Political participation unit 5 exam

Political scientists use the term "political realignment" to describe which of the following?

A profound shift in the balance of power between major political parties

Identify three reasons why voter turnout is low in the U.S:

Americans don't like the canidates, too busy or conflicting work, school schedule my vote doesn't make a difference

The rise of new issues no longer dominated by a single interest group, declining influence of congressional committee chairs, increasing media coverage of the policymaking process, and declining significance of iron triangles have all contributed to which of the following?

An increase in the importance of issue networks

what is the relationship between campaign contributions and the lobbying of members of Congress by interest groups?

Congressional members are willing to meet with lobbyists representing groups that provide them with campaign contributions

Explain how campaign organizations and strategies affect the election process.

Dependence on professional consultants and superPACS Rising campaign costs and intensive fundraising efforts Duration of election cycles Impact of and reliance on social media for campaign communication and fundraising

17th Amendment

Direct election of senators

The Revolving Door

Employment cycle in which individuals who work for governmental agencies that regulate interests eventually end up working for interest groups or businesses with the same policy concern. make a shit ton of money after

Explain how the different processes work in U.S. congressional elections.

Incumbency advantage phenomenon Open and closed primaries Caucuses General (presidential and midterm) elections

Explain how variation in types and resources of interest groups affects their ability to influence elections and policy making.

Inequality of political and economic resources Unequal access to decision makers

Explain the benefits and potential problems of interest-group influence on elections and policy making.

Interest groups may represent very specific or more general interests, and can educate voters and office holders, conduct lobbying, draft legislation, and mobilize membership to apply pressure on and work with legislators and government agencies.

Twenty-fourth Amendment

It outlawed taxing voters, i.e. poll taxes, at presidential or congressional elections, as an effort to remove barriers to Black voters.

Describe how low voter turnout impacts elections:

Low voter turnout can impact an election if a majority of one race decides that they are not intrested in political participation. If black voters didn't show up for the 2016 Presidential Election, Hilliary Clinton's popular vote would decrease dramatically.

26th Amendment

Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18

Explain the function and impact of political parties on the electorate and government.

Mobilization and education of voters Party platforms Candidate recruitment Campaign management, including fundraising and media strategy The committee and party leadership systems in legislatures

Which of the following is a linkage function primarily associated with US political parties?

Mobilizing voters to elect a candidate advocating preferred ideological positions on political issues

24th Amendment

No poll tax

factors influencing voter choice

Party identification and ideological orientation Candidate characteristics Contemporary political issues Religious beliefs or affiliation, gender, race and ethnicity, and other demographic characteristics

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the linkage function that the National Association of Realtors (NAR) would have with regard to a recently passed federal law protecting home buyers?

Sharing research and constituent preferences for enforcing the law at a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) hearing A main linkage function of interest groups is to influence the development and enforcement of policies affecting their membership.

Explain how various political actors influence public policy outcomes.

Single-issue groups, ideological/social movements, and protest movements form with the goal of impacting, can use platform to share views

party-line voting

Supporting a party by voting for candidates from one political party for all public offices at the same level of government.

What is political efficacy

The belief that one's political participation really matters - that one's vote can actually make a difference

Fifteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment adopted in 1870 to extend suffrage to African Americans.

Nineteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment adopted in 1920 that guarantees women the right to vote.

Explain how the different processes work in a U.S. presidential election.

The process and outcomes in U.S. presidential elections are impacted by: Incumbency advantage Open and closed primaries Caucuses Party conventions General (presidential) elections The Electoral College

who typically votes? who doesn't?

The wealthy and old, and more educated tend to vote more frequently. Nonvoters are more likely to be poor, young, Hispanic or Asian-American. Some research also indicates they're more likely to align with the Democratic Party.

Explain how the Electoral College facilitates and/or impedes democracy.

The winner-take-all allocation of votes per state (except Maine and Nebraska) under the setup of the Electoral College compared with the national popular vote for president raises questions about whether the Electoral College facilitates or impedes democracy. helps make sure not just ca and ny can choose the Pres. downfall is that it is winner take all, not fair

Which statement best explains how midterm elections serve an important linkage function with the electorate?

They can alter the legislative agenda if the majority party changes hands in Congress

15th Amendment

U.S. cannot prevent a person from voting because of race, color, or creed

19th amendment

Women's right to vote

political parties exist as

a label in people's minds an organization a set of leaders

Fairness Doctrine

all issues by a broadcast station be faired and balanced

right-of-reply rule

allows a person who is attacked on a broadcast the right to reply over that same station

ideas to boost voter turnout

automatic voter registration same day vote registration online registration early voting

Party-line voting

casting votes for only candidates of one's party

equal time rule

equal access for all candidates. rates no higher than the cheapest commercial rate.

First Amendment

freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Roles Media Plays

gatekeeper: media sets the agenda -framing: the way the issue is portrayed and how this influences how people see the issue watchdog:oversees gov. Officials, holds them accountable to public intrets -ensure politicans are responsive to the public scorekeeper:focus on who's ahead in the polls rather than the issues Game frame: media's obsession of the polls rather than the issue

third (minor) parties

libretarian green constitutional

Twenty-sixth Amendment

lowered the voting age to 18

functions of political parties

mobilization of voters party platforms candidate recruitment

Explain how the organization, finance, and strategies of national political campaigns affect the election process.

ongoing debate over the role of money in political and free speech, as set forth in: Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, which was an effort to ban soft money and reduce attack ads with "Stand by Your Ad" provision: "I'm [candidate's name] and I approve this message" Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), political spending by corporations, associations, and labor unions is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment superPACS cannot have direct communication w political candidate Different types of PACs influence elections and policy making through fundraising and spending.

what is a linkage institution

organization separate for gov but closely linked to it

how do political parties change and adapt

parties are more focused on the individual candidate than before, changes in communication and if a campaign is considered critical

Which term accurately describes the presidential electoral change brought about by the permanent switch of many conservative white southerners from the Democratic party to the Republican party in the mid 1960s?

party realignment

Canvassing

persuasion of voters in a political campaign

Explain how increasingly diverse choices of media and communication outlets influence political institutions and behavior.

political communications outlets from an ideologically diverse audience have led to debates over media bias and the impact of media ownership and partisan news sites.

what can impact voter turnout

structural barriers, political efficacy, demographics, voter registration laws, election type

Motor Voter Law

this was a law to encourage more people to participate in voting. This allowed people to register to vote while they renewed their license. The thought was that most people renew their license and thus it would give them a chance to register at the same time.

What are linkage institutions?

tools that allow individuals to communicate their preferences to policy-makers: institutions like the media, political parties, interest groups, and elections

Explain the media's role as a linkage institution.

typically coined as "the fourth branch of gov" Traditional news media, new communication technologies, and advances in social media have profoundly influenced how citizens routinely acquire political information, including news events, investigative journalism, election coverage, and political commentary. The media's use of polling results can impact elections by turning it into "horse races" based more on popularity and factors other than qualifications

prospective voting

voting for a candidate because you favor his or her ideas for handling issues, Canidate that promises change and hope -voting based on predictions of how a party ot canidate will preform in the future

retrospective voting

voting to decide whether party or candidate in power should be reflected based on recent past

rational choice

which choice best serves the peoples interests

Explain how structural barriers impact third-party and independent candidate success.

winner-take-all voting districts serve as a structural barrier to third-party and independent candidate success.