question

Political parties

answer

Political parties are organizations that seek to win elections for the purpose of influencing the outputs of government (Pg. 348)

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National party conventions

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A large meeting that draws together party delegates from across the nation to choose (or formally affirm the selection of) the party's presidential and vice presidential candidates (Pg. 351)

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Party platform

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A document outlining the party's position on important policy issues (Pg. 351)

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Critical election

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An election that produces sharp changes in patterns of party loyalty among voters (Pg. 352)

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Dealignment

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A decline in voter attachment to parties and in clarity of party coalitions (Pg. 354)

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Party identification

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The psychological attachment that an individual has to a particular party (Pg. 356)

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Normal vote

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The percentage of votes that can be expected with reasonable certainty to cast a ballot for each of the two major political parties (Pg. 356)

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Divided government

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Split-party control of Congress and the presidency (Pg. 359)

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Two-party system

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A party system dominated by two major parties that win the vast majority of elections (Pg. 359)

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Multiparty system

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A political system in which many different parties are organized on the basis of political ideologies, economic interests, religion, geography, or positions on a single issue or set of issues (Pg. 359)

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Proportional representation

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A system of electing a national legislature in which the percentage of the vote that a party receives is reflected in the number of seats that the party occupies (Pg. 360)

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National party organization

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The institution through which political parties exist at the national, state, and local levels, primarily focused on articulating policy positions, raising money, organizing volunteers, and providing services to candidates (Pg. 362)

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National committee

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The committee that oversees the conduct of a party's presidential campaign and develops strategy for congressional elections (Pg. 363)

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National committee chair

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The head of the national committee for one of the two major parties (Pg. 363)

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Direct primary election

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An open election, rather than an election by party leaders, to choose candidates for general election (Pg. 365)

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Representative democracy

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System of government in which citizens elect the individuals who are responsible for making and enforcing public policy (Pg. 365)

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Majoritarianism

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The principle that the choice that is supported by the most voters is the choice that prevails (Pg. 365)

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Voting

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The political mechanism that ensures that the majority will rule (Pg. 366)

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Franchise

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The right to vote (Pg. 366)

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Universal suffrage

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The idea that all citizens in a nation have the right to vote (Pg. 367)

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Fifteenth Amendment

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The amendment to the Constitution that guaranteed the franchise regardless of race, color, or any previous condition of servitude (Pg. 367)

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Poll tax

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The requirement that individuals pay a fee before being allowed to vote (Pg. 368)

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Literacy test

answer

The requirement that individuals prove that they can read and write before being allowed to vote (Pg. 368)

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Twenty-fourth Amendment

answer

The constitutional amendment that outlaws poll taxes (Pg. 368)

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Nineteenth Amendment

answer

The constitutional amendment that guarantees women equal voting rights (Pg. 368)

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Twenty-third Amendment

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The constitutional amendment providing electoral votes to the District of Columbia, thus giving District residents the right to vote in presidential elections (Pg. 368)

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Twenty-sixth Amendment

answer

The constitutional amendment that lowered the voting age to 18 in all local, state, and federal elections (Pg. 368)

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Motor voter law

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The federal law mandating that when an individual applies for or renews a state driver's license, the state must also provide that individual with voter registration materials (Pg. 370)

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Voter turnout

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The number of people who turn out to vote as a percentage of all those eligible to vote (Pg. 371)

question

Understand the 4 "critical functions" that political parties serve in the "American political system":

answer

Contesting Election. Free and open elections. To contest elections most effectively, the two major parties in the United States have developed a largest set of party organizations Recruiting and Nominating Candidates. Parties want to find candidates who will represent the party well and thus they provide a "weeding out" process that results in higher-quality candidates Providing a Framework for Voters to Make Vote Choices. Political parties also provide a useful framework for voters who must choose among candidates for elective office Providing Organizations for the Operations of Government. The majority party organizes its respective institution to accomplish the task of governing (Pg. 354)

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Know the "principle goal" of political parties:

answer

Winning elections (Pg. 354)

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Understand whether the US is a two-party system or a multiparty system:

answer

The United States features a two-party system, dominated by the Democratic and Republican Parties (Pg. 360)

question

Understand the four reasons for the two-party system in the US, according to the text:

answer

(1) The electoral college system for selecting the president of the United States (2) The winner-take all process that prevails in selecting members of Congress (3) The ideological nature of public opinion in America (4) The laws and regulations that govern campaigns in the US, which tend to benefit the major parties at the expense of third parties (Pg. 360)

question

Understand the difference between a winner-take-all election system and the use of proportional representation:

answer

In US Congressional elections, only the candidate with the most votes in a single district wins the seat. (ex: Democratic candidate receives 40 % of the vote, Republican 35 %, the Democratic candidate is elected to Congress) By contrast, proportional representation, the percentage of the vote that a party receives is reflected in the number of seats that party occupies in the national legislature. (In Israel for example: a party that receives as little as 1.5 % of the vote nationally is entitled to at least one seat in the 120-seat) A proportional representation gives minor parties representation in the legislature, the winner-take-all system does not. A third party must win the most votes in any given election contest to win a seat. The winner-take-all system promotes the two-party system and prevents smaller parties from achieving even minimal representation the nation legislature (Pg. 360)

question

Understand the "obstacles" third parties face "in their attempt to become viable":

answer

Their mostly negligible chance of winning at the outset leads many voters to sense that a vote for a third party would be wasted. The strong historical and cultural institutionalization of the American two-party system. Media coverage of campaigns also plays a role; the media tend to focus most coverage on the two major parties, with little attention given to third-party candidates (Pg. 361)

question

Understand how third parties can have "substantial influence on the outcome of elections":

answer

Third-party candidates in hotly contested presidential races have on occasion siphoned (draw) off enough votes from one of the major-party candidates to provide an electoral college victory to the other major party (Pg. 361)

question

Understand the organization of political parties - the levels at which they occur, and what they do:

answer

Political parties exist through party organizations at the national, state, and local levels. National party (Democratic and Republican) At the national level, the committees, chairs, and party organization largely provide a supportive role during the presidential campaign (Pg. 362)

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Understand the role of the national committees, chairs, and party organization during presidential elections:

answer

Largely provide a supportive role during the presidential campaign. Today they are more involved in helping their candidate raise money and campaign for office (Pg. 363)

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Understand the role and function of state and local party organizations in the election process:

answer

Develop and organize campaigns, and provide a cue to voters about their vote selections. Voters pay less attention to campaigns in state and local elections and therefore depend more on partisan cues in their choice of candidates (Pg. 363/364)

question

Understand the arguments for and against the notion that political parties are in decline today:

answer

Political scientist Martin Wattenberg argues that increased negativity toward the parties has contributed to party decline. Also suggests that the mass media have contributed to this decline by neglecting to cover parties. Scholars have also noted a decline in the organizational linkages between officeholders and political parties. Changes in the way candidates are nominated by a party have also reduced the power of party organizations Some scholars, however, are not convinced that parties are on the decline. They argue that although certain aspects of parties are declining, in other ways parties are showing a resurgence in relevance. For example, parties have adapted quite well to candidate-centered campaigns by servicing candidate organizations. Whether they are declining or not, at the moment parties remain alive and quite active in American politics (Pg. 364)

question

Understand the relationship between representative democracy and majoritarianism:

answer

The core principle underlying representative democracy is majoritarianism, or majority rule, which means that among the choice presented to voters, the choice that is supported by the most voters (receives the most votes0 is the choice that prevails (Pg. 365)

question

Understand how poll taxes and literacy tests kept many African Americans from exercising their right to vote:

answer

Poll taxes required people to pay a fee before being allowed to vote. Because most blacks were poor, they were often unable to pay the poll tax. Literacy test was the requirement that individuals prove that they can read and write being allowed to vote. Blacks also tended to have less education, so they could not pass the literacy tests, which were often deliberately difficult (Pg. 368)

question

The year in which women received the constitutional right to vote:

answer

1920 (Pg. 368)

question

Understand the four factors that "explain why people decide to cast a ballot on Election Day":

answer

An individual's interest in politics. A person's sense of "civic duty" or the belief that being a good citizen requires one to vote. The perception that their vote can have an impact on the outcome of an election. Social group pressure can be a motivating factor. Voting is often regarded as the "right" thing to do and some people feel that casting a ballot is expected of them by others (Pg. 370)

question

Understand how a person's gender, age, and level of education affect the decision to vote, and what demographic characteristics make a person more or less likely to vote:

answer

Younger people tend to pass up the opportunity to vote at greater rates than middle-aged and older people do. At about age 18, many young people leave their parents' home to go to college or take a job or start their careers. Young Americans are less rooted in community, have less time to register. Voting tends to be less of a priority under these changing circumstances. As people age, buy a home, have a family, and reside in a particular community for a period of time, they become more socially attached and are more likely to vote. Other demographic groups are substantially more like to vote, better-educated Americans and wealthier Americans (Pg. 371)

question

Understand the five different methods of voting used in the US:

answer

(1) hand-counted paper ballots (2) mechanical lever machines (3) computer punch cards (4) optical scan cards (5) electronic voting systems (Pg. 371/372)

question

The method of voting most used in the US, and the percentage of precincts using this method:

answer

Punch cards, about 37% (Pg. 373)

question

Understand "rational choice" as an explanation of why people choose not to vote:

answer

Voters might decide not to vote because the reason that costs of obtaining and understanding information about candidates and campaigns outweigh the benefits of making a vote choice (Pg. 373)

question

Understand the five factors that distinguish high voter turnout elections from low voter turnout elections, as discussed in the text:

answer

(1) greater levels of media coverage (2) higher significance of the office (3) campaigns in which voters assign high importance to an issue (4) more attractive candidates (5) perceptions of a close race (Pg. 373)

question

Understand why "presidential elections tend to produce the highest levels of turnout":

answer

(1) they are heavily covered by the media (2) there is more spending on political advertisements, particularly on television, making the campaign more visible to votes (3) the presidency is the most significant office in the US political system (Pg. 374)

question

Understand the seven explanations that explain low voter turnout in the US when compared to other democracies and the trend toward declining rates of voter turnout in the US:

answer

(1) There are a large number of elections in America, making the opportunity to participate less of a novelty (2) Tuesdays are workdays (3) Voting in the US usually requires advance registration (4) Over the past 50 years, perceptions both the participation can make a difference in what government does and the government is responsive to the people have declined (5) Extensions of the franchise lead to short-term decline in turnout (6) Voting in the US is not compulsory (7) The decline in "social capital" (Pg. 375)

question

Understand the arguments that "support the contention that nonvoting is problematic," and the arguments "as to why nonvoting may not be a cause for concern":

answer

Arguments that support the contention that nonvoting is problematic: - The low voter turnout rates are a symptom of a weak democracy - Low turnout awards distinct advantages to the affluent, higher-socioeconomic groups in our society (turnout rates are lower among less educated and lower-income groups) Arguments as to why nonvoting may not be a cause for concern: - Voting simply for the sake of voting may not produce good choice - Voting is a voluntary right, just as free speech, religious choice and peaceful assembly are voluntary (Pg. 378)

CHAP 13 REVIEW: POLITICAL PARTIES AND VOTING – Flashcards

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