Chapter 11 Study Guide

Front 1

the right to vote in a country

Back 1

Suffrage

Front 2

Who was able to vote first in the colonies?

Back 2

It started out that there was a property qualification for voting so that out ruled any Catholics, Jews, Native Americans, and freed black slaves. Women were not allowed to vote no matter what. There were only some men, all white, protestant, and gainfully employed, that could vote until the 1840s when all white men could vote regardless of their property ownership.

Front 3

What amendment gave women the right to vote?

Back 3

In 1920, women were given the right to vote in the 19th amendment.

Front 4

What amendment allowed people regardless of race, color, etc. to vote? What Act then allowed blacks to eventually vote no matter what?

Back 4

15th Amendment (1870) granted the power of the vote to all citizens regardless of race, color or previous condition of servitude, but blacks didn't really start voting until 1965, Voting Rights Act.

Front 5

What amendment allowed people from the ages of 18 to 20 to vote?

Back 5

In 1971, the 26th amendment gave 18 year olds the right to vote.

Front 6

What factors (both individual and institutional) are likely to increase turnout? Decrease turnout?

Back 6

People that live in the south are less likely to vote. People with deeper roots in their communities are more likely to vote. People that have a higher confidence in their understanding of the political issues are more likely to vote. People that have stronger pulls towards certain parties are more likely to vote. Men and women voting polls are about the same.

Front 7

Does education increase or decrease voter turnout?

Back 7

Increase

Front 8

Does age increase or decrease voter turnout?

Back 8

Increase

Front 9

Are African Americans and Hispanics more or less likely to vote than whites?

Back 9

less likely

Front 10

Did decreasing the voting age to 18 years old increase or decrease the voter turnout?

Back 10

Extending the voter franchise to 18 year olds has decreased the percentage. Voter eligibility has increased, but voter turnout has decreased.

Front 11

Has voter turnout increased or decreased in the past couple of decades and why?

Back 11

Turnout has decreased because fewer people have deep community roots, feel politically efficacious, or feel strongly about parties and candidates.

Front 12

How do voters decide how they are going to vote?

Back 12

A lot of people base their votes on past performance and the current incumbency and its’ performance. They also assess the issues and policy options. There are single-issue voters that feel very strongly about one issue and vote strictly based upon that one thing.

Front 13

What's the largest indication of how someone will vote?

Back 13

Party identification

Front 14

What is the Motor Voter Law? Why is it important?

Back 14

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993. The law requires states to allow citizens to register to vote when applying for or renewing their drivers’ licenses, to register by mail, or to receive mail registration forms and assistance in filling them out at state welfare offices. It also forbids states to purge voters from the rolls for failing to vote. It is important because this law added millions to the voter rolls, and analysts suggest that it has the potential to increase turnout by as much as ten percentage points.

Front 15

Basing votes for a candidate or party on how successfully the candidate or party performed while in office.

Back 15

performance voting

Front 16

Voting for candidates based on their positions on specific issues, as opposed to their party or personal characteristics.

Back 16

issue voting

Front 17

An individual’s enduring affective or instrumental attachment to one of the political parties.

Back 17

party identification

Front 18

What are the basic components of a campaign?

Back 18

A candidate
A message
A way to inform voters about both

Front 19

A method of gauging public opinion by observing a small number of people brought together to discuss specific issues, usually under the guidance of a moderator.

Back 19

focus group

Front 20

When might a potential candidate decide NOT to run for office?

Back 20

They may not run if they think they will not win or if they don't have enough support for their party.

Front 21

The act of attacking an opposing candidate’s platform, past political performance, or personal characteristics. Negative ads exploit voters’ uncertainty inherent in the delegation of authority to powerful agents.

Back 21

negative campaigning

Front 22

_____________________________ came about when broadcast campaigning became popular because the government was afraid the campaigning would become more about money than anything else so they created laws.

Back 22

Campaign Finance Reform

Front 23

provided partial public funding for presidential campaigns and required full public reporting of and strict limits on all contributions and expenditures in federal elections. It also established a Federal Election Commission to enforce the law and to collect and publish detailed information on campaign contribution and expenditures.

Back 23

FECA: Federal Election Campaign Act

Front 24

What court case upheld the financial reporting requirements and contribution limits for campaigns?

Back 24

Buckley v. Valeo

Front 25

Money used by political parties for voter registration, public education, and voter mobilization. Until 2002, when Congress passed legislation outlawing soft money, the government had imposed no limits on contributions or expenditures for such purposes.

Back 25

Soft money

Front 26

What do candidates spend money on?

Back 26

The House and Senate spend money on fund-raising, overhead costs, actual campaigning, electronic media advertising, persuasion mail, polling, and other media.

Front 27

In presidential elections, what is the strategy for allocating campaign money?

Back 27

They invest heavily in television advertising. Hundreds of millions on television time.

The usual strategy consists of two things: 1) Concentrate on states that polls indicate could go either way and that are populous enough to be worth winning and 2) Ignore states that are locked up by either side.

Front 28

What is public financing of elections, and why is it controversial?

Back 28

Public funding is when the tax payers’ money goes towards funding campaign trails. It is controversial because in order for this to happen each candidate has to be fully funded and that would end up costing tens of millions of dollars for the taxpayers to pay.

Front 29

The ability of privileged outsiders, such as interest group representatives, to obtain a hearing from elected officials or bureaucrats.

Back 29

access

Front 30

A person who is running for elected office

Back 30

candidate

Front 31

Spending by the Democratic and Republican Party committees on behalf of individual congressional candidates.

Back 31

coordinated spending

Front 32

Campaign spending—by a person or organization for or against a political candidate—that is not controlled by or coordinated with any candidate’s campaign

Back 32

independent spending

Front 33

The central thematic statement of why voters ought to prefer one candidate over others

Back 33

message in a political campaign

Front 34

It is also known as “getting out the vote.” ______________ occurs when activists working for parties, candidates, or interest groups ask members of the electorate to vote.

Back 34

mobilization

Front 35

A seat in a state or district being contested by candidates, none of whom currently holds the office. Congressional seats become “open” when the incumbent dies or does not run for reelection.

Back 35

open seat

Front 36

A label carrying the party’s “brand name” incorporating the policy positions and past performance voters attribute to it.

Back 36

party label

Front 37

People who base their votes on candidates’ or parties’ positions on one particular issue of public policy, regardless of the candidates’ or parties’ positions on other issues.

Back 37

single-issue voters