Political Parties
The most common criterion that people use when voting for a presidential candidate is the candidate's _________.
ideological position/party affiliation
What is a consequence that candidate-centered campaigns have on political parties?
Parties have less influence/decreased role of parties in the election process
These groups are created as fundraising vehicles to help support candidate and their party
PACs (Political Action Committees)
The number of electoral votes in a state is determined by what?
The number of House and Senate members in each state
A person votes for a Democratic Candidate based on the belief that the policies of the Democratic Party will be personally beneficial. This type of voting is known as
Rational Choice
Name 1 job or responsibility of political parties
Choose candidates, run campaigns, communicate with voters, articulate policies/platform, motivate voters to participate, organize the gov/policies the gov passes
Due to the nature of the Electoral College system, candidates focus their time and energy on what type of states
Competitive, populous , swing states, battleground states
What type of funding did the McCain Feingold Act or the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act ban?
Soft money
The Motor Voter law requires states to have offer voter registration at the dmv in hope of increasing what?
Voter registration and voter turnout in elections
Although voter turnout is a concern, the most widely performed act of political participation in the United States is
Voting for a president
Party dealignment means that more Americans are currently identifying most with what political party?
Independents
Which type of elections ask Americans to vote among party members?
Primaries and caucuses
PACs are required to register with and are regulated by which agency?
The Federal Election Commission (FEC)
If a candidate wins the popular vote in a state, what amount of the electoral college vote do they receive from that state?
All EC votes
Name 2 factors that contribute to voting more frequently
Higher education, female, gov employees, married, older, of they identify with a party
Explain how a voter would fill out their ballot on election day if they were using "split ticket voting"
One party for one position, and a different party for another position
Name 2 purposes of National Conventions
Nominate candidates and adopt a platform - also have key note speaker
Which Constitutional provision did the Supreme Court interpret when deciding Citizens United v. the FEC?
1st Amendment **free speech
Explain how the winner take all method of the Electoral college is a structural barrier for third parties.
Winner-take-all voting in the Electoral College hinders the electoral success of third-party candidates bc they are not likely to win the majority of the popular vote in order to gain electoral votes in enough states
If a voter has a strong sense of political efficacy then why are they voting?
They feel they can have an impact/ vote makes a difference
Political parties can be impacted by critical elections which are usually something that occurs during a major change or crisis. Critical elections are closely aligned to shifting the party in power due to what action taken by voters?
Party realignment
The tendency for states to choose early dates in the primary calendar and get more media attention is known as ____ and has what effect?
Frontloading
According to Citizens United v. the FEC, what can unions, corporations, or even Super PACs do to support a candidate or party in an election?
Spend an unlimited amount as long as they do not coordinate with the candidate
Who decides the presidential election if no candidate wins at least 270, or the majority of electoral votes?
The election is decided by the House of Representatives
Describe what party line or partisan voting would look like.
Dems strongly favoring the Dem candidate and Repub voters voting largely in favor of the Repub candidate