POLS Test 3

Types of Interest Groups

-Economic Interest Groups: a group with the primary purpose of promoting the financial interests of its members. ex. Business groups, labor organizations, etc. -Public Interest Groups: an organization that seeks a collective good that will not selectively and materially benefit group members. ex. Middle-class women forming group to help immigrant, environmental groups, civil liberty groups, etc. -Issue and Ideological Groups: issue groups work on one specific issue (NRA). Ideological groups work on many philosophies like cultural norms, values, and prevailing stereotypes. -Governmental Units: state and local governments lobby the federal government or even charitable foundations for money to cover state and local programs. -Political Action Committees (PACs): officially recognized fundraising organizations that represent interest groups and are allowed by federal law to make contributions directly to candidates campaigns -don't have formal members, simply contributors

What are some examples of interest groups?

-Greenpeace -National Rifle Association -Focus on the Family

Describing American Turnout: does it compare favorably with other democracies? what percent is about as good as it's getting? what is the percentage of occasional voters and those or rarely or never vote?

60 percent in 2008- Obama vs. McCain. That's the highest voting rate that we've seen in a while. This is about as good as it's getting. Mid-term elections are lower. 25 percent occasional voters: they're not voting all the time but occasionally. 35 percent rarely or never vote Compares unfavorably with other democracies

What are Interest Groups? What's a big difference between an interest group and political party?

A collection of people or organization that tries to influence public policy. -a large difference from a political party: don't run a candidate for office

Reforming the Electoral College: Advantages for the Current System and Problems

Advantages: -stabilizing force for government -attention to states that might not receive it otherwise -reinforces roles of states as units in federal government Problems: -mismatch between college and popular vote -unequal votes for individuals in states -faithless electors -possibility of a tie

Elections in the US: what are ballot measures? initiative/referendum? what are recall elections?

Ballot Measures: provide people with the opportunity to enter directly into the decision-making process. -Initiative: voters propose the legislation and then vote on it. Usually through a formal process like a petition. -Referendum: originate with the state legislators. They propose legislation and then ask people to vote on it. Recall Elections: allow voters to remove an incumbent from office before the end of their term. This is fairly rare, but it does happen.

Party Identification: Belong to a Party- is it a formal membership?

Belong to a Party -Informal Membership: not a formal membership, it's an affinity for a party. -Reinforced by Laws -Political Socialization: people typically form their attachment to parties early in adulthood (parents are the single greatest influence in establishing a person's first party identification)

Campaign Finance: where do campaigns gather financial support? what is hard vs. soft money?

Campaigns gather financial support from people, interest groups, PACs, and political parties Financial contributions as political participation Regulating Contributions: -Hard money: contributions that go directly to a candidate in their campaign. They have to disclose these. -Soft money: much more difficult to track. It isn't donated directly to candidates, but it ends up influencing the election even if it's not directly promoting the candidate.

Communication Avenues: what is media considered? what are press briefings, press releases, and press conferences?

Communication Avenues: media is considered the fourth branch of government and they are considered a check on the other branches. All of the following are ways of covering officials: Press Briefings: short and brief; provide little times for questioning. Many times, a representative of the official provides this. Press Releases: they are one-sided documents faxed or emailed to news agencies to inform the public of an event. Journalists use this release to build their news story. Press Conferences: the most engaging form of communication. The official makes a statement and the press has a good bit of time to ask a question.

Media Influence: Conditions for Media Effects (4)

Conditions for Media Effects (where people can be influenced) -The uncommitted: may be persuaded if you're truly independent. Tend to be younger Americans. -Unfamiliar issues: if it's covering issues that you don't know about, these reports can change your mind. -Agenda setting: journalists often have a lot of discretion to choose which issues to cover and candidates to focus on- by choosing what not to cover, that influences the information available to you. -Framing: shaping a story, presenting it with a different tone or frame of mind. You may read about the same news event but the feeling, tone, and frame are different.

Measuring Public Opinion- Content and Question Wording, Sample Selection Process, and Getting in Touch with People

Content and Question-Wording -Be aware of the words you choose for your questions because it influence's your outcome. -Problems with the first question: by saying good job you're framing the question. The second question isn't inserting any framing of saying it's good or bad- it's much more neutral. Also, would be better if she had someone else asking the question instead of her. -Different ways of wording questions elicit different responses. Sample Selection Process: after deciding to conduct a poll, pollsters must determine the population, and take a sample of the population that interests them. Getting in touch with people -Phone, face to face, and internet. Now a lot of polling is done via the internet- this had a lot of issues initially because only wealthy people had the internet at first.

Party Developments: Direct Primaries (what did this shift power to), Ticket-Splitting, and Party Realignment (what does this coincide with?)

Direct Primaries: a primary in which members of a party nominate its candidates by direct vote. This was instituted across many states within the first two decades of the nation. Prior to this, there were party activists choosing the nominees at the convention. Shifted power to the party of the electorate. -Issued a move to more candidate-centered politics (focus on the candidate and their issues/character rather than party affiliation). Ticket-Splitting: voting for candidates of different parties for various offices during the same election. There have been higher levels of this in recent years. Party Realignment: when lots of people switch parties from a critical event (Great Depression) and when a new generation largely adopts one party over another. -Often coincides with a critical election (produces sharp changes in party loyalty among voters- voters polarization around new issues and personalities).

Predicting Voter Turnout (5)

Education and Income: more likely to vote the more educated you are; the more money you're making the more likely you are to vote Age: more likely to vote if you're older. Gender: men are more likely to vote than women. Race and Ethnicity: white people are much more likely to vote. Interest in Politics: if you're more interested in politics, you're more likely to vote.

Presidential Selection: Romney vs. Obama and Trump vs. Clinton

Electoral College: Obama won 332 votes and Romney won 206. You would think Obama won by a landslide, but he only won 51% of the popular vote. Romney won 48%. Trump won 306 and Hillary won 232 votes in the Electoral College. However, Clinton won the popular vote 48.2% to 46.1%.

Developing Political Values: Family

Family influence depends on: -communication -receptivity

Developing Political Values: Demographic Factors (7)

Gender: women hold more liberal attitudes than men on social issues, and their views about war and military intervention are more negative than men's'. Religious Affinity: shape individual attitudes toward political issues and many American ideals are founded on religous beliefs Age: older people are more affected by the economic issues of the Great Depression. Race and Ethnicity: this appears at a very early age. Young African American children generally show very positive feelings toward American society, but this lessens over time. Region -part of country -urban/suburban/rural Events and Generation Siblings

American Party System: Governmental Party, Organizational Party, and Party in the Electorate (do you have to be registered to be part of the party in the electorate?)

Governmental Party: the officeholders who claim a party label and govern as that -Representatives -Senators -Executive Leaders Organizational Party: the people that work for and run the parties and also the activists. Activists aren't necessarily staff but they're heavily involved -Activists: include people who work for the national committees -RNC and DNC employees Party in the Electorate: Americans who consider themselves as members of a party. Don't have to be registered with it- if they vote or claim allegiance they are part of the party.

Other Functions of Interest Groups

Grassroots: Grassroots lobbying is a form of interest group activity that prompts individuals to contact their representatives directly in an effort to affect policy. The goal is to persuade many ordinary voters to serve as the group's advocates -Petitioning, E-mail/Text Message: provide a direct web link voters can use to lobby their legislators Protests and radical activism: when conventional lobbying is unsuccessful, some groups may turn to this. Elections Activities -Candidate recruitment (EMILY's list) -Endorsements: interest groups will endorse a candidate that aligns with their beliefs -GOTV: get-out-the-vote efforts, identify voters and transfer them to the polls. Try to increase voter interest in election outcomes

Lobbying Institutions: how do interest groups lobby the executive branch, congress, and the courts?

In Congress: -testimonies, letters, contributions -persuading votes and legislation sponsors -Congressmen often look to lobbyists for information In the Executive Branch: -meetings with president and white house staff, numerous levels of the executive branch bureaucracy -close ties with relevant agencies -important for lobbyists to provide reliable information and where the public stands on an issue In the Courts: -sponsoring cases and briefs. sponsorship is providing resources or file an amicus curiae brief informing the court of the group's policy preferences -try to influence nominations to the court

Solving the Turnout Problem (6)

Increase awareness through civic education Same day registration: don't have to worry about registering to vote 30 days in advance, you can just show up and do it. More convenient polling places: we've had a polling place at the Tate center. Making election days more accessible for workers: some people can't just leave to vote. Could make election day a national holiday, move it to a Saturday, etc. Early Voting: in Georgia, we have an extended early voting period. If you don't have this, polling locations are packed. Compulsory Voting: you may be fined to persuade you to vote

What are the reasons for incumbents losing?

Incumbents lose sometimes -Redistricting: if your district gets redrawn, you may become vulnerable -Scandal: many people resign before they cannot win due to a scandal -Midterm election factors: there are much fewer people voting in the midterm elections

Important Concepts: Interest Group, Civic Virtue, Political Action Committee (PAC), Lobbying, Iron Triangle

Interest Group: a collection of people or organizations that tries to influence public policy Civic Virtue: the tendency to form small-scale associations for the public good. -creates fertile ground within communications for improved political and economic development Political Action Committee (PAC): raise money for direct contributions to political candidates Lobbying: the activities of a group or organization that seeks to persuade political leader's to support the group's position -a lobbyist's effectiveness depends largely on their reputation for fair play (giving both the good and bad info) and provision of accurate information Iron Triangle: the relatively iron clad relationships and patterns of interaction that occur among agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees

What is the electoral college meant to be?

It's meant to be republican and undemocratic. It's designed to take power away from the people.

Upside of the Electoral College (3)

It's served as a stabilizing force for government in that It promotes the two-party system because of the winner-take-all nature of the elections (when you win in a state you take all the electors in that state). Candidates must pay attention to states with smaller populations with the electoral college. Candidates spend a huge amount of time in Iowa and smaller states because they want to win the electors. Also spend a lot of time in swing states. If we just had the popular vote, candidates would campaign in places with a higher population (it would change their strategies). Reinforces the role of states in representative democracy- gives each state its own sovereignty.

Sabato's Thoughts on the Electoral College: should we get rid of it? do other people want it removed?

Larry Sabato argues that we should not get rid of it. It's meant to be republican in a sense that it's representative. Many people believe the electoral college is outdated, and want it removed. There's a partisan tinge to it. It's designed to take some power away from the people and give it to people who supposedly know more. Meant to be a gatekeeper without fully relying on the will on the people.

Shortcomings of Polling (4)

Margin of Error: actual number that accounts for likely error that occurred when taking the poll. Let's you know how confident the pollers are in their results. Limited Respondent Options: they could be boxing you into some type of response. Need to provide the appropriate range of responses. Lack of Information: many times, you could be asked to weigh in on issues you know nothing about. One way to get around this is for someone to debrief you. Difficulty Measuring Intensity: some questions aren't set up to measure intensity at all.

Important Concepts: Mass Media, New Media, On the Record, Off the Record, Framing

Mass Media: the entire array of organizations through which information is collected and then sent to the public. New Media: media outlets that rely on relatively newer technologies for communicating. Ex. The internet, fax machines, DVDs (not print newspapers/magazines, the radio) On the Record: information provided to a journalist that can be released and attributed to the source by name Off the Record: information is provided to the journalist that will not be released to the public. Framing: the process by which a news organization defines a political issue; this is when they influence us and shift/change our attitudes. This affects opinion about the issue.

Media Influence: Minimal Effects Theory and Selectivity Bias

Minimal effects theory: media doesn't persuade or change the mind of voters very much. Deep seeded, long-term political attitudes have much greater influence on an individual's vote decision than something they read. People don't often read things that they disagree with. Selectivity bias: there are so many different ways of gathering information today, people can choose which flavor of news they read (left or right). Another example of people choosing news they already agree with.

Functions of the Party System (4)

Mobilization of Support and Resources: mobilize people to vote and participate, they encourage action. -Building Coalitions: aim to bring people with common interests together -Demobilizing? Continuity and Moderation: provide a sense of stability for a political system. Issues and candidates change but parties remain and provide political meaning. Unity in Government: link the other branches of government. Democrats in the House feel connected to Democrats in the Senate, etc. Provides unity across government. Making Elections Happen: contest elections, make sure that they take place. -Recruiting candidates -Providing competition

Congressional Elections: is there more or less attention to these races? what is the incumbency advantage? what is the scare-off effect?

Much less attention for these races. Incumbency Advantage: this is huge for congressional members. Most people elected to office tend to stay in office. 90% of incumbents win re-election. -Staff resources: each member of Congress already has a staff in place and they can also send mass mailing for free. -Media/travel: they have access to local media and can travel regularly. -Scare off effect: it occurs when a person decides not to challenge an incumbent because of that member's resources.

The Media & Politics: Nixon & Kennedy 1960- what was this viewed as? who won this debate?

Often viewed as a point where things changed in politics- image became much more important. Those who listened to the debate on the radio were more likely to say that Nixon won, those who watched the debate were more likely to say that Kennedy won.

Vote Choice Predictors (7)

Party Identification Ideology: closely associated with party identification, but it's whether you're conservative, liberal, or moderate. This creates strong attachments to party identification. Income & Education: the more money you have, the more likely you are to vote for Republican candidates. Education is more complex; the least and most educated Americans tend to vote for democrats. Mid-level tends to vote Republican. Race & Ethnicity: groups tend to vote in distinct patters; they feel that one part speaks more to their needs. Gender: women tend to vote more democrat than men. Religion: tend to see one political party over the other as being friendlier and serving their needs better. Issues: when one issue is so important to voters that they make their vote choice based on the candidate's stance on that issue alone. These areas include abortion, gay rights, immigration, etc.

Party Identification: Party in the Electorate- what is party ID a reliable predictor of? has it gotten stronger? how many people claim to be independent?

Party in the Electorate -Party ID reliable predictor of voting choice (the most significant predictor of voting behavior). -Party identity has gotten stronger and people tend to be more polarized. -Independents: 1/3 of voters claim to be independent of party. Many independents are not true independents.

Group Formation Theories: what are three theories political scientists pose for why interest groups form?

Pluralist Theory: the theory that political power is distributed among a wide array of diverse and competing interest groups -Disturbance Theory: interest groups form as a result of changes in the political system (any time there is a disturbance, a group will arise) -formed through disturbance/division -cover all interests in society Transactions Theory: the theory that public policies are the result of narrowly defined exchanges or transactions among political actors. Arose from criticism of the pluralist approach. -no incentive to join these groups (not rational for people to mobilize into groups) -groups that do mobilize will represent elite interests Neo-Pluralism: Neopluralists have found a middle ground, population ecology theory. -population ecology theory: the theory that the life of a political organization is conditional on the density and diversity of the interest group population in a given area. -new groups based on the need in the policy area

What is the difference between interest groups and political parties? what is a similarity?

Political Parties: -cover broader range of issues -appeal to a wider range of individuals Goal of Political Parties: -influence many policy areas -win elections Both types of groups organize people along similar interests.

Political Parties Definitions: Political Party, National Convention, National Party Platform, Party Identification

Political Party: an organized effort by officeholders, candidates, activists, and voters to pursue common interests and you do this by gaining/exercising power through the electoral process (big difference between interest groups is that political parties seek to win elections). National Convention: a big event/party that is thrown by each political party- meeting held in the presidential election year for the purpose of nominating or further affirming the parties ticket and adopting a platform. National Party Platform: party activists come together and revise or adjust the party platform. This is a statement outlining the parties position on important policy issues. They change and evolve with the issues of the day. Party Identification: a citizen's personal affinity for a political party, usually expressed by attendance to vote for candidates of that party.

Political Socialization and Political Ideology

Political Socialization: the process through which individuals acquire their political beliefs and values Political Ideology: the coherent set of values and beliefs about the purpose and scope of government held by groups and individuals

Importance of Interest Groups- what is social capital? who studied social capital?

Political scientists believe involvement in community groups and activities with others of like interests (interest groups) increases social capital. Social Capital: cooperative relationships that facilitate the resolution of collective problems. -studied critically by Robert Putnam -helpful for problem-solving in communities -Civic Virtue: associations that aim to serve a public good

Campaign Elements: Pre-Nomination, Nomination, and General Election Campaign

Pre-Nomination Campaign: the political season where candidates for president begin to explore the possibility of running. -Exploration -Raise Money: want to raise money and garner support Nomination Campaign: begins when the candidate decides to run and ends with the party convention. Geared more at party members- focus more on conservative or liberal policies. -Strategizing -Support gathering -Moving left/right/center: in order to satisfy and listen to their base. General Election Campaign: begins after the candidate wins the party nomination. -Develop and use themes -Focusing (and avoiding issues) -Moving back left/right/center: typically moving back to the center because they want to get some undecided voters

Definitions: Primary Election (Closed/Open), General Elections, Midterm Elections, Electoral College

Primary Election: elections that come before general elections; voters are choosing candidates to represent their party. -Closed Primary: electoral law varies from state to state, which can be tricky. Some states have closed primaries, where only registered party members can vote in the primary elections. -Open Primary: Georgia is an open primary state. Party members, independents, and members from other parties can participate. General Election: voters choosing candidates to fill offices. These typically occur in November. Midterm Elections: occur in the middle of a presidential term. Electoral College: a system by which the president is chosen in the United States. Votes matter in relation to this. Representatives of each state pass the final ballots that elect the president.

Elections in the US: how many candidates do primary elections have? what is a run-off election? what follows a primary election?

Primary Elections: common to have 8-10 candidates. There are places where you have to secure a threshold of the vote in order to secure the nomination- this is where run-off elections come in. Run-Off Elections: in Georgia you have to receive 50%, so the top two vote-getters would go into a run-off election and C and D would fall out of the running. This is very important for turnout. o Candidate A gets 40% o Candidate B gets 35% o Candidate C gets 15% o Candidate D gets 10% General Elections: follow primary elections, usually a few months later

Reforming Presidential Primary Process: what's the problem? what's the solution/benefits?

Problem: frontloading -New Hampshire and Iowa are not representative. Candidates are already visiting these states while other states don't get a visit. These are small states and they're not representative. Solution: Regional Lottery Plan -Wants to create some system where there's a regional lottery plan. -4 primary regions based on the lottery. -order of primaries chosen by lottery -a role for small states Benefits: -would limit the primary campaign season only to 4 months -there would be less wear and tear on candidates -there would be more states and citizens that have an impact.

Push Polls, Tracking Polls, and Exit Polls

Push Polls: designed to create a negative image about something. They are taken for the purpose of getting bad information out there. Ex. Would you vote for candidate Bramlett is you knew she kicked puppies? Just started a rumor about her- don't really care about your answer. Tracking Polls: tracking public opinion- taken every day or every few days with a small (1000 to 1500) sample. Want a sense of what's going on day to day. -chart a candidate's daily rise and fall Exit Polls: taken right after people vote. Want to know whom you voted for and why- news organizations can get a sense for who's winning and why (an example of an in-person interview)

Presidential Selection: what's the difference between primaries and caucuses? what is frontloading?

Receive the most attention from the media and the public. Comparing Primaries and Caucuses -Caucuses allow small groups of people to come together and have a facilitated conversation about the candidates with the ultimate goal of selecting a nominee. Much more discussion here, but what you need to participate is a lot more stringent. Also more party-oriented. Tend to be more party activists; only a handful of states still have this. Most famous is in Iowa- this is the first race for primary presidential candidates. -Primaries are open to anyone who wants to vote. You're just going into a voting booth and choosing- no discussion at all. Democratic and transparency oriented. Frontloading: the tendency of states to choose an early day on the primary calendar. States want to have influence in the election process. It's because these states residents can be more influential in the process. -Super Tuesday: often times, we have a good idea of who the nominees are going to be after Super Tuesday. Georgia is a part of this day.

Definitions: Representative Democracy, Conventional Political Participation, Unconventional Political Participation, Turnout

Representative Democracy: a system of government in which citizens elect individuals who are responsible for making and enforcing policy; relies heavily on political participation, rests on being informed and active Conventional Political Participation: political activism that attempts to influence the political process through ways that are commonly accepted; includes voting, letter writing, donating money, political signs/bumper stickers (traditional) Unconventional Political Participation: activism aimed at influencing the political process but more unusual and extreme measures; protests, boycotts, picketing (less common and more extreme) Turnout: voter turnout- the number or proportion of the voting age population that votes

Rules of Communication (4): why do journalists abide by these guidelines? why do journalists want off the record information?

Rules of Communication: careful about setting boundaries for communication On Background vs. Deep Background: On background is where a representative gives information with the understanding that the source will remain anonymous. Deep Background is similar but the source is even further removed- can't say a white house official, they're just labeled as a source. Journalists abide by these guidelines because they want to keep that source happy; they want information and access. If they decide to out their source, they probably won't be able to talk to that source again. -not attributed to a named source vs. not attributed to any source at all Off the Record vs. On the Record: off the record is info used to lead reporters to other information. On the record means, anything the official says is fair game. Media Consultants: a marketing agent or public relations executive that is hired by businesses or political candidates to obtain positive press coverage Paid Advertising: can bypass media altogether and pay for advertising- media coverage is free but you lose control of what's being said about you.

Developing Political Values: School

Schools critical for informed public -first place for political information -civic courses, mock election, student government, service opportunities Friendship networks -with age -cross-pressures

Solutions to Electoral College

Solution 1: Elimination of faithless electors -automatic votes cast for the winner of a state Solution 2: Elimination of the Unit Rule -allow each U.S. representative to have a vote Solution 3: Growing the Electoral College -more electors means closer to popular vote

Sabato's Solution to Electoral College: Mend It, Don't End It (3)

Solution 1: Elimination of faithless electors. Don't give them the option of switching their vote. Automatic votes cast for the winner of the state. It would make electors honorary roles. Solution 2: Elimination of Unit rule. The unit rule comes into play in the case of a tie in the electoral college (269 to 269), this rule mandates that each state will cast one vote for president with the majority of states (26) being required for the election of the president. So, Georgia would cast 1 ballot even though it has 14 representatives in the house. Sabato wants everybody in the house voting. Solution 3: Growing the Electoral College- increasing the number of electors. More electors mean it'll be closer to the popular vote.

What are the different names Interest Groups are known by? (7)

Special Interests, Pressure Groups, Organized Interests, NGO's, Political Groups, Lobby Groups, Public Interest Groups

Public Opinion in History: The 1800s, 1936 (straw poll and who predicted the election correctly), and The 1940s and 50s

The 1800s- election forecasting. Public Opinion research started in the form of polls in newspapers- readers would respond and they were trying to get a sense to see who would be winning the election. 1936- Literary Digest failed because of their biased sample. They surveyed only their readers- you had to be reading or subscribing to this when the Great Depression was going on. Also used a list of telephone and car owners- their sample was mostly individuals that had some money. They were more likely to respond that they were supporting Landon over FDR. They missed a large portion of the population. Gallup predicted the election correctly. -Straw Poll: unscientific survey used to gauge public opinion on a variety of issues and policies. The 1940s and 50s- a huge jump in the use of polling, especially in social sciences. Became much more scientific and accurate.

Presidential Selection: The Electoral College vs The Popular Vote

The Electoral College: the Constitutional mechanism through which the President of the United States is chosen. It's part of the constitution, so if we wanted to change it we would have to amend the constitution which is very difficult. The Popular Vote: the number of people voting for each candidate. We care about this but winning the majority of the electoral college is the goal.

Covering the Three Branches: which is a media priority? which branch is more difficult/what does the media focus on here? where is coverage limited?

The Presidency -A media priority: major networks consider this a priority. Any time the president gives an address or press conference, you see it covered live by the major networks. Often times there are white house reporters there all the time. -Press secretary: President has a designated person that is their spokesperson. This person must be able to manage the news so the president looks favorable. People typically only hold this job for a few years- President Obama had 3, Donald Trump is already on his third. Congress -More difficult task: can't cover Congress in the same way. The national media often just focus on leadership- the Speaker, majority leaders, etc. Local media often cover individual representatives and senators. -Concentrate on leaders, committee chairs, local media cover local members Supreme Court -Coverage is limited- there are restrictions on cameras in the courtroom. The court has more recently allowed audio recordings. Still not the same as having a picture. There are fewer reporters assigned here. -Complex stories can be difficult to tell

How does the Electoral College work? How many votes total and how many do you need to win?

The electoral college is made up of electors from each state, often chosen by some process at the state level. Each state has a certain number of electors based on the representatives and senators they have- based on population and also 2 electors for each state based on senators. Georgia had 16 votes, because they had been allocated 14 members based on House of Representatives and then 2 senators. o 538 total o 270 needed to win

Downside of the Electoral College (4)

The popular vote winner may not win the election. Creates a lot of division and seems undemocratic. Votes of individuals in each state don't count equally. It creates a small-state bias. Wyoming has more electors than they should if you're just basing things on population, because each state gets two electors just based on senators. We're not up to date with allocating representatives based on population. Faithless electors: they pledge to a candidate but are not bound to a candidate. There is a possibility they will be faithless because they are not legally obligated to vote for their pledged candidate. Possibility of a tie: if there's a tie, the house state delegations will vote.

Reasons for Non-Voting (6)

Too busy Registration process too difficult (most people who are registered to vote, turnout for the vote; makes it seem that this is a significant hurdle) Absentee voting difficult Too many elections: US holds twice as many elections as other democracies. Hard to know when all of those are taking place and arrange to get there can be difficult. Voter fatigue is a real thing in the US. Mobility: if you're moving, living away from home Apathy: lack of interest; rather others make the decision for them.

T/F: People typically watch/choose news they already agree with.

True

Party Developments: what is the two-party system and multi-party system? what is proportional representation?

Two-Party System: had a two-party system for much of the nation's history. This is a system where only two major parties dominate the system and win the vast majority of elections. Very little incentive in the US to support a third party. -Winner-Take-All: an electoral system in which the party that receives at least one more vote than the other party wins the election -Electoral College: need 270 votes to win Multi-Party System: many democratic nations have this. Party can be based on political ideology, economic interests, religion, a single issue, etc. Makes it easier for third-parties to run. -Proportional Representation: a voting system that apportions legislative seats according to the percentage of the vote won by a particular political party

Turnout Problem: what does voter turnout influence? Do some people argue that poor voter turnout isn't a problem?

We have a winner take all system- the person with the most votes wins. Turnout influences people's perception of government and its legitimacy- if you don't have enough votes, your leaders aren't theoretically representative of the larger population. The turnout may not reflect the larger population. Many argue that it's not a problem- people don't need to vote if they don't know what's going on.

Defining Public Opinion: several definitions. What are public opinion polls?

What the public thinks about an issue at a particular point in time. Public opinion changes over time. -The prevailing or popular feeling or view on a subject. -The collective attitudes and beliefs of people for an issue or set of issues. Public Opinion Polls: interviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population

Libel: what is it? what Supreme Court case applies to this?

When journalists are charged with publishing false, harmful information about an official. By doing this, they've ruined the official's public image. New York Times Co. vs Sullivan (1964) -Supreme Court ruled that publishing a falsehood is not enough to justify a libel judgment. To be guilty, the plaintiff would need to prove actual malice. This journalist had serious reservation about the validity of this publishing and still published it. -A turning point in favor of journalists

Developing Political Values: Media- are people turning away from traditional media?

Young People -first-timers -undecided Types of Media: people are turning away from traditional news sources in favor of different outlets -cable/network TV -political comedy -internet

Public Opinion Today: The Gallup Organization

•Gallup and other polling firms -Obama (and other presidents) approval/disapproval- they ask every few days and it's tracked over time. -The Republican presidential nominee -Hot Topics: economy, healthcare, foreign affairs Social Science Surveys The things we read and learn are often based on large-scale studies like these (American National Election Studies- ANES)