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31 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is the realignment theory |
is the attempt to explain when, why and how changes in the balance of power occur |
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what is a single-member, simple plurality system |
electoral system in which the country is divided into geographic districts, and the candidates who within the most votes within their districts are elected |
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What is a political party? |
a group of political activists who organize to win elections, operate the government, and determine public policy |
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what are some things political parties do? |
- pick candidates - run campaigns - cue voters - articulate policies - coordinate policymaking |
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what is a party organization? |
a political party as it exists with voters that identify themselves as a members of a party |
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what is a party-in-the-electorate? |
a political party as it exists with voters that identify themselves as members of a party |
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what is party-in-government |
a political party as it exists with government officials who identify with a certain party |
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what are recent declines in party identification? |
- ticket splitting - the rise of the independent voter - weaker sens of identification among partisans |
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what is ticket splitting? |
the practice of voting for different parties on the same ballot |
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what is hyper partisanship? |
a sharply polarized situation in which political parties are in fierce disagreement with each other |
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What is meant by split-ticket voting? |
if a Democratic candidate wins the race in a given district for president, then other democratic candidates in the district should also win |
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Has split ticket voting become less or more common? |
Split ticket voting has risen over the last 60 years. The proportion of voters reporting that they have voted for different parties in presidential elections has risen from 29% to 57% |
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Are american citizens more or less likely to identify with one of the two major political parties than they were in the past? |
They are less likely now to identify with a specific party. between 1964 and 1972 the percentage of respondents identifying with a party declined from 77% to 64%, Ticket splitting has increased |
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what is party polarization? |
polarization refers to cases in which an individuals stance on a given issue, policy, or person is more likely to be strictly defined by their identification with a particular political party |
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what is ticket splitting? |
the practice of voting for different parties on the same ballot |
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what is the culture war? |
A conflict between groups with different ideals, beliefs and philosophies. The idea of "two Americas" that are vastly different from each other and speak different political languages. These are red and blue state- most are actually purple |
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Red state |
majority republican |
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blue state |
majority democrat |
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nineteenth amendment |
1920- granted women the right to vote |
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What is mobilization? |
the efforts of parties, groups, and activists to encourage their supporters to turn out for election |
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What is the motor voter law? |
- 1993 - attempts to make it easier to register by facilitating registration at motor vehicle agencies |
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What are some reasons why people don't vote? |
- no personal benefit - where do candidates stand? - negativity - time consuming - no candidates are appealing - doesn't matter |
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What are some changes we can make? |
- vote by mail - "no excuse" absence - making voting day a national holiday |
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Conservative argument in favor of low voting turnout? |
it signals contentment and fosters stability |
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Etilist argument in favor of low voting turnout? |
nonvoters are ignorant and uninformed |
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radical argument in favor of low voting turnout? IS a problem |
elections are a sham |
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What are some arguments against low turnout? IS a problem |
- american politics does not address the issues that concern "real" people - low turnout stifles individual development |
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Why low turnout isn't a problem: Conservative argument? IS a problem |
high turnout may indicate tension or conflict, low turnout may indicate contentment |
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Why low turnout isn't a problem Elitist argument? |
"smaller is smarter" non-voters are less informed and concerned about politics |
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Why low turnout isn't a problem Radical argument? |
- elections are a sham since the political system is controlled by a "power elite" - voters are not representative of the population - issues to "real people" are not being addressed |
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What is probability sampling? |
any method of sampling that utilizes some form of random selection |
