Participation /
Voting
Voting
Define political participation
Participation that is NOT voting
Define political party
A coalition of people who seek to control government by contesting elections and winning elected office
Define the term "interest group"
An organization that engages in politics on behalf of its members and seeks to influence government policy
List 3 sources of media
What is an "open seat" race?
A race in which there is no incumbent candidate
Define mobilization
“The process by which candidates, parties, activists, and groups induce other people to participate”
What is the main alternative to single-member plurality districts (SMP)?
Proportional representation (PR) system
What is the difference between an interest group and a party?
Parties run candidates and contest elections, interest groups do not
Define the digital divide
The (large) difference in access and use of internet based on demographics, especially income, race, and age
What is meant by the phrase "permanent campaign?"
Describes the fact that elected officials in modern politics are always working to increase the chances of their reelection; there is no “down time”
List the three types of political participation, and provide an example for each
1. Conventional (Campaign activities, signing petitions, yard signs, donations, rallies, phone banking, rallies, marches)
2. Unconventional - civil disobedience (sit-ins, occupations)
3. Unconventional (riots, looting, physical violence)
What are the 3 aspects / levels of a party?
Party organization (national, state, local levels)
Party in government (politicians elected as party candidates)
Party in the electorate (citizens who identify with party)
What are the 3 types of benefits used to overcome the free-rider problem?
BONUS: define the free-rider problem
Selective - material incentive
Purposive - working towards goal
Solidary - belonging to a group
The tendency for people to try and enjoy the benefits of a group without incurring the costs associated with joining the group
What are the 3 roles of the media that we discussed in class?
The media should: facilitate public debate, be objective, and serve as a watchdog for government and politics
What are 3 things that campaigns aim to accomplish?
Increase candidate name recognition
Mobilization, “get-out-the-vote” efforts
Make issue position (campaign platforms) known
Interact with opposing candidates
Advertise and engage with media
What are the current voting restrictions in the US?
1. Must be a citizen
2. Must be 18 years old
3. Must be registered
Bonus: whether or not you can vote from prison / having been imprisoned varies by state
List 2 impacts of polarization on Congress and 2 impacts of polarization on the electorate
Congress: impacts which issues make it to the Congressional agenda, decreases ability of parties to work together and pass legislation
Electorate: impacts tone of political discourse, increases public acceptance of political violence
List the types of interest groups we discussed in class (hint: there are 5), and specify which is the most common
Economic groups (most common)
Labor organizations (unions)
Citizen groups (public interest)
Single-issue groups
Government groups
Explain the Fairness Doctrine and the Equal Time Rule
Fairness Doctrine: required presentation of several points of view to ensure balanced coverage (ended in 1987)
Equal Time Rule: requires equal airtime for non-news programming to all candidates running for office (think State of the Union and response)
What did the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002 do?
Raised limits on hard money / money given directly to a candidate
Linked limits to future inflation
Banned unlimited (soft) money to parties
Largely upheld by the SCOTUS case, McConnell v. FEC (2003)
What are the Amendments related to voting that we discussed in class (hint: there are 5)
15th Amendment - right to vote for African-American men
19th Amendment - right to vote for women
23rd Amendment - DC residents can vote in presidential elections
24th Amendment - eliminates poll taxes
26th Amendment - right to vote for 18 year olds
How does the electoral system in the US perpetuate the two-party system?
Single-member plurality (SMP) districts focus competition between the top 2 candidates by electing a single candidate based on whoever gets the plurality of the vote; voters may feel as though for a third party is "wasted"
The interaction between executive agencies, Congressional committees, and interest groups that allows for the expansion of political influence and provides an institutionalized position for interest groups in the policymaking process.
Give 2 arguments in support of, and 2 arguments against, the idea that the media impacts us (think about the psychological phenomena we discussed in class)
BONUS: Explain one phenomenon from each category
The media does NOT impact us: selective perception, selective exposure, selective retention
The media DOES impact us: social-learning theory, agenda-setting, priming, framing
Explain the SCOTUS ruling in Citizens United v. FEC (2010)
SCOTUS ruled that corporations, unions, and issue advocacy organizations can spend unlimited amounts of money on independent political expenditures. This case also overturned the previous ruling on spending caps 60 days before a general election and 30 days before a primary election.