Political Socialization & Ideologies
How are most people politically socialized?
By their family
What does "voter turnout" refer to?
The number of eligible voters who actually vote
Match the following terms to whether or not they are a civic responsibility or a civic duty: jury duty, voting, paying taxes, community service
Civic duties: Jury duty, paying taxes
Civic Responsibilities: voting, community service
What does it mean when a political party acts as a "brand name"?
Even though you may not know a lot about a candidate, you can know about many of their beliefs based on the political party they belong to.
How does age affect the likelihood someone will go out and vote?
The older someone is, the more likely they are to vote.
What is political socialization?
The process by which someone acquires their political beliefs and their views on the role of the government
What is the difference between a closed primary and an open primary?
Closed primary- Voters must declare party affiliation in advance of the election
Open primary- Voters declare party affiliation on election day, anyone can vote for anyone
What is the difference between civic duties and civic responsibilities?
You have to do civic duties and can be punished for not doing them. You should do civic responsibilities, but there is not punishment if you don't.
What is a political platform?
A statement which contains the party's goals and its view of various social and political issues.
By using lobbyists to try and persuade them to adopt certain causes, and by providing campaign assistance in the form of money to those support their causes.
What is the "gender gap"? Provide an example of this.
Differences in political views between men and women. Women are more likely to be Democrats and men are more likely to be Republican.
What are the three types of elections used in the United States?
Special elections, general elections, and primary elections
Why were the words "under God" added to the Pledge of Allegiance?
To highlight America's religious nature in opposition to the communist Soviet Union, which stood against the church.
Why are third parties important?
Even if they don't win office, they can still affect our politics by spoiling the race for other candidates and forcing major parties to adopt some of their policies
What does PAC stand for? What do they do?
Political Action Committee: organizations created by interest groups to raise money and send it to political parties and their candidates
What are the three largest political parties in the United States and where do they fall on the political spectrum?
Republican- Conservative
Libertarian- Moderate
Democrat- Liberal
Put the following types of election in order from highest voter turnout to lowest voter turnout: local elections, presidential elections, midterm elections
Presidential elections (~60%), midterm elections (~35%), local elections (~25%),
That freedom of expression allowed students to choose whether or not they stood or recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
What does it mean when the Electoral College is a "winner-take-all" system?
Whoever wins a plurality (the most votes, even if its less than 50%) wins all the electoral votes for that state. No ones else receives any votes, even if they were very close in terms of votes received.
What are the liberal views of the government?
What are the conservative views of the government?
Liberal: more government is better, should spend more on social programs and less on the military, focus on equality more, take action in the economy more frequently
Conservative: less government is better, spend more of defense to protect our freedoms; government involvement in the economy prevents competition from lowering prices; allow individual freedom and responsibility
What do political parties in the United States do?
Recruit/nominate candidates; organize elections, oppose the current party in power to create balance, influence government, inform citizens
What are 4 of the main factors that determines whether or not someone will vote?
Gender, Age, Race, Education level, Religion, Income, Job
What are the three requirements to register to vote in the state of Georgia?
Be a US citizen, Legal resident of the county you want to vote in, Be at least 17.5 years old
What are three roles interest groups play?
1. Educating voters and officeholders by providing information and analysis on issues related to their cause
2. Lobbying: Interest groups conduct lobbying efforts by meeting with elected officials to promote their agenda.
3. Drafting legislation: Interest groups may draft legislation and provide it to lawmakers to introduce and sponsor.
4. Mobilization: Interest groups mobilize their membership to apply pressure on legislators and government agencies.
5. Exerting Influence: providing expert testimony in congressional hearings, threaten funding/support to reluctant members of Congress, filing amicus curiae briefs, creating ads to support or attack politicians
List and explain the three roles the media plays in elections.
Gatekeeper- Sets the national agenda regarding what is important policy
Scorekeeper- media follows day-to-day campaign activities; also known as horse-race journalism
Watchdog- scrutinize the actions of people and events involving politicians and the government as a whole