Linkage Institutions
"These events are held every four years by political parties to officially nominate their presidential candidate and establish their platform."
What are national party conventions?
"This is the most common form of political participation in a democracy and typically takes place on Election Day."
What is voting?
"In this type of primary, only registered party members can vote to select their party's nominee."
What is a closed primary?
"Madison, Hamilton and Jay wrote these to argue the case for a new constitution."
What were the Federalist Papers?
In Federalist No. 10, James Madison argued that this form of government is best equipped to control factions.
What is a republic?
"This type of election allows registered voters to select their party's candidate for the general election, strengthening the link between voters and candidates."
What is a primary election?
"This amendment lowered the voting age to 18, significantly expanding the pool of eligible voters in the United States."
What is the 26th Amendment?
"In this state, the first major contest of the presidential election cycle is traditionally a caucus, with participants physically gathering in local meeting places to discuss and select candidates."
What is the Iowa caucus?
"Madison suggests that factions are best controlled by this mechanism in a large republic, which allows for the competition of interests and prevents any one faction from becoming too powerful."
What is the system of checks and balances?
Superdelegates were introduced by this political party in the 1980s to give party leaders more influence in presidential nominations.
What is the Democratic Party?
"This Supreme Court decision ruled that corporations and unions can spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns, giving rise to Super PACs."
What is Citizens United v. FEC?
"This term describes voting for candidates of different political parties on the same ballot, such as a Republican for president and a Democrat for Congress."
What is split-ticket voting?
"This term refers to a meeting where party members gather to discuss and vote for their preferred candidate in a more open, often lengthy process."
What is a caucus?
"This event, which took place in 1786-1787, exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, particularly the inability of the central government to maintain order."
What is Shays' Rebellion?
This theory of political socialization argues that younger generations adopt political attitudes different from their parents due to unique experiences during formative years.
What is generational theory (or generational effects)?
"This term refers to donations made to political campaigns that are not regulated by federal campaign finance laws."
What is soft money?
"This theory of voting suggests that individuals make decisions based on which candidate or party will best serve their personal interests."
What is rational choice voting?
"This type of primary is used in some states where candidates from all parties are listed on the same ballot, and if no one receives a majority, a runoff election is held between the top two candidates."
What is a runoff (or Jungle) primary?
"Madison claims that this is the most dangerous type of faction."
What is a majority faction?
This type of sampling ensures that every individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected for a poll.
What is random sampling?
"This theory argues that when too many competing interest groups have influence over government, it leads to policy gridlock and ineffective governance."
What is hyperpluralism?
"This phenomenon occurs when individuals believe their vote does not matter or that they cannot influence political outcomes, leading to lower participation."
What is low political efficacy?
"In this type of primary, voters can participate in the process of selecting a party's nominee, but they can also choose to vote for candidates from another party in the same election."
What is a blanket primary?
"This major success of the Articles of Confederation established a process for admitting new states into the Union, a key element in westward expansion."
What is the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?
These committees, commonly known by their acronym, are organizations that raise and spend money to elect or defeat candidates, subject to contribution limits.
What are PACs (Political Action Committees)?