Party rules permit winner-take-all primaries. Describe one consequence of this rule for the Republican nomination process. The Democratic Party has used superdelegates in the presidential nominating process since 1984. Explain why the use of superdelegates increases the influence of party leaders in the Democratic nomination process. Explain why a candidate's strategy to win the nomination is often different from the strategy developed to win the general election.
a) An open primary is a primary election in which any voter can casta ballot in any party's primary. In other words, voters don't have to declare their party affiliation in order to vote. A caucus is a meeting or gathering of members or supporters of a political party, and they divide themselves based on the candidate they support. b) One consequence of winner-take-all primaries is that they cause some candidates to avoid campaigning in certain areas. Candidates reason that they should spend their time and money in areas that they are competitive in rather than in areas where they cannot compete and thus will not win any delegates. c) Superdelegates increase the influence of party leaders because they are high-ranking members of the Democratic party that are not chosen by the public and can vote for whichever nominee they like best. Their use takes part of the nomination process away from the typical party member and puts it into the hands of the party's elite. d) A candidate's strategy to win the nomination often differs from his/her strategy to win the general election because of the different voters involved. To win the nomination, candidates focus on members of their own party who typically have a similar ideology. In the general election, candidates must appeal to a wider range of voters who have much more varied ideologies.
7.A. Identify a year from the line graph when there was a decline in the percentage of federal election spending by outside groups. B. Describe an overall trend in the data after 2010. C. Draw a conclusion as to why that overall trend occurred after 2010. D. Explain how federal elections have changed based on the data presented in the line graph.
a. 2014 b. There was pretty steady increase overall, with a slight dip from 2012-2014, but after 2014 it continued to increase. c.Super PACs were created in 2010, which created a lot more opportunity for outside groups to put money in for campaign d.When the Supreme Court Case Citizens United vs FEC was decided in 2010, it stated that the government could not restrict how much money was contributed to a campaign, because they decided that corporations were people. People with PACs have the ability to spend more money on their campaigns, which could provide a competitive advantage.
5. Describe the effect of each of the following on the level of voter participation in elections. The voter registration requirement Lack of penalties for not voting Ballot fatigue Describe the effect of each of the following on voter behavior in elections. Race Party identification Geographic regions
a.)The voter registration requirement creates less voter participation because it takes time even though Motor Voter Law- register to vote when you get your license. The motor voter law affects elections because it makes voting more accessible, since a person could now register to vote at motor vehicle departments after this act was passed. The Lack of penalties for not voting creates less voter participation because there are no legal consequences. Ballot fatigue causes less voter participation because it is frequent elections or lengthy ballots, making a large time commitment. b.) Most of the time white people vote for both parties, but mostly republican, while minorities vote for the democratic party. Party identification voters who identify with a specific party will only vote for their party, instead of basing it on the individual candidates. In the south, people typically vote for republicans. In the Pacific region, people typically vote for democrats. In the rocky mountain region, people typically vote for republicans.
8. The graph reflects changes in party identification over time. These changes have had substantial effects on electoral processes. (a) Identify the dominant trend in the graph for independents. (b) Explain two reasons why political parties have declined in importance. (c) Explain two reasons why political parties are still an important part of the electoral process.
a: the dominant trend for independents is an increase in party identification b: people are more likely to focus on the candidate and not the party when voting. The two parties are too polarized and the views don't overlap at all. People are more likely to be independent. There is an increase in open primaries. The increase in PACs, that allows people to be able to directly fund certain parties. c: they pick the candidates. they have members and members create money. they have platforms which consist of the parties core values. they also have a lot of organization within the parties.
