Public Opinion
Campaigns & Elections
Media
Political Parties
Interest Groups
100

What is a Leading Question?

A question worded in a survey/poll that leads a respondent to give a desired answer

100

The results of these elections decide which candidate will represent its political party in the general election.

primary elections

100

This government agency is responsible for requiring broadcast and radio stations to apply for licenses to follow rules on advertising, provide a public forum for discussion, and serving local and minority communities. They also enforce ownership limits to avoid monopolies.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

100

An example of this is when southern Democrats switched their support to the Republican Party.

realignment

100

This is a person who believes many groups healthily compete for access to decision-makers and claim political power rests in the hands of groups of people.

a pluralist

200

This polling technique requires that each individual in a population has an equal probability of being selected for a public opinion poll.

Random sampling

200

In this specific type of primary election, participation is restricted exclusively to voters registered with that political party

closed primaries

200

This occurs when regular people publish photos and write stories about news events.

citizen journalism

200

This institutional electoral feature helps prevent minor/third parties from gaining traction in American elections

Single-Member Districts

200

Directly lobbying members of Congress or submitting amicus curiae briefs are tactics associated with this interest group strategy

Inside Game Strategy

300

This is the developmental process through which citizens absorb political beliefs and values from family, schools, and peers

Political Socialization

300

This is set by the total of each state's number of congressional representatives and two senate seats.

state Electoral College vote

300

Developed in the 1830s–1840s, these organizations gather news and sell coverage to other news outlets (e.g., Associated Press)

Wire Services

300

This model explains why political candidates frequently shift their policy stances toward the ideological center during a general election

Median Voter Theorem

300

Most interest organizations engage in this activity to achieve their objectives of influencing policy.

lobbying

400

This occurs when survey respondents tell pollsters what they think is the appropriate response rather than their true answer.

social desirability bias

400

What impact did the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC), 2010 decision have on campaign finance?

The decision invalidates spending limits on “independent” political spending; it established “money is speech” 

400

This 1949 policy, now defunct, required holders of broadcast licenses to cover controversial issues in a balanced manner.

The Fairness Doctrine

400

What is Duverger’s Law?

According to this, electoral systems with single-member districts and plurality voting will result in two competitive parties 

400

Exclusive member benefits, such as travel discounts or health insurance offered by organizations like AAA, are examples of this incentive type

Selective or Material Incentives

500

A number that states how far the poll results may be from the actual preferences of the total population of citizens, like an approval rating of 42% +/- 3%.

margin of error

500

Minor party presidential candidates must secure at least this percentage of the general election vote to earn federal campaign matching funds

5%

500

This early media effects theory argues that news media is so powerful that it can "inject" political messages directly into the public's minds

Hypodermic Model

500

An example of this phenomenon is that members of congress increasingly vote along party lines

polarization

500

What is Disturbance Theory?

  • The theory that an external event can lead to interest group mobilization