All Ch. 12 Things – Flashcards
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Closed primary
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A primary in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote.
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Conventional Political Participation
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Activism that attempts to influence the political process through commonly accepted forms of persuasion such as voting or letter writing.
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Crossover voting
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Participation in the primary of a party with which the voter is not affiliated.
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Elector
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Someone who votes.
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Electoral College
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Representatives of each state who cast the final ballots that actually elect a president.
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Electorate
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All persons having the right to vote
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Front-loading
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The recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention.
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general election
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An election to choose among candidates for federal, state, and local offices.
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Incumbency
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Holding a political office for which one is running
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Initiative
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A procedure allowing voters to submit a proposed law to a popular vote by obtaining a required number of signatures. This gets it on the ballot allowing it to be voted on.
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Mandate
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A command indicated by the voters for the elected officials to carry out their promises.
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Mid-term election
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an election that takes place in the middle of a presidential term
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Open primary
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A primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place.
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Prospective judgment
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A voter's evaluation of a candidate based on what he or she pledges to do about an issue if elected.
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Reapportionment
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Process of re-allocating seats in the House every 10 years after a census.
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Recall
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An election where voters can remove an incumbent from office prior to the next scheduled election.
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Referendum
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An election where the state legislature submits proposed legislation or state constitutional amendments to the voters for approval.
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Retrospective judgment
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A voter's evaluation of a candidate based on past performance on a particular issue.
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Runoff primary
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A second primary election between the two winning candidates in a particular party.
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ticket-splitting
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voting for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election.
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turnout
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The proportion of the voting-age public that casts a ballot.
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Unconventional political participation
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Activism that attempts to influence the political process through unusual or extreme measures such as protest, etc.
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What is the name of the process by which citizens propose legislation or constitutional amendments, through petition followed by popular vote? a. gerrymandering b. initiative c. mandate d. proposition e. referendum
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b
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What institution is responsible for electing the president of the United States? a. Electoral Choice b. Electoral College c. Electoral Mandate
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b
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A member of the Electoral College is known as a(n)____. a. collegian b. elector c. partisan d. selector e. surrogate
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b
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How many electoral votes are needed to be elected president?
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270
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Which of the following is a problem presented by the electoral college? a. Career politicians have a natural advantage over outsiders. b. It is too democratic and violates the intentions of the Framers. c. The winner of a popular vote can still fail to be elected.
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c
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What old practice did the Twelfth Amendment replace? a. presidents had no term limit b. presidents were appointed by a vote of the state legislatures c. the president and vice-president were elected from the same pool of candidates.
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c
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What is one reason why incumbents have the advantage in elections? a. Challengers have less time to campaign that incumbents b. Incumbents tend to have greater amounts of money to spend on campaigns c. Voters generally fear change and thus rarely want to vote out an incumbent
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b
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if, as a member of a state legislature, you wanted to avoid political accountability for a controversial proposal, you might suggest holding a(n) a. initiative b. plurality c. mandate d. recall e. referendum
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e
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A command, indicated by an electorate's votes, for the elected officials to carry out a party platform or policy agenda is known as a(n) a. dictate b. consensus c. initiative d. mandate e. proposition
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d
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The ability of an office holder to fend off challenges from quality challengers is known as the a. detain-off effect b. max-out effect c. run-out effect d. scare-off effect e. take-off effect
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d
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What types of elections are there?
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Primaries, general elections, initiative and referendum, recall
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What are primaries?
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Voters decide which candidates within a party will represent that party in the general elections. Closed primaries - only party's registered voters can vote. Open primaries - Anyone from any party can participate Runoff primary - contest between the two candidates with highest number of votes.
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What are general elections?
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Elections in which voters decide which candidates will actually fill elective public offices.
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What is initiative?
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Citizens propose legislation or state amendments by submitting them to the electorate for a popular vote.
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What is referendum?
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State legislature submits proposed legislation or state constitutional amendments to the voters for approval.
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What is recall?
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Allow voters to remove an incumbent from office prior to the next election.
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How does the Electoral College work?
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The popular vote is taken, then electors (voters in the Electoral College) from each state cast the vote that elects the president. Each state has as many electors as their population allows, so there is a total of 538. Must have 270 to win.
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What suggestions have been made to reform the Elector College?
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-National popular vote -Congressional district plan (used by Maine and Nebraska) -National popular vote interstate compact - electors pledge to give their vote to the winner of the popular vote, regardless of what their state wins.
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What affects voter turnout?
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Income, education, race, gender, age, civic engagement, interest in politics
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Why is voter turnout so low in the U.S.?
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People are too busy, have difficulty registering, difficulty voting, there may be too many elections
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How could the voter turnout be improved?
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Allow a longer voting time period, fewer elections, easier registration and voting
