Voting
This Constitutional Amendment gave women the right to vote.
What is the 19th Amendment?
This refers to a statement of beliefs and goals published by a political party every four years.
What is a party platform?
This term refers to people who benefit from the work that interest groups do but do not contribute anything to those groups.
What are free-riders?
This is the total number of available Electoral College votes.
What is 538?
This term refers to media coverage that focuses on poll results instead of issues.
What is horse race journalism?
This type of voting behavior focuses on a candidate's experience and previous voting record.
What is retrospective voting?
Political parties, along with interest groups, elections, an the media are examples of these.
What are linkage institutions?
This activity, done by interest groups and political parties, helps to rally support for a candidate or cause. It often involves fundraising, messaging, and voter registration drives.
This state hosts the first caucus each presidential election year which traditionally kicks on the election season.
What is Iowa?
This law, passed in 1971, set strict limits on hard money donations.
What is the Federal Election Campaign Act? (FECA)
This Constitutional amendment allowed for voters to choose their Senate representatives rather than state legislatures choosing them.
What is the 17th Amendment?
This is the primary reason that third parties struggle to win elections in the United States.
What is the prevalence of winner take all systems?
James Madison discusses the power that interest groups can have on politics in this essay.
What is Federalist No. 10?
This term refers to an election that occurs between presidential elections.
What is a mid-term election?
This is a type of non-profit organization that has a singular goal of trying to get certain candidates elected to office primarily through the pooling together of campaign donations.
What is a political action committee? (PAC)
Voter ID laws, mail in ballots, and polling hours would all be examples of these.
What are structural barriers?
African Americans shifting their voting loyalties to Democrats would be an example of this.
What is political or electoral realignment?
One of the largest interest groups in the nation, this organization lobbies for the needs of older age citizens.
What is AARP?
This aspect of the incumbency advantage is most important for presidential candidates.
What is access to a staff?
These "social welfare organizations" are limited in how much they can "spend" but are not limited by disclosure or by how much they may "donate."
What are 501 C 4's?
Voter turnout calculates this.
What is the percentage of eligible voters who vote in a given election?
These organizations within political parties are responsible for organizing the conventions and shaping the overall policy of the party.
What are national committees? (RNC and DNC)
Interest groups often submit these to federal courts in order to sway the decision in their favor.
What are amicus curiae briefs?
This Constitutional amendment separated the ballot for president and vice-president in the Electoral College.
What is the 12th Amendment?
In its ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, the Court declared that this type of spending by corporations is a protected form of free speech.
What is independent spending?