Voting & Elections Basic
This amendment lowered the voting age in the United States to 18.
What is the Twenty-Sixth Amendment?
This advantage helps Congresspeople win reelection through name recognition and easier access to campaign resources.
What is the incumbency advantage?
These organizations nominate candidates, run campaigns, and try to influence government policy.
What are political parties?
These organizations seek to influence public policy without running candidates for office.
This type of campaign contribution is given directly to a candidate’s campaign and is subject to legal limits.
What is hard money?
This system requires voters to register with a political party in order to participate in that party’s primary election.
What is a closed primary?
This type of campaign event allows candidates to speak directly with voters and answer questions in an informal setting.
What is a town hall meeting?
This type of election determines which party controls government offices after candidates are nominated.
What is the general election?
This activity involves directly attempting to influence lawmakers and government officials.
What is lobbying?
This type of political spending is used for general party-building activities and is not directly given to candidates.
What is soft money?
This type of election allows voters to choose among candidates regardless of party affiliation, often advancing the top candidates to the general election.
What is an open primary?
This strategy involves focusing campaign resources on competitive states that could go either way in an election.
What is targeting swing states?
This occurs when voters consistently support one party’s candidates across multiple elections.
What is party loyalty?
What is partisan alignment?
This type of lobbying involves mobilizing the public to contact lawmakers and influence policy decisions.
What is grassroots lobbying?
This federal agency is responsible for enforcing campaign finance laws and regulating elections.
What is the Federal Election Commission (FEC)?
This body formally elects the president of the United States, based on state-by-state results.
What is electoral college?
This campaign technique involves attacking an opponent’s character or record rather than focusing on one’s own policies.
What is negative campaign(ing)?
This trend describes the growing ideological divide between the two major political parties in the United States.
What is political polarization?
These organizations raise and spend money to elect or defeat political candidates, often representing interest groups.
What is Political Action Committees? (PACs)
These organizations can raise unlimited funds for independent political spending but cannot coordinate directly with candidates.
What are Super PACs?
This term refers to the percentage of eligible voters who actually cast a ballot in an election.
What is voter turnout?
This strategy focuses on identifying likely supporters and ensuring they actually vote on Election Day.
What is Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV)?
This election process allows party members to select delegates who will choose the party’s presidential nominee.
What is a caucus?
This Supreme Court case allowed for unlimited independent political spending by corporations and unions.
What is Citizens United v. FEC?
This type of spending involves funds raised by nonprofit groups that are not required to disclose their donors.
What are dark money groups?