In what month and and on what day do we hold General Elections?
What is the First Tuesday, after the first Monday, in November.
When an individual donates directly to a candidate, that is ______ money.
What is Hard Money
This is the preliminary election to decide which two candidates will represent the major parties in the General Election.
What is the Primary Election (and caucus, in some states).
People with higher incomes tend to associate with the ______ party.
What is Republican.
Groups of people who share similar ideas or beliefs and seek to influence public opinion and public policy.
What are Special Interest Groups
The physical location where you go to cast your vote (when voting in-person on election day).
What is a polling place.
Positive campaign ads focus on one of these two things.
The candidate and their background/bio; or the candidates platform or specific policy objectives.
What is the minimum number of Electoral Votes that a Presidential candidate needs to win?
What is 270 Electoral Votes
Young voters have the lowest voter turnout, but when they do vote, they are more likely to vote ______.
What is Democrat.
What type of campaign would this classy as?
What is a negative ad (attempt to portray the candidate in a negative light).
Aside from probably not meeting the basic requirements for President, explain why this vote does not count.
The deceased Gorilla, Harambe, had not formally declared his intent to run for office, or pay any of the associated fees, prior to his death.
This organization sets finance laws and regulations
What is the Federal Election Commission (FEC)
Who can vote in a Closed Primary?
Who are only those voters registered to that party.
Income, occupation, education, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, family, and geography are all ___________ factors of voter behavior.
What are Sociological factors.
A person who takes part in an organized attempt to influence legislators, usually on behalf of an interest group.
Who is a lobbyist.
Smallest unit of election administration.
What is a precinct.
With a Super PAC, the money cannot be given to...
Who are the candidates or their campaigns.
Meets in the late summer of every presidential election year to pick a party's presidential and vice presidential candidate.
What is the National Convention.
The single most significant and lasting predictor of how a person will vote.
What is party identification.
What do we call the person who is currently holding the office and running for re-election.
Who is the incumbent.
This is the type of Ballot used in the US, ironically not called the US Ballot.
What is the Australian Ballot.
List at least two of the current trends in mass media and news.
What are 24/7 news cycle and entertainment news, Consolidation of media and news, shift to Social Media and new media outlets, Streaming (instant news, Misinformation.
How is the number of Electoral College Electors each state receives decided?
What is each state receives a number of electors equal to their # of Congressional Representatives (varies by state) plus Senators (2).
Party identification is one of the three psychological factors of voting. What are the other two additional psychological factors of voting that can impact voter behavior, closer to election time.
What are the candidates and the issues.
The Federal Government passes laws and constitutional amendments to ensure voter protections. Name at least 2 ways voters are protected under the Voting Rights Acts or the U.S. Constitution and amendments.
Prohibits Poll Taxes, Literacy Tests, and denying the right to vote based on gender, race, ethnicity, previous condition of servitude, age (over 18); requirement of polling places to be accessible to people with disabilities, allowed to register to vote at a DMV, mandates that overseas citizens and military can cast a vote via mail.
This is the name for the psychological impact from frustration or confusion over lengthy ballots. Often results in fewer votes being cast towards the end of the ballot.
What is Ballot Fatigue.
This is the role media plays by the reporting on scandals, government actions, and abuse by individuals and government.
What is the Watchdog / Investigative role.
In order for a candidate of a major party to have their name on the primary election ballot, they must meet the requirements of the office, and then typically do these three things.
What is formally declare their candidacy with the state, pay any required fees, and petition to gather the required number of signatures.
This is one's individual sense of how important their vote is or how effective their vote will be in influencing the political process.
What is political efficacy.
At what point in the electoral process was this famous speech made?
What is during the Inauguration.