Let's Party!
The Run-Up
Make It Rain
Special Focus
I Fought the Law
100

Bringing new and controversial issues to the public's attention is one role of this type of political party.

What is a minor party?

100

This activity is the critical first step in the process of filling public offices because it involves the naming of those seeking public office.

What is nomination?

100

The majority of all money spent in elections is used for this purpose.

What is advertising?

100

This type of advertising focuses on portraying the opposition candidate in an unfavorable way.

What is negative advertising?

100

This term denotes the phrases that cannot be used in political advertising produced by soft money groups.

What are the "8 magic words"?

200

in warning against "the baneful effects of the spirit of party" in his Farewell Address, George Washington was concerned that political parties would have this effect.

What is dividing the nation?

200

Nomination by petition is almost exclusively used at this level of government in the United States due to the difficulty of obtaining the necessary number of signatures.

What is local government?

200

This type of political money may be given directly to a candidate or political party.

What is hard money?

200

This is the ability to directly interact with politicians and other government officials in order to influence decision-making.

What is access?

200

The desire to raise money for reelection without interference is one reason why members of Congress might want to reduce funding for this regulatory agency.

What is the Federal Election Commission?

300

This term is used to describe a political party when it serves in the role of connecting voters with elected officials and organizing public support to achieve political objectives.

What is "power broker"?

300

The nominating process has this effect on voters' choices in a general election?

What is limiting their choices?

300


These three types of independent political groups may accept unlimited contributions from individuals, unions, and corporations.

300

A pattern of numerous small donations from individual citizens to a candidate is indicative of this desirable situation.

What is popular support?

300

This Supreme Court decision, which held that free speech rights were incompatible with rules limiting political speech, helped pave the way for the emergence of Super PACs.

What is Citizens United v. FEC?

400

Although minor political parties have occasionally earned significant percentages of the popular vote for president, they have rarely won even a handful of votes among this group that formally selects the president.

400

The opportunity to promote the party's candidates and gain the public's support is one of the main reasons that political parties continue to hold these large public events.

What are national conventions?

400

This term describes all political spending where the source of the money is not disclosed to the public.

What is dark money?

400

This term is used in the political context to describe a person's view of the world and how it works.

What is ideology?

400

These organizations, which dominated the governments of many large cities in the 1800s, lost most of their power after the passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act in 1883. 

What are political machines?

500

Political parties are sometimes referred to by this term, which describes their role in ensuring the good performance of their candidates.

What is "bonding agent"?

500

The direct primary is the principle nominating method in the United States today because it gives the nominating function to these people.

Who are party members?

500

Candidates are prohibited from spending unlimited amounts on their campaigns if they accept these government funds.

What are Federal Election Commission subsidies?

500

States that receive the most attention during presidential campaigns are usually those with a majority of this type of voters.

Who are voters with no clear party loyalties?

(Also accepted: undecided voters)

500


This law was passed in 2002 to reduce the amount of unregulated soft money spent in federal campaigns.

What is the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act?

(Also accepted: the McCain-Feingold Act)

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