• Shuffle
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
  • Alphabetize
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
  • Front First
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
  • Both Sides
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
  • Read
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
Reading...
Front

Card Range To Study

through

image

Play button

image

Play button

image

Progress

1/74

Click to flip

Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;

Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;

H to show hint;

A reads text to speech;

74 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
VOCAB: A valuable tool for understanding demographic changes. The Constitution requires that the government conduct an actual enumeration of the population every 10 years.
CENSUS
VOCAB: The science of population changes.
DEMOGRAPHY
VOCAB: Public opinion surveys used by major media pollsters to predict electoral winners with speed and precision.
EXIT POLL
VOCAB: A term that refers to the regular pattern by which women are more likely to support Democratic candidates. Women tend to be significantly less conservative than men and are more likely to support spending on social services and to oppose higher levels of military spending.
GENDER GAP
VOCAB:The mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples that has changed the American nation. The United States, with its history of immigration, has often been called a _______.
MELTING POT
VOCAB:The emergence on a non Caucasian majority, as compared with a white, generally Anglo-Saxon majority. It is predicted that by about 2060, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans combined will outnumber White Americans.
MINORITY MAJORITY
VOCAB: A technique used by pollsters to place telephone calls randomly to both listed and nonlisted numbers when conducting a survey.
RANDOM-DIGIT DIALING
VOCAB: An overall set of values widely shared within a society.
POLITICAL CULTURE
VOCAB: A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose. It helps give meaning to political event, personalities, and policies.
POLITICAL IDEOLOGY
VOCAB: All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders on the policies they pursue. The most common but not the only means of _______ in a democracy is voting. Other means include protest and civil disobedience.
POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
VOCAB: The process through which an individual acquires his or her particular political orientations - his or her knowledge, feelings, and evaluations regarding his or her political world.
POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION
VOCAB: A form of political participation designed to achieve policy change through dramatic or unconventional tactics.
PROTEST
VOCAB: The distribution of the population's beliefs about politics and policy issues
PUBLIC OPINION
VOCAB: The key technique employed by sophisticated survey researchers, which operates on the principal that everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for a sample.
RANDOM SAMPLING
VOCAB: The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years based on the results of the Census.
REAPPORTIONMENT
VOCAB: A relatively small proportion of people who are chosen so as to be a representative of the whole.
SAMPLE
VOCAB: The level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll. The more people interviewed, the more confident one can be of the results.
SAMPLING ERROR
Were political parties mentioned in the Constitution?
No. (in federalist 10)
What did the Founding Fathers say about political parties?
-they will create and exploit conflicts
-small, narrow interests will RULE
What are 4 main purposes of political parties?
1. To win elections
2. Campaigning
3. Form Platforms
4. Link populace to the Government
What happened after 9/11?
Public unanimity at the polls
Why are public opinion polls taken?
To find out the level of disagreement in a country and which side the majority favors.
What was the ruling in the 1999 Department of Commerce vs. U.S. House of Rep.?
Population sampling could not be used to decide congressional districts.
When and who were the 3 great waves of immigration?
1. Before 19th Century, Northwestern Europeans
2. Late 19th and 20th century, Southern and Eastern Europeans
3. Recent Decades, Hispanics + Asians
How was the political power of African Americans increased? (%)
The number of elected officials has increased by 500%
What was the goal of the Simpson-Mazzoli Act?
To stop illegal immigration
Who are the super achievers of the minority majority group?
Asian Americans,
What is the worst off minority majority group?
Native Americans
What are the 3 main sources of political socialization?
Family, School, Media.
What is the key to the accuracy of opinion polls?
Random sampling
What are 3 criticisms of public opinion polling?
1. Politicians more concerned with following than leading
2. Weakens America by distorting the election process
3. Exit polling deters voters
In the 2004 Presidential election; only about __% of the voting-age population participated.
55%
What is the difference between an initiative and a referendum?
An initiative is something the public wants to come into existence; a referendum is something that is already in existence that the public wants changed.
What are 3 differences between US and the rest of the world when it comes to voting?
1. The US has over 500,000 elected officials.
2. the burden of registration
3. American's have a civic duty
Why have the presidential election rates dropped so dramatically since the 19th century?
It was easier to register and vote back then.
What are the 3 qualifications for someone to vote in America?
1. 18 years of age
2. Citizen
3. Have to reside in the state for at least 30 days
VOCAB: The belief that in order to support democratic government, a citizen should always vote.
CIVIC DUTY
VOCAB: A process permitted in some states whereby voters may put proposed changes in the state constitution to a vote if sufficient signatures are obtained on petition calling for such a referendum.
INITIATIVE
VOCAB: A characterization of elections by political scientists meaning that they are almost universally accepted as a fair and free method of selecting political leaders. When __________ is high, as in the United States, even the losers accept the result peacefully. (Gore after the Supreme Court ruling in 2000)
LEGITIMACY
VOCAB: The idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out his or her platforms and politics. Politicians like the theory better than political scientists do.
MANDATE THEORY OF ELECTIONS
VOCAB: Passed in 1993, the act went into effect for the 1996 election, it requires states to permit people to register to vote at the same time they apply for driver's license, mail in and at state offices (like welfare)
MOTOR VOTER ACT
VOCAB: Electoral choices that are made on the basis of the Voter's policy preferences and on the basis of where the candidates stand on policy issues.
POLICY VOTING
VOCAB: The belief that one's political participation really matters - that one's vote can make a difference.
POLITICAL EFFICACY
VOCAB: Voting for a candidate because one favors his or her ideas for addressing issues after the elections
PROSPECTIVE VOTING
VOCAB: A state-level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation, or a proposed constitutional amendment.
REFERENDUM
VOCAB: The legal right to vote, extended to African Americans by the 15th Amendment, to women by the 19th amendment, and to 18 year olds by the 26th amendment
SUFFRAGE
VOCAB: A system adopted by the states that requires voters to register well in advance of Election Day. A few states permit Election Day registration.
VOTER REGISTRATION
What are political parties?
-Linkage institutions, intermediaries
-A group of people with broad common interests, who organize in elections, control gov. and therefore control government policy.
VOCAB: The gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification.
Party Dealignment
Who was the first elected female African American Senator?
Carol Moseley-Brown
Which country did immigrants flee from the oppressive Marxist government of Fidel Castro?
Cuba
2000 Census: whites, African Americans, Hispanic, Asian
71%,12%,12%,4%
What California proposition, passed in 1994, sought to cut illegal immigrants from all public services
Proposition 187
What is the fastest growing age group in America and what program is it putting pressure on?
Over 65. Social Security.
What is called the "New Parents"?
The Mass Media
What political ideology supports a wider scope (i.e. expanded role and power) for the national government?
Liberal
What political ideology supports a less active scope of government (i.e. smaller federal government and more states' rights) giving free reign to the private sector?
Conservative
Breakdown of conservatives, moderates and liberals (%)
30% 40% 30%
African Americans place a higher priority on what two programs?
Social Welfare and Affirmative Action
Was Ronald Reagan a liberal or conservative?
Conservative
Was LBJ a liberal or conservative?
Liberal
What 4 demographics affect voting? And how?
1. Education - more education, more likely
2. Age - older more likely
3. Race - Minorities less likely
4. Gender - women vote more
VOCAB: Instead of party focused politics, television has caused ________ _______ politics.
CANDIDATE CENTERED
What are the 3 "heads" of the party?
1. Electorate (any people identified with party)
2. Organization (national office, staff, etc)
3. Party in Government (elected officials)
VOCAB: Translating public opinion into policy requires media, interest groups, parties, and elections. These are collectively known as __________ ___________
LINKAGE INSTITUTIONS
VOCAB: Voting for one party for one office and another party for other offices is called: __________ _________
TICKET SPLITTING
Which party was the anti-slavery party?
Republican
VOCAB: After Hoover's disastrous handling of the depression, FDR offered America a ________ __________
NEW DEAL
VOCAB: LBJ continued the expansion of government with his social programs called the __________ __________
GREAT SOCIETY
What are the 3 basic varieties of 3rd parties?
1. Promote a controversial issue of extreme ideology
2. Splinter parties (offshoots of other parties)
3. Popular individual (e.g. Perot)
What political system is firmly entrenched in American politics?
Two Party System
VOCAB: Lack of ability for the government to easily deal with major policy concerns due to members of Congress and elected officials toeing the party line. This is called _____________
GRIDLOCK
What percentage of African Americans call themselves democrats?
90-95%
VOCAB: A unique American institution, created by the Constitution, providing for the selection of the president by electors chosen by the state parties. Although its vote usually reflects a popular majority, the winner-take-all rules give clout to big states.
Electoral College