nsl – Flashcard

: Recruits candidates, educates the public, helps set priorities and staff government, watchdog, finance campaigns, Main goal is to get its party members elected to office.

groups of people who gather together to try to influence elections and policies on particular issues. i.e. global warming, labor, supporting business, AARP (American Association of Retired People)

vote, write letters to policy makers, join an interest group, help a political campaign, educate the public about an issue, etc.

people who can vote and are part of a society

TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, internet: - roles: focus peoples' attention and decide which issues receive more attention, provide information, editorials provide opinions

includes the ideas, and attitudes a significant number of Americans hold about government and political issues. In a democracy, public opinion affects government policies

a sampling or collection of opinions on a subject, taken from either a selected or a random group of persons, as for the purpose of analysis. They help determine public opinion on issues and candidates

interests that affect a particular geographic region, i.e. the Chesapeake Bay pollution affects the mid-Atlantic. Wildfires in CA, affect the counties involved and some neighboring states

(How are campaigns financed?): Through donations to campaigns, political parties, and PACs.

See chart on how people tend to vote. In terms of age, older people tend to vote the most.

The first elections in which people vote to select one candidate per office within the political party to run in the general election. (i.e. people chose between Hillary Clinton, Barak Obama, and others to select one Democrat to run for President.)

The final election in which the winner of the different offices are elected.

state,Electoral College:

See demographics chart on how people tend to vote.

Organizations formed by special interest groups to raise and donate money to candidates who favor their interest.

People hired by interest groups to communicate directly with lawmakers and influence policy.

people running for an elected office.

an issue is voted on directly by the voters - instead of being decided in the legislature.

the process of gathering signatures on a petition to bring an issue to be voted on in a referendum or to force the legislature (General Assembly) to vote on the issue.

The process of reassigning the number of representatives in a district. It occurs every 10 years after the census

well-liked

able

health care

-presidential election = electoral college -congress, governor, county executive- popular vote

• Primary elections - a political party selects the candidates for President and Vice-President- so one democrat and one republican is chosen o Popular vote - tally of who voted. one person = one vote • Electoral College - Representatives chosen in each state use the popular vote to determine who will receive the electoral votes (the winner in each state receives all of its electoral votes). This determines who becomes President-elect.

o Candidate experience and background o Candidate home state o Raising and spending money Time spend campaigning in various states

o Citizens couldn't read/ uneducated o Citizens didn't have easy access to polling places

50% + 1 = 270 votes

The House of Representatives determines who the next President will be. Each state may cast one vote and an absolute majority is needed to win. Similarly, the Senate decides who the next Vice President will be.

In a presidential election to decide who gets the electoral votes. In all other elections it will directly determine a winner.

The number of votes a state has is the total number of Senators and Congressmen. First, every state starts off with two votes (each state has 2 senators; that's why). Now add: The number of U.S. representatives the state has, which is at least one. (Besides the states, the District of Columbia gets 3 votes, so the total number of electoral votes is 100 (senators) + 435 (representatives) +3 (for DC) = 538. )

A member of the Electoral College of the United States.

US Presidents are not elected by popular vote, they are elected by electoral votes, cast by the electors from each state and DC. The electors are elected by popular vote and pledge to vote for one particular candidate. Most states use a winner-take-all method for choosing electors. The presidential candidate who wins the popular vote in a state wins all the electors which means he will get all the electoral votes of that state even if he wins by only one popular vote. Therefore it is possible for a losing candidate to win by huge majorities in the states he wins and lose by tiny majorities in several large states and so lose the electoral vote and the election, but receive an overall majority of popular vote. In fact one could theoretically win by winning by one vote in each of the eleven largest states and getting no votes at all in the other 39 states and DC.

Popular vote does not always determine the winner of an election. Because of the way the Electoral College with Electors who cast votes rather than individual citizens casting votes directly the nationwide popular vote is not always the election winner. Although it is very uncommon for the winner of the popular vote to not be the election winner it can happen and has happened. Opponents of the Electoral College claim that such outcomes do not demonstrate how a democratic system should function. Many people favor the Idea of a winner-take-all election. Larger "swing" states receive the most attention In most states the candidate with the most votes receives all of the state's electoral votes. Some states have a history of consistently voting Republican or consistently voting Democrat. Candidates pay less attention to states with clear favorites and more attention to large states with no clear favorite. Discourages third parties Third Parties are often unable to gain any strength do to the set up of the Electoral College. Discourages voter turnout Because the candidate with the highest popular vote in each state receives all of the electoral votes in states with a clear favorites (democrat or republican) voters often feel their vote will have no effect. The Electoral College system does not encourage candidates to campaign for voter turnout, except in large "swing states". Favors the smaller less populous states The Electoral College system gives power to the small less populous states that is disproportionate to larger states. This boost in the electoral strength of the small states traditionally this has favored the Republican Party. Advantages of the Electoral College Prevents a victory based solely on urban areas. People who favor the Electoral College claim that the current system prevents a candidate from wining by focusing solely on heavily populated areas. The candidate must take a wider approach. Helps maintain the nations federal character The system allows each of the states the freedom to design its own laws in regards to voting and offers each the ability to effect change. Maintains separation of powers The Constitution was designed to separate government into three different branches designed to provide "checks and balances" as well as deliberation. Proponents argue that if a President elected directly he could assert a national popular mandate that would undermine the other government branches, and could potentially result in tyranny. minority groups Proponents argue that minority groups and interest groups can have a great impact in swaying votes due to the winner-take-all system in the states. Two-party system Many consider the Electoral College's negative effect on third parties to be a good thing. Maintaining that our current two party systems provides the country with stability. While there are many obvious problems with the current Electoral College system it is very unlikely to change. In order to change the Electoral College a constitutional amendment would need to be passed (ratified by ¾ of the states) The smaller states who are at the advantage have little reason to agree upon a change.

"Under the current system of electing the President, a candidate may win a majority of the Electoral College without having a majority of the nationwide popular vote. The National Popular Vote bill would reform the Electoral College by guaranteeing the Presidency to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and the District of Columbia)."

To set up new district lines after reapportionment is complete. The new district may encompass a different area and different groups of people. The state legislature and the governor create and approve new district boundaries.

Because population changes occur

Every 10 years when a census happen.