American Government Unit 3, Chapture 8 (Tcn)

Front 1

Australian ballot

Back 1

A secret ballot printed by the government and distributed and collected at a public polling place.

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blanket primary

Back 2

A primary election in which voters, regardless of their party affiliation, may vote for primary candidates from each party.

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campaign

Back 3

The political contest preceding an election in which various parties attempt to convince voters to support their candidate.

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candidate-centered campaign

Back 4

A campaign in which the political contest is focused upon the leadership qualities, personality, and character of an individual candidate rather than political issues or party platforms.

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caucus

Back 5

A private meeting at which party members select delegates for party conventions.

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closed primary

Back 6

A primary election in which only those voters who have declared a party affiliation may vote, and they may do so only on their party's primary ballot.

Front 7

gender gap

Back 7

the difference in the voting behavior of men and women such that women are significantly more likely to favor Democratic candidates than are men.

Front 8

independent expenditures

Back 8

Expenditures made by interest groups, corporations, and labor unions in order to fund issue advocacy measures. These expenditures are not subject to federal campaign contribution limits.

Front 9

Indiana ballot

Back 9

A party-column ballot that lists candidates according to their political party.

Front 10

initiative

Back 10

A procedure that allows citizens to vote directly upon legislation that they initiated.

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Massachusetts ballot

Back 11

An office-block ballot that lists candidates according to the category of elective office for which they are running.

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open primary

Back 12

A primary election in which voters, regardless of their party affiliation, may vote for a candidate from any party.

Front 13

primary

Back 13

An election held in advance of a general election in order to select party nominees for office.

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Progressive Era

Back 14

The period in American politics between 1890-1920. During the Progressive Era, reformers advocated a variety of policies that were designed to increase democratic political participation as well as government involvement in solving social and economic problems.

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recall

Back 15

A procedure that allows citizens to vote an elected official out of office before the expiration of his or her term.

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referendum

Back 16

A procedure that allows citizens to vote directly upon legislation that was initiated by their legislatures.

Front 17

soft money

Back 17

Contributions that are given to political parties for general party activities rather than the campaigns of specific candidates. Soft money is not subject to federal campaign contribution limits.

Front 18

sound bites

Back 18

A term used to describe the brief clips of politicians' and public officials' policy statements or speeches that are included in media coverage of political affairs.

Front 19

straight-ticket voting

Back 19

The practice of voting for candidates from the same party for all of the elected positions on a ballot.

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ticket splitting

Back 20

The practice of voting for candidates from competing parties for the elected positions on a ballot.

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voter turnout

Back 21

The number of eligible voters who actually cast a vote on election day.

Front 22

what is the Australian ballot? When and why did the US require its use?

Back 22

The Australian ballot is a secret ballot printed by the government and distributed and collected at public polling places. The US began to require that states use Australian ballots in 1888. Prior to that time, parties prepared their own ballots. This process allowed parties whithin the states to subject voters to undue influence and pressure.

Front 23

Why do American parties tend to run candidate-centered campaigns?

Back 23

One of the main reasons is the high cost of running for office. Candidates now rely heavily upon media coverage and expensive tv ads in their efforts to reach voters. As a result, candidates have less time in which to delve into complex policy positions, for discussions of these topics do not fit in the media sound byte and tv ad framework as well as considerations of personality and character. Also, the fact that American parties tend to be weak and that partisan identification is declining strengthens party reliance upon candidate-centered campaigns.

Front 24

How did the Supreme Court's decision in the 1976 case of Buckley v. Valeo affect governmental efforts to regulate campaign financing?

Back 24

The Supreme court ruled that limiting the amount that candidates and their families can contribute to their own campaigns violates the First Amendment right to free speech. this ruling invalidated part of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.

Front 25

What is soft money and how it undermined government efforts to regulate campaign financing?

Back 25

Soft money consists of contributions given to political parties for general party activities rather than the campaigns of specific candidates. Federal regulations limit how much individuals can contribute to the campaigns of specific candidates, but not to party organizations. Thus, soft money contributions used for general party activities are exempt from limits. Howeveer, even though soft money is not supposed to be spent on the campaigns of candidates, it is often used indirectly to help particular candidates.

Front 26

What are independent expenditures and how have they undermined governmental efforts to regulate campaign financing?

Back 26

Independent expenditures are monies spent on behalf of issue advocacy by interest groups, corporations, and labor unions. Like soft money, independent expenditures are exempt from contribution limits. Moreover, even though independent expenditures are not supposed to be used to aid the campaigns of particular candidates, they are often intended to do so.

Front 27

How do caucuses differ from primaries?

Back 27

A primary is an election held in advance of a general election in order to select party nominees for office. On the other hand, a caucus is a meeting held by a political party in order to select its delegates for the state nominating convention. Parties have their initial caucus meetings at the precinct level. At these meetings, party members vote for their preferred candidate. The precinct then sends delegates to the county meeting to represent the votes at the precinct level. The process continues in a similar fashion up to the state nominating convention.

Front 28

Explain the difference between a closed primary, an open primary, and a blanket primary.

Back 28

A closed primary is a primary election in which only those voters who have declared a party affiliation may vote, and they must do so on their party's ballot. An open primary allows voters, regardless of party affiliation, to vote for a primary candidate from any party. In a blanket primary, voters regardless of their party affiliation, may vote for primary candidates from every party for each of the offices on the ballot.

Front 29

Why do some critics argue that primary elections and caucuses unfairly influence the selection of presidential candidates?

Back 29

Critics argue they give an unfair advantage to small states (NH early primary, Iowa early caucus). Early victories generate a great deal of media coverage, and the victors in these contests may be more likely than other candidates to receive campaign funding. Thus voters in NH and Iowa appear to have a greater opportunity to influence the selection of presidential candidates than do voters in other states.

Front 30

Explain the difference between an initiative and a referendum.

Back 30

An initiative is a procedure that allows citizens to vote directly upon legislation that they initiated. A referendum is a procedure that allows citizens to vote directly upon legislation that was initiated by legislators.

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Why do some people oppose initiatives and referenda?

Back 31

Critics of direct democracy argue that initiatives and referenda do not allow for the thoughful and slow deliberation they view as characteristic of better legislation. Moreover,, they contend that interest groups are just as likely to corrupt the procedures of direct democracy as they are to corrupt those of representative democracy.

Front 32

Identify those groups of individuals who are more likely to vote Republican.

Back 32

--College education
--higher income bracket
--Work in professions or business
--Americans of English or northern European ethnicity
--Protestants

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Identify those groups of individuals who are more likely to vote Democratic.

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--less than a college education
--Lower income bracket
--The working class
--Members of ethnic and racial minorities (especially African American)
--Catholics and Jews.

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What is the gender gap in voting?

Back 34

The gender gap refers to the greater propensity of women than men to vote for Democratic candidates.

Front 35

What has been the voter turnout rate in recent presidential elections?

Back 35

In recent presidential elections, only about 50% pf the electorate has gone to the polls.

Front 36

List demographic factors associated with nonvoting.

Back 36

Minority status, lower levels of education, low income, and youth are the primary demographic factors associated with nonvoting.