Ap Us Government Review Elections

Front 1

How often are elections?

Back 1

every two years
Representatives- every 2 years
President- every 4 years
Senators- every 6 years

Front 2

Why do incumbent congresspersons enjoy an advantage in reelection campaigns?

Back 2

for rep.s, district is small and often one main party, but senators have more of a challenge; 90% rep.s reelected

Front 3

What are the two phases of the election cycle?

Back 3

1. nominations- parties choose thier candidates
2. general elections- voters decide who will hold office

Front 4

What is a closed primary?

Back 4

voting is restricted to registered members of the party holding the primary

Front 5

What is an open primary?

Back 5

voters may vote only in one party's primary, but they may vote in whichever party primary they choose

Front 6

What are some disadvantages of an open primary?

Back 6

voters may sabotage thier opponents' primaries by crossing party lines to vote for the least likely candidate

Front 7

What is a blanket primary?

Back 7

they use the same procedure as general elections -voters may vote for whoever they want; only in WA and AL

Front 8

Plurality

Back 8

the candidate who receives the most votes in a primary election is declared the winner

Front 9

What is a runoff primary?

Back 9

if no candidate gets a plurality, then the two people with the most votes hold another election

Front 10

What goes on at state caucuses and conventions?

Back 10

local parties select delegates who then go on to vote for party presidential candidates

Front 11

How often are elections?

Back 11

every two years
Representatives- every 2 years
President- every 4 years
Senators- every 6 years

Front 12

Why do incumbent congresspersons enjoy an advantage in reelection campaigns?

Back 12

for rep.s, district is small and often one main party, but senators have more of a challenge; 90% rep.s reelected

Front 13

What are the two phases of the election cycle?

Back 13

1. nominations- parties choose thier candidates
2. general elections- voters decide who will hold office

Front 14

What is a closed primary?

Back 14

voting is restricted to registered members of the party holding the primary

Front 15

What is an open primary?

Back 15

voters may vote only in one party's primary, but they may vote in whichever party primary they choose

Front 16

What are some disadvantages of an open primary?

Back 16

voters may sabotage thier opponents' primaries by crossing party lines to vote for the least likely candidate

Front 17

What is a blanket primary?

Back 17

they use the same procedure as general elections -voters may vote for whoever they want; only in WA and AL

Front 18

Plurality

Back 18

the candidate who receives the most votes in a primary election is declared the winner

Front 19

What is a runoff primary?

Back 19

if no candidate gets a plurality, then the two people with the most votes hold another election

Front 20

What goes on at state caucuses and conventions?

Back 20

local parties select delegates who then go on to vote for party presidential candidates

Front 21

When does presidential primary season start?

Back 21

January 1st of election year, with debates, speechs, media events. earliest primaries can help boost a candidate

Front 22

What is Super Tuesday?

Back 22

the day in early March when many Southern states hold thier primaries together

Front 23

What is front-loading?

Back 23

Front-loading is when larger states move forward thier primaries so as to have a bigger influence on who wins

Front 24

What are brokered conventions?

Back 24

a convention that chooses who the party nominee is since none has received a majority of the delegates' votes

Front 25

What is one of the main purposes of a national party convention

Back 25

unify the party since primaries can damage the party with candidates attacking each other

Front 26

What else goes on at national party conventions?

Back 26

they are televised to try to convince people to vote for the party; they're the site for negotiations and drama

Front 27

What impact can the national party conventions have on general election results?

Back 27

The impact is usually negative- fighting outside a 1968 Democratic convention made a bad impression

Front 28

What is a post-convention bump?

Back 28

the rise in public approval after national party conventions

Front 29

What is the electoral college?

Back 29

each state is given electors equal to # of Congresspeople that cast thier votes based on winner-take-all

Front 30

What is the winner-take-all system?

Back 30

the winner of the presidential election in a state wins all of that states' electoral votes

Front 31

When does presidential primary season start?

Back 31

January 1st of election year, with debates, speechs, media events. earliest primaries can help boost a candidate

Front 32

What is Super Tuesday?

Back 32

the day in early March when many Southern states hold thier primaries together

Front 33

What is front-loading?

Back 33

Front-loading is when larger states move forward thier primaries so as to have a bigger influence on who wins

Front 34

What are brokered conventions?

Back 34

a convention that chooses who the party nominee is since none has received a majority of the delegates' votes

Front 35

What is one of the main purposes of a national party convention

Back 35

unify the party since primaries can damage the party with candidates attacking each other

Front 36

What else goes on at national party conventions?

Back 36

they are televised to try to convince people to vote for the party; they're the site for negotiations and drama

Front 37

What impact can the national party conventions have on general election results?

Back 37

The impact is usually negative- fighting outside a 1968 Democratic convention made a bad impression

Front 38

What is a post-convention bump?

Back 38

the rise in public approval after national party conventions

Front 39

What is the electoral college?

Back 39

each state is given electors equal to # of Congresspeople that cast thier votes based on winner-take-all

Front 40

What is the winner-take-all system?

Back 40

the winner of the presidential election in a state wins all of that states' electoral votes

Front 41

Does the media place too much emphasis on irrelevant issues in presidential campaigns?

Back 41

The media focus on the candidates' stanidng in the polls, not about thier positions on issues.

Front 42

Why do incumbents win at such high rates?

Back 42

90% of incumbents are reelected because they have the $$$ and name recognition to do so

Front 43

Why is voter turnout so low in the United States?

Back 43

a lot of Americans seem to feel that the election is clear as to who is going to win, so they don't vote

Front 44

What is the impact of primary elections, and who votes in them?

Back 44

Primaries determine who can go on to be a candidate in the general election; often only registered members vote

Front 45

Why do political parties have such a difficult holding thier coalitions together?

Back 45

some coalitions believe extreme things that takes negotiations in the whole party to agree upon

Front 46

Why are soft money contributions considered a threat to the election process?

Back 46

Soft money contributions are a threat because it allows some candidates a huge advantage over others

Front 47

Why did the Supreme Court have a problem with the imposition of spending limits on PACs?

Back 47

the SC ruled that mandatory spending limits on campaigns violates the 1st Amendment rights to free expression

Front 48

Has the Federal Election Campaign Reform Act succeeded in fulfilling the intent of the legislation?

Back 48

campaign finance reform is a difficult issue because it would limit some incumbents' chance of reelection

Front 49

What accounts for the so-called gender gap?

Back 49

society seems to be uncomfortable with women in leadership positions