Political Parties
Why do political parties change and how do they adapt to this change?
They change due to the need to appeal to their core demographic groups and new voters. They also have to change due to changes in communication and technology. To do so, they may modify their policies and messages to align with their targeted audience and utilize the different forms of communication, such as social media.
How do the Presidential and local congressional elections differ?
Local elections are decided by direct popular vote, but the presidential election is decided through the electoral college.
How do political parties serve as part of linkage institutions?
Political parties are structures within a society that helps connect the people to the government.
How can citizens directly affect policy making in the government?
Policy makers are heavily influenced by public opinion since it is the voters that determine whether or not officials get reelected. (Voting, Media, etc.)
What is the primary goal of interest groups?
To influence policy to benefit their group
How were the modern Democrats and Republicans formed from historical events and laws?
Democrats formed from the old Republican party after Andrew Jackson was elected, Republicans came from anti-slavery and Whigs, as well as people with ambition.
What are the 2 systems to elect legislature? Compare and contrast them (What are the differences?).
Proportional Representation System- an election system for a legislature in which citizens vote for parties, rather than individuals, and parties are represented in the legislature according to the percentage of the vote they receive.
Single member plurality system- an election system for choosing members of the legislature where the winner is the candidate who receives the most votes, even if the candidate does not receive a majority of the votes.
What are the common ideologies of voting and how do they differ from one another?
Party line voters- pick candidates based on only party affiliation.
Straight ticket voting- Voting for all of the candidates on the ballot from one political party.
Split ticket voting- Voting for candidates from different parties in the same election.
What is at least one social movement that has influenced the policymaking process?
Civil Rights Movement, Women’s Rights Movement, Environmental Movement, Consumer Movement, etc.
How do third parties influence the process of congressional elections apart from presidential elections?
Third Parties promote the awareness of the personality of a favored politician, with the intent to force the public on a national issue.
What was the significance of the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) ruling/what did it change?
The case ruled that the government cannot restrict corporations, associations, and unions from independently supporting a campaign under the First Amendment, which overruled earlier decisions that allowed for the restriction.
How does an intra party election of the president shape primaries, caucases, and conventions?
Intra Party elections help the influence of securing media attention and financial support.
What is the difference between the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and Civil Rights Act of 1964?
1957 - established the U.S. Office of Civil Rights to address discrimination in voter registrations
1964 - required equal application of voter registration rules
What was the 2023 marching field show for the MTHS marching band?
1001 Nights
What style of lion dancing does our club at MT do?
Hok San
How does an argument on political parties resulting in the divide of people connect to at least one political principle and behavior?
This argument may support the increase of party polarization, which results in people going further away from the moderate section of the political spectrum.
What are some modern campaigning methods and how do they serve to help candidates get elected?
Many candidates spend lots of time and money on advertising their campaign as well as doing many press conferences to interact with voters which all serve to make candidates look more favorable to voters.
How do evolving media conglomerates use bias and narrowcasting to affect the public political knowledge?
Media Conglomerates will use bias and narrowcasting to avoid negative influence throughout many networks.
How does the amount of variety throughout the media coverage affect the public knowledge on issues regarding the political agenda?
Media only shapes and filters the public agenda. Media attention on national important issues perceive those as the most important on the political agenda than other national issues.
What is the difference between single issue groups and ideological groups?
Single Issue - addresses a narrow area of concern or on one topic
Ideological - form around a particular political ideology
What are 3 of the positions and groups in a modern political party’s structure and what are their roles and responsibilities?
National Committees for representatives from each state, State Party Organizations to manage each state, Constituency Groups and Teams to attract demographics to their respective groups .
What are some (3) influences on voter turnout?
Voter Apathy - voters feel that their vote is insignificant (not count), resulting in them having no motivation to participate in the political process
Voter Alienation - voters feel they should vote, but not because they feel underrepresented for their vote to be significant or due to not seeing themselves in running candidates
Voter Registration - most states require enrollment in the electoral roll 30 days in advance of an election
Voter ID Laws - laws requiring some form of identification to vote have passed in 35 states, some states accept many forms of ID (i.e. utility bills), but some require government-issued photo ID
Election Day Issues - long lines at polls, most voters go to work instead when Election day isn’t a holiday, states determined how many polling places will be open and during what hours
What are some of the ways in which the three branches of government influence lobbying? List at least 1 for each.
Legislative: Revolving Door to get a legislative position to create bills based on lobbying efforts; Direct Lobbying to directly persuade legislators.
Executive: Grassroots lobbying to inform and pressure the president into signing certain bills.
Judicial: Amicus Curiae Brief to persuade the court.
Find the derivative:
(2x-3)/sqrt(x)
1/sqrt(x) + 3/(2sqrt(x3))
What are the barriers to third-parties and how do they impact third-party success?
Single Member Districts - third party need to win majority of votes in district in order to have chance at a seat in the legislature
Money - third-party have more difficulty raising money compared to the two major parties, difficulty for third-party candidates to get on ballot that usually costs a fee, media tend to ignore these candidates
Taking of Third-Party Platforms - the major party most closely aligned to third party will take the third party’s ideas as their own (i.e. Democratic Party often take over the environmental ideas of the Green Party)
Winner-Take-All (not include Maine and Nebraska) - third party cannot win majority of the popular vote in a state, resulting in them being unable to secure any electoral votes