Political Parties
America has this kind of party system
What is the 2 party system?
(developed out of the differences of Hamilton and Jefferson)
an election used to determine who is going to represent a specific political party in the general election
What is a primary election?
the general election is when the people vote so it is called the __________ vote
What is the popular vote?
This executive department has administered election law since 1975.
Federal Election Commission.
a person who is running for re-election. They already hold the position they are running for but want to win the election again.
What is an incumbent?
When a party breaks away from a political party.
What is a splinter party?
(Like when Teddy Roosevelt split from the Republican party to form the Bull Moose or Progressive Party)
the big meeting where political parties announce the official nominees for president and vice-president
What is the national convention?
How is it decided how many electors each state gets?
population/equal to the number of representatives the state has in congress
Contributions that are given directly to candidates that is limited by federal law.
What is hard money?
(soft money can be given to political organizations in unlimited amounts)
a specific series of opinions a candidate supports in an effort to gain the support of voters
What is a platform?
(written by the platform committee)
is commonly associated with equality, cooperation, and more government involvement in the economy and society
What is the Democratic Party?
(Republican Party is commonly associated with liberty, competition, and less government involvement in the economy and society)
A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office
What is a caucus?
Which party system is most common in a typical dictatorship?
What is a one-party system?
Money voluntarily given through your income taxes is given to this public fund to fund elections.
What is the Presidential election campaign fund?
Type of primary where you do not have to register with a political party.
What is an open primary?
Electoral contenders other than the two major parties. In America, they are not unusual, but they rarely win elections.
What are third parties? (Green Party is an example- they can often take stands on controversial issues)
When the party out of power criticizes the policies and behaviors of the party in power they are serving this function.
What is watchdog?
When are federal elections held?
The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Who can Political Action Committees raise funds from?
only their members.
When candidates are nominated by voters signing a document containing a certain number of qualified voters in the election district.
What is a petition?
This contributes to the decentralized nature of political parties.
(parties must satisfy a wide range of voters on the local, state, and national level)
When did the era of the Republicans start?
What is at the time of the Civil War?
How many electoral votes does a candidate need to win in order to become president?
270 (more than half)
Laws limiting campaign funding have been found to violate what in the Constitution?
The first amendment protection of free speech
a political organization established by a corporation, labor union, or special interest group designed to help candidates by contributing money
What are Political Action Committees (PAC's?)
(Super PAC's are mutant forms of PACs that developed in recent years, which can collect unlimited amounts of money.