Political Parties
Tell me one of the 2 major parties in the United States.
Democrats, Republicans
What type of election occurs following one where no candidate receives a majority of the vote?
Runoff elections
The percentage of eligible voters who vote in a given election is known as what?
Voter turnout
Facebook, X, Instagram, and Tik Tok are all examples of what type of media?
Social media
What is a lobbyist?
Someone who interest groups hire to argue on their behalf to lawmakers.
Most people get their political socialization from where?
Parents/family
Who is elected in a gubernatorial election?
Governor
What does it mean that someone has a high political efficacy?
They believe that their vote can make a difference.
What is a linkage institution?
Something that connects citizens to their government.
What government agency is responsible for fining candidates for campaign finance violations?
FEC
What do we mean when we say that a third party candidate acts as a spoiler?
They take votes away from another candidate and help the other major party candidate win.
Other than the Presidency, how do other offices in the United States choose a winner?
Whoever wins the popular vote.
What law passed allowed the Department of Justice to sue states who's voting laws could be seen as discriminatory?
What is the purpose of public opinion polls?
So that politicians and the media can gauge what the voters want.
What generally makes up the majority of the candidates spending?
Ad buys
What is the difference between someone's political ideology and someone's political party?
Political party is an identifier, while ideology focuses on the beliefs someone has on the issues.
What kinds of people would a candidate be running against in a primary?
The 26th amendment gave who the right to vote?
People 18+
Why do we take a sample when we take a poll?
We don't have the time or resources to survey the whole population.
What type of money is given to the party, and not necessarily to the candidate's campaign?
Soft
What kind of party system do coalitions have to form in order to establish a majority?
Multi-party system
What is the difference between a primary and a caucus?
A caucus allows for more open and discussion, primary is more of an election to nominate a candidate.
What word do we use to refer to the right to vote?
Suffrage
What does it mean that media is supposed to act as a watchdog?
They watch over politicians actions and report it back to the people.
What is the difference between a PAC and a Super PAC?
Super PACs have unlimited spending ability, PACs do not.