Voting & Behavior
This 1993 Act was designed to increase turnout by allowing citizens to register to vote when applying for a driver’s license.
What is the "Motor Voter" Act (National Voter Registration Act)?
In this type of primary election, only registered party members can vote to choose that party’s candidate.
What is a Closed Primary?
The primary difference between parties and interest groups is that parties run candidates, while interest groups do this.
What is support candidates who favor their policies
While "Gatekeepers" decide what issues are important, the media plays this role when they investigate and expose government corruption or scandals.
What is a watchdog?
Presidential candidates are most likely to visit these types of states (like Pennsylvania) during the final week of a campaign.
What are Swing States?
If a citizen decides not to vote because they believe their single vote won't make a difference, they lack this political belief.
What is Political Efficacy?
Aside from choosing candidates, a primary function of political parties is to mobilize voters and get them to do this.
What is vote (or go to the polls)?
This strategy, involving lawsuits, is likely used by the NAACP to fight laws violating the 14th Amendment.
What is Litigation?
When the media focuses on who is ahead in the polls rather than policy details, it is practicing this type of journalism.
What is Horse-race Journalism?
This is the primary function of a Super PAC.
What is raising/spending unlimited funds independently?
A voter who chooses a challenger because the country has been in a recession for two years is practicing this type of voting.
What is Retrospective Voting?
This term refers to the recent trend of more citizens identifying as "Independent" rather than Democrat or Republican.
What is Dealignment?
This "problem" occurs when people benefit from an interest group’s efforts (like clean air legislation) without paying dues or joining.
What is the Free Rider Problem?
When the media decides which issues are important enough to report on (agenda setting), they are performing this role.
What is Gatekeeper?
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002 attempted to ban this type of contribution to national parties.
What is Soft Money?
The 24th Amendment increased political participation for poor voters by banning this financial barrier to voting.
What is the Poll Tax?
While they rarely win, third parties often influence politics by forcing major parties to do this.
Incorporate the Third Parties Agenda
Lobbyists are most valuable to members of Congress because they provide this critical resource.
What is expertise on specific issues/bills.
This is the tendency of people to only seek out news sources that align with their existing political beliefs.
What is Confirmation Bias (or Selective Exposure)?
Citizens United v. FEC ruled that corporations and unions have this right to spend unlimited money on independent political expenditures.
What is Free Speech?
This 1965 legislation was significant because it empowered the federal government to oversee elections in states with histories of discrimination.
What is the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
The US has a two-party system (unlike Europe) largely because of single-member districts and this type of election system.
What is Winner-Take-All?
An "Iron Triangle" consists of a bureaucratic agency, a congressional committee, and this third entity
What is an Interest Group?
The concept of "Consumer-Driven Media" suggests that news content is not determined by accuracy, but by the need to attract these two things.
What are clicks and ad revenue?
The "Incumbency Advantage" includes name recognition, fundraising networks, and this mailing privilege.
What is the Franking Privilege?