Political Parties
How many major political parties are in the US?
the money raised for an election is called
campaign finance
What is one benefit or criticism of interest groups
benefit- help give people a voice
criticism- they use money to gain a lot of power
What are the two bodies in Congress?
House of Representatives and Senate
When does the Presidential election occur?
-first Tuesday in November
-every 4 years
Any party in the US that is not the Republican or Democratic party is called a
third party
Organization in charge of campaign finance laws is called
FEC- Federal Election Committee
What is one way interest groups try to influence the government
Endorse Candidates
Lobby – influence the government by asking/giving advice
Provide public testimony when bills are being discussed
Organize grassroots participation – organize demonstrations or get a lot of people to contact lawmakers
File lawsuits
Each state has _____ Senators
2
Electoral College
The party with the most members in Congress is called the ___________ party
majority
Campaign finance organizations that have a contribution limit, must disclose their donors, can coordinate with candidates, and can expressly tell voters who to vote for are called
political action committees (PAC)
lobbying
Which branch is Congress a part of?
legislative branch
What is one way people were kept from voting in the US?
- poll tax
-literacy test
-grandfather clause
-poll closures
-voter ID laws
A political party's stances on specific issues is called the party________________
platform
organizations that do not have a contribution limit, must disclose their donors, CANNOT coordinate with candidates, and can expressly tell voters who to vote for are called
Super PACS
organizations made up of individuals with shared points of view that try to influence public officials to support their specific goal is called an
interest group
How many representatives does each state have in the House of Representatives?
based on state population
What are the 3 requirements to vote in the US?
-18 years old
-US citizen
-resident of the state
Individuals who don’t identify with either one of the 2 main parties
Independents
This Supreme Court case got rid of many laws about campaign finance and made it easier to donate dark money
Citizens United v. FEC
What is one type of interest group?
-Caused based
-professional groups
-agriculture
-societal group
-business
-labor
How many total members of Congress are there?
535
Drawing voting districts to purposely give one political party an advantage is called?
gerrymandering