Elections
The Media
Campaigns
The Voters
Vocabulary
100
a televised program that allows one to see the differences between candidates running for the presidency
What is a presidential debate
100
Information leaked to the media to test public reaction to a possible policy
What are trial balloons
100
a short video clip of approximately 10-15 seconds - typically all that is shown from a politician's speech
What is a sound bite
100
the belief that one's political participation really matters-that one's vote can actually make a difference.
What is political efficacy
100
The belief that in order to support democratic government, a citizen should always vote.
What is civic duty
200
the first major electoral event of the nominating process for President of the United States even though it does not represent the majority of the country.
What is the Iowa Caucus
200
The media acts as or plays these three roles during elections...
What are gatekeeper, scorekeeper, and watchdog
200
Known as the 4 T’s: tone, theme, timing, and target
What are campaign strategies
200
a system adopted by the states that requires voters to register
What is voter registration
200
Politics in which behavior of citizens and policymakers and the political agenda are increasingly shaped by technology
What is high-tech politics
300
made up of 538 electors who cast votes to decide the President and Vice-President of the United States. The candidate who receives a majority of electoral votes (270) wins the Presidency.
What is the electoral college
300
News outlets that get an early scoop on a story may have gotten the information from a government agency through a(n) _______
What is an intentional leak
300
Contributions to a state or local party for party-building purposes. It is not considered a contribution directly to a candidate and therefore avoids legal limitations.
What is soft money
300
a state-level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation or a proposed constitutional amendment.
What is a referendum
300
Members of the Electoral College who do not vote for whom they are pledged to
What is a faithless elector
400
the day of the week, typically in March, on which party members in over 20 states vote in primary elections to select their party's presidential candidate
What is Super Tuesday
400
Whereas muckraking is seen as a form of investigative journalism, this type of journalism is often viewed as exaggerating the news to attract readers...
What is yellow journalism
400
Act created the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that provided public financing for presidential primaries and general elections, and limited presidential campaign spending, required disclosure, and attempted to limit contributions.
What is the Federal Election Campaign Act
400
A law that requires states to permit people to register to vote at the same time they apply for their driver's license.
What is motor-voter law
400
The alleged tendency of candidates to win more votes in an election because of the presence at the top of the ticket of a better known candidate, such as the president.
What are coattails
500
this amendment added the seperation of the president and vice president onto two different ballots
What is the 12th Amendment
500
During the popular press period of American history this invention helped local newspapers get access to information more quickly...
What is the telegraph
500
Supreme Court upheld federal limits on campaign contributions and ruled that spending money to influence elections is a form of constitutionally protected free speech.
What is Buckley v. Valeo
500
two types of voting; a theory of voting in which voters essentially ask this simple question: "What have you done for me lately?" and voting based on what a candidate pledges to do in the future about an issue if elected.
What is retrospective voting and prospective voting
500
A process permitted in some states whereby voters may put proposed changes in the state constitution to a vote if sufficient signatures are obtained on petitions calling for such a referendum.
What is an initiative petition
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