Elections
Direct Primary
Election held within the party to pick up the parties candidates for general election
focused on polling data and public perception rather than candidate policies
PACS
formed by businesses, cooperation, labor unions, to make donations
1st amendment
freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, petition
Executive branch
enforces law
Disadvantages of closed primary
compromises the secrecy of the ballot because voters have to make party preference known
Roles of watch dog
watches the government, makes sure the public's interested, conveys findings back to the people
Hard Money
4th amendment
freedom from illegal searches and seizures
Judicial review
the supremes courts power to determine if the government does something unconstitutional
Proportional Plan
each candidate gets the same % of electoral votes as popular votes
Free press democracy
cornerstone of demo for our right to vote
Soft Money
Political donations given to the party to avoid government regulations
5th amendment
right of due process of law
Popular sovereignty
Exit Polls
surveys of a random sample of voters taken as they leave their polling place after voting
Agenda setting
media chooses to talk about the information they want people to recieve
FEC
purpose is to oversee and enforce campaign finance regulations
8th amendment
freedom from cruel and unusual punishment/excessive bail
The government and officials in the government are not supreme authorities
# of electors in the Electoral College
The # of electors each state gets is equal to the # of senators and representatives in congress
Agenda cutting
How $ influences democracy
Gives wealthy people/groups an unfair advantage
9th amendment
Rights not in the Constitution can still be applied to citizens
Checks and Balances
Each branch is subject to checks by the other two branches