Congress (basics)
President
Voting/Electoral College
Linkage Institutions
Elections/Campaigns
Congressional Elections
100
What are the term lengths for House members and Senators?
2 years (House) and 6 years (Senate)
100
This is a declaration by the President that has the force of law (without going through Congress)
Executive Order
-When the Pres directs federal agency to enforce/carry out a law/policy, without being passed by congress. This is an informal or implied power. Not something that's in the Constitution
100
Ms. A has concerns about pollution and access to natural resources. Before she votes, Ms. A evaluates the candidates positions on the environment and their proposed policy to vote for the candidate that she believes will implement the best environmental protection policy.
What model of voting does this describe?
a. Rational Choice
b. Retrospective Voting
c. Prospective Voting
d. Party-line Voting
A. Rational Choice
pls don't drill baby drill D:
100
Which of the following would not qualify as a linkage institution?
a. Political Party
b. Interest Group
c. Media Organization
d. Supreme Court
D. Supreme Court
100
What are the elections where we vote for who we want to earn our political party’s nomination called?
(when we're choosing btwn many candidates to be the nominee)
Primaries!
also caucuses in diff states
also also-- remember that primaries run differently from state to state: we have closed primaries for the presidential election in CA
100
What is gerrymandering and why is it done?
Redrawing district lines to give one party an advantage. trying to finagle votes to boost house representation by creating districts that give a party more influence than they have strictly by numbers
200
What district are we in and who is our House of Reps member?
37!
Sydney-Kamlager Dove
200
Despite increasing scope and power of the President, there are still 'checks' on the President.
Name 2
-impeachment
-Senate has to approve treaties and appointments
-22nd amendment: 2 term limit! (phew)
-override a veto (2/3 vote)
-Supreme Court can declare an act of the Pres unconstitutional
200
Which of the following is an outcome associated with the electoral college system?
a. Candidates focus on the states with the largest populations
b. The House of Representatives frequently chooses the President from the top two candidates
c. Candidates focus on the swing states where they can win the most electoral votes
d. Larger states are ignored
c. Candidates focus on the swing states where they can win the most electoral votes
200
Which of the following examples best illustrates the media acting as a linkage institution?
a. A public library hosting a book club discussing a cookbook written by former first lady Michelle Obama.
b. A local TV station airing a documentary on the history of the United States Capitol building.
c. A social media influencer promoting a new collection of Kamala Harris t-shirts on Instagram.
d. The New York Times publishing investigative reports on government corruption inside the Senate Judiciary Committee.
D.The New York Times publishing investigative reports on government corruption inside the Senate Judiciary Committee.
200
This is the official event where the nominee for each political party is officially chosen
(it's more of a symbolic thing now)
National Conventions
ex: DNC, RNC
200
DOUBLE JEOPARDY :O
(only for the first group who chose this question and can't get double jeopardy if you only get half the answer)
What percent (or fraction) of the senate is up for reelection every 2 years and Why?????
1/3
bc Senate terms are 6 years so every 2 years when we have congressional elections, only 1/3 have terms that are up. they're staggered. math.
300
Why is the House of Representatives sometimes understood as the 'People's branch'?
(In contrast to the Senate)
Provide 2 reasons
-In the OG Constitution- House was only branch directly elected by voters
-Close and accountable to people: 2 year terms
-Represent a relatively small area w/ a smaller constituency. (ex: CA senators have to appeal to the whole state so they campaign around larger ideological issues-- House members have to make the constituents of their specific happy so they get reelected!)
300
Describe the main idea of Hami's Federalist #70
The Need for a Single Executive--Hami says we need to have one single exec (for unity and responsibility/accountability); v stressful for the anti-feds!
300
DOUBLE JEOPARDY :O
(only for the first group who chose this question and can't get double jeopardy if you only get half the answer)
How many Electoral votes do we have in total and why (how do we get that number)?
538
congress:
-100 Senate
-435 House
-3 votes for DC
(same for states electoral votes! CA: 52 districts (house members) + 2 Senators = 54 electoral votes
300
How does ideologically oriented programming in media outlets, such as FOX News and CNN, influence citizens’ political behavior?
a. It encourages citizens to critically analyze different perspectives
b. It reinforces existing beliefs and values, leading to increased polarization
c. It has minimal impact on citizens’ political behavior as they tend to seek out diverse sources of information.
B. increasing polarization
300
What does FEC stand for? and What does PAC stand for?
(you can get half if you only get one right)
Federal Election Commission
Political Action Commiteee
300
In SCOTUS: Baker v. Carr (1962). Which amendment did Baker's argument rely on?
Reminder: Baker petitioned the Court, asking for their involvement in redistricting, arguing that rural areas with decreasing population had more voting power because TN hadn't reapportioned based on population changes
14th Amendment! Equal protection under the law
TN hadn't redrawn district lines in decades.. so Baker said their votes were not equal.
(It's like if Los Angeles grows in population, we need to redraw lines to make sure that each district is the same size)
400
Which branch of Congress is more formal in it's proceedings and why?
The House of Representatives!
Why? Primarily bc of it's size.. when you have 435 ppl in a meeting, you really have to stick to the rules/procedures.
400
What is a pocket veto?
Pres doesn’t decide within 10 day period→automatic veto. (can’t be overridden by Congress)
400
Provide 2 examples of historical structural barriers to voting and 2 examples of current barriers to voting
Ms. A will confirm your answer, but some options:
-Historical: poll taxes, literacy tests, segregation, violence/intimidation
-Current: voter ID laws, polling issues (closure of polling places, long lines, reduced voting hrs. etc), voter roll purges, lack of translated voting materials
400
After the Great Depression, many African Americans left the Republican Party to join the Democratic Party in the 1932 election, permanently changing each party’s base of supporters and their key policy stances.
This is an example of which of the following ways that parties change:
A. Candidate-centered politics
B. Voter identity centered politics
C. Changing platforms
D. Party realignment
D. Party realignment
A major change in the composition of parties, when they shift dramatically to match the voters
(often bc of a new/pressing issue- economic/war)
400
Which statement accurately describes the ruling in the Citizens United v. FEC case (2010)?
a. The Supreme Court ruled that campaign finance regulations violated the First Amendment, allowing corporations to spend unlimited funds on campaigns
b. The Supreme Court ruled that campaign finance regulations should be strengthened to prevent excessive influence of corporations on campaigns
c. The Supreme Court ruled that campaign finance regulations should be revised to limit the amount of money individuals can contribute to political campaigns.
A. The Supreme Court ruled that campaign finance regulations violated the First Amendment, allowing corporations to spend unlimited funds on campaigns
400
Explain the basics of the SCOTUS case:
Shaw v. Reno (1993)
North Carolina had a large black population but no black house of reps members. They redrew district lines to try to get majority black districts so they could vote in black reps.
Shaw said that was unconstitutional =racial gerrymandering (Court agreed)
500
What are 3 of Congress' enumerated powers?
-Budget: raising revenue (taxes) and passing a federal budget
-Military: declare war and fund the military
-Regulate interstate commerce (trade and any buying/selling across states)
-Oversight of exec branch and fed agencies: approval of appointments
-Determine the process for naturalization
500
Presidential Interpretations of Power:
_______believed the president should act on behalf of the people unless the Constitution explicitly forbade it.
________ argued that the president should only exercise powers clearly granted by the Constitution.
Options:
-FRD
-Teddy Roosevelt
-JFK
-Nixon
-Taft
-Gerald Ford
Teddy Roosevelt
WH Taft
500
Provide one fact/example from each category of factors that affect whether people vote.
1. Political efficacy
2. Demographics
3. Type of Election
Ms. A will confirm, but here are some options
1. people's varying belief that their vote matters and that they have a true say in gov. trust in the gov that the people we vote for will do what they say.
2. Senior citizens get their vote on!! young ppl (18-21) are least likely to vote :/
3. Presidential (general) elections receive much higher voter turnout than primaries, midterms, or local elections
500
What does the Iron Triangle refer to?
Iron Triangle: the policy-making relationship among the congressional committees, the bureaucracy, and interest groups
500
What was the Supreme Court decision in the case of Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
-set limits on individ contributions but no limits on what the candidates could spend for their campaigns
(said that their campaign spending was covered under 1st amendment as free speech and couldn't be restricted)
500
When someone who currently holds a position is re running, they tend to have an edge over new candidates. What is the term we use to describe this and why do they have that 'edge'?
Incumbency Advantage
they are more well known, have more funds