Government Final
Political Science 1 with Wade at Northwest Missouri State University
About this deck
By: Marissa Moore
Created: 2010-12-04
Size: 194 flashcards
Views: 86
Created: 2010-12-04
Size: 194 flashcards
Views: 86
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political socialization
The process through which individuals acquire their political beliefs and values.
public opinion
What the public thinks about a particular issue or set of issues at any point in time.
public opinion polls
Interviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of an entire population.
straw polls
Unscientific surveys used to gauge public opinion on a variety of issues and policies.
sample
A subset of the whole population selected to be questioned for the purposes of prediction or gauging opinion.
random sampling
A method of poll selection that gives each person in a group the same chance of being selected.
stratified sampling
A variation of random sampling; census data are used to divide the country into four sampling regions. Sets of counties and standard metropolitan statistical areas are then randomly selected in proportion to the total national population.
push polls
Polls taken for the purpose of providing information on an opponent that would lead respondents to vote against that candidate.
tracking polls
Continuous surveys that enable a campaign to chart its daily rise or fall in support.
exit polls
Polls conducted as voters leave selected polling places on Election Day.
margin of error
A measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll.
political ideology
The coherent set of values and beliefs about the purpose and scope of government held by groups and individuals.
political party
An organized effort by office holders, candidates, activists, and voters to pursue their common interests by gaining and exercising power through the electoral process.
governmental party
The office holders who organize themselves and pursue policy objectives under a party label.
organizational party
The workers and activists who make up the party's formal organization structure.
party in the electorate
The voters who consider themselves allied or associated with the party.
political machine
A party organization that recruits voter loyalty with tangible incentives and is characterized by a high degree of control over member activity.
direct primary
The selection of party candidates through the ballots of qualified voters rather than at party nominating conventions.
civil service laws
These acts removed the staffing of the bureaucracy from political parties and created a professional bureaucracy filled through competition.
issue-oriented politics
Politics that focuses on specific issues rather than on party, candidate, or other loyalties.
ticket-split
To vote for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election.
candidate-centered politics
Politics that focuses directly on the candidates, their particular issues, and character, rather than on party affiliation.
party realignment
A shifting of party coalition groupings in the electorate that remains in place for several elections.
critical election
An election that signals a party realignment through voter polarization around new issues.
secular realignment
The gradual rearrangement of party coalitions, based more on demographic shifts than on shocks to the political system.
coalition
A group made up of interests or organizations that join forces for the purpose of electing public officials.
national party platform
A statement of the general and specific philosophy and policy goals of a political party, usually promulgated at the national convention.
proportional representation
A voting system that apportions legislative seats according to the percentage of the vote won by a particular political party.
winner-take-all-system
An electoral system in which the party that receives at least one more vote than any other party wins the election.
national convention
A party meeting held in the presidential election year for the purposes of nominating a presidential and vice presidential ticket and adopting a platform.
think tank
Institutional collection of policy-oriented researchers and academics who are sources of policy ideas.
soft money
The virtually unregulated money funneled through political parties for party-building purposes such as get out the vote efforts or issue ads. Banned after 2002.
hard money
Funds that can be used for direct electioneering but are limited and regulated by the Federal Elections Commission.
party identification
A citizen's personal affinity for a political party, usually expressed by a tendency to vote for the candidates of that party.
dealignment
A general decline in party identification and loyalty in the electorate.
conventional political participation
Political participation that attempts to influence the political process through well-accepted, often moderate forms of persuasion.
unconventional political participation
Political participation that attempts to influence the political process through unusual or extreme measures such as protests, boycotts, and picketing.
turnout
The proportion of the voting-age public that votes.
ticket-splitting
Voting for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election.
retrospective judgement
A voter's evaluation of the performance of the party in power.
prospective judgement
A voter's evaluation of a candidate based on what he or she pledges to do about an issue if elected.
authoritarian system
A system of government that bases its rule on force rather than consent of the governed.
electorate
The citizens eligible to vote.
mandate
A command, indicated by an electorate's votes, for the elected officials to carry out their platforms.
primary election
Election in which voters decide which of the candidates within a party will represent the party in the general election.
closed primary
A primary election in which only a party's registered voters are eligible to vote.
open primary
A primary in which party members, independents, and sometimes members of the other party are allowed to vote.
crossover voting
Participation in the primary of a party with which the voter is not affiliated.
raiding
An organized attempt by voters of one party to influence the primary results of the other party.
runoff primary
A second primary election between the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes in the first primary.
general election
Election in which voters decide which candidates will actually fill public offices.
ballot measure
An election option such as the initiative or referendum that enables voters to enact public policy.
initiative
An election that allows citizens to propose legislation and submit it to the state electorate for popular vote.
referendum
An election whereby the state legislature submits proposed legislation to the state's voters for approval.
recall
An election in which voters can remove an incumbent from office by popular vote.
front-loading
The tendency of states to choose an early date on the primary calendar.
unit rule
A traditional party practice under which the majority of a state delegation can force the minority to vote for its candidate.
superdelegate
Delegate slot to the Democratic Party's national convention that is reserved for an elected party official.
Electoral College
Representatives of each state who cast the final ballots that actually elect a president.
elector
Member of the Electoral College chosen by methods determined in each state.
reapportionment
The reallocation of the number of seats in the House of Representatives after each decennial census.
incumbency
The holding of an office.
redistricting
Redrawing congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases in seats allotted to the states as well as population shifts within a state.
gerrymandering
The legislative process through which the majority party in each statehouse tries to assure that the maximum number of representatives from its political party can be elected to Congress through the redrawing of legislative districts.
midterm election
An election that takes place in the middle of a presidential term.
regional primary
A proposed system in which the country would be divided into five or six geographic areas and all states in each region would hold their presidential primary elections on the same day.
nomination campaign
That part of a political campaign aimed at winning a primary election.
general election campaign
That part of a political campaign aimed at winning a general election.
voter canvass
The process by which a campaign reaches individual voters, either by door-to-door solicitation or by telephone.
get out the vote (GOTV)
A push at the end of a political campaign to encourage supporters to go to the polls.
campaign manager
The individual who travels with the candidate and coordinates the many different aspects of the campaign.
finance chair
A professional who coordinates the fund-raising efforts for the campaign.
pollster
A professional who takes public opinion surveys that guide political campaigns.
direct mailer
A professional who supervises a political campaign's direct mail fundraising strategies.
communications director
The person who develops the overall media strategy for the candidate, blending free press coverage with paid TV, radio, and mail media.
press secretary
The individual charged with interacting and communicating with journalists on a daily basis.
Internet team
The campaign staff that makes use of Web-based resources to communicate with voters, raise funds, organize volunteers, and plan campaign events.
campaign consultant
A private-sector professional who sells to a candidate the technologies, services, and strategies required to get that candidate elected.
media consultant
A professional who produces candidates' television, radio, and print advertisements.
paid media
Political advertisements purchased for a candidate's campaign.
free media
Coverage of a candidate's campaign by the news media.
positive ad
Advertising on behalf of a candidate that stresses the candidate's qualifications, family, and issue positions, without reference to the opponent.
negative ad
Advertising on behalf of a candidate that attacks the opponent's platform or character.
contrast ad
Ad that compares the records and proposals of the candidates, with a bias toward the sponsor.
spot ad
Television advertising on behalf of a candidate that is broadcast in sixty, thirty, or ten-second durations.
inoculation ad
Advertising that attempts to counteract an anticipated attack from the opposition before the attack is launched.
candidate debate
Forum in which political candidates face each other to discuss their platforms, records, and character.
political action committee (PAC)
Federally mandated, officially registered fund-raising committee that represents interest groups in the political process.
public funds
Donations from the general tax revenues to the campaigns of qualifying presidential candidates.
matching funds
Donations to presidential campaigns from the federal government that are determined by the amount of private funds a qualifying candidate raises.
527 political committees
Nonprofit and unregulated interest groups that focus on specific causes or policy positions and attempt to influence voters.
501(c)(3) committees
Nonprofit and tax-exempt groups that can educate voters about issues and are not required to release the names of their contributors.
mass media
The entire array of organizations through which information is collected and disseminated to the general public.
news media
Media providing the public with new information about subjects of public interest.
yellow journalism
A form of newspaper publishing in vogue in the late nineteenth century that featured pictures, comics, color, and sensationalized, oversimplified news coverage.
muckraking
A form of journalism, in vogue in the early twentieth century, concerned with reforming government and business conduct.
print media
The traditional form of mass media, comprising newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and journals.
broadcast media
Television, radio, cable and satellite services.
new media
Technologies, such as the Internet, that blur the line between media sources and create new opportunities for the dissemination of news and other information.
network
An association of broadcast stations (radio or television) that share programming through a financial arrangement.
affiliates
Local television station that carry the programming of a national network.
wire service
An electronic delivery of news gathered by the news service's correspondents and sent to all member news media organizations.
narrowcasting
Targeting media programming at specific populations within society.
blog
Web-based journal entries that provide an editorial and news outlet for citizens.
citizen journalism
The collecting, reporting, and analyzing of news content by ordinary individuals.
content regulation
Government attempts to regulate the substance of the mass media.
equal time rule
The rule that requires broadcast stations to sell air time equally to all candidates in a political campaign if they choose to sell it to any.
press release
A document offering an official comment or position.
press briefing
A relatively restricted session between a press secretary or aide and the press.
press conference
An unrestricted session between an elected official and the press.
on background
Information provided to a journalist that will not be attributed to a named source.
deep background
Information provided to a journalist that will not be attributed to any source.
off the record
Information provided to a journalist that will not be released to the public.
on the record
Information provided to a journalist that can be released and attributed by name to the source.
New York Times Co. v. Sullivan
The Supreme Court concluded that "actual malice" must be proved to support a finding of libel against a public figure.
media effects
The influence of news sources on public opinion.
agenda setting
The constant process of forming the list of issued to be addressed by government.
framing
The process by which a news organization defines a political issue and consequently affects opinion about the issue.
social capital
The myriad relationships that individuals enjoy that facilitate the resolution of community problems through collective action.
civic virtue
The tendency to form small-scale associations for the public good.
interest group
An organized group that tries to influence public policy.
pluralist theory
The theory that political power is distributed among a wide array of diverse and competing interest groups.
disturbance theory
The theory that interest groups form in part to counteract the efforts of other groups.
transactions theory
The theory that public policies are the result of narrowly defined exchanges among political actors.
population ecology theory
The theory that the life of a political organization is conditional on the density and diversity of the interest group population in a given area.
public interest group
An organization that seeks a collective good that will not selectively and materially benefit group members.
economic interest group
A group with the primary purpose of promoting the financial interests of its members.
earmark
Funds that an appropriations bill designates for a particular purpose within a state or congressional district.
lobbyist
Interest group representative who seeks to influence legislation that will benefit his or her organization or client through political persuasion.
trade association
A group that represents a specific industry.
lobbying
The activities of a group or organization that seeks to influence legislation and persuade political leaders to support the group's position.
patron
A person who finances a group or individual activity.
collective good
Something of value that cannot be withheld from a nonmember of a group, for example, a tax write-off or a better environment.
free rider problem
Potential members fail to join a group because they can get the benefit, or collective good, sought by the group without contributing the effort.
Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007
Lobbying reform banning gifts to members of Congress and their staffs, toughening disclosure requirements, and increasing time limits on moving from the federal government to the private sector.
writing letters, making political contributions, and voting
What are some examples of conventional political participation?
protests, boycotts, and picketing
What are some examples of nonconventional political participation?
true
True or false: Highly educated people are more likely to vote than people with less education.
false
True or false: Those with an income over 65,000 dollars a year are less like to vote than citizens with incomes under 35,000.
true
True or false: If you marry, have kids, and settle down you are more likely to vote.
false
True or false: Those under 30 are more likely to vote than those over thirty.
false
True or false: Women and men vote at very different rates.
false
True or false: African Americans vote more often than whites.
True
True or false: The Southern U.S. has had historically lower voter turnout than the rest of the country.
False
True or False: The voter turnout of Hispanic Americans is much higher than that of African Americans.
true
True or false: Individuals who are members of civic organizations, trade and professional organizations, and labor unions are more likely to vote.
True
True or false: People that attend church or religious services regularly are more likely to vote than those who don't.
40%
Average number of U.S. voters that regularly vote?
The states
Who regulates voter eligibility?
Too busy
The most common reason for lower voter turnout is?
Make registration and absentee voting easier, making election day a holiday, and strengthening parties
What are some proposed ways to increase voter turnout?
Republicans
Whites typically vote for which group more: Republicans or Democrats?
Democrats
Minorities vote for which political party more?
Democrats
Women largely vote for which political party?
Democrats
Jewish people are more likely to vote which political party?
Evenly split
Catholics are more likely to vote for which party?
More Republicans
Protestants are more likely to vote for which party?
Democrats
Liberals largely vote for which party?
Republicans
Conservatives largely vote for what party?
Democrats
The poor largely vote for which party?
Republicans
The wealthy largely vote for which party?
Evenly split
The middle class votes for which party?
Social Institutions, Media, Membership in Social Groups, Education Level, and Political Conditions.
What are some agents of political socialization?
liberalizing effect
Political scientists have found that college seems to have what effect on political socialization?
Margin of error, Sampling error, limited respondent options, lack of information, and difficulty measuring intensity.
What are some limitations of public opinion polls?
The Golden Age
A period from 1874-1912 that had voter turnout of over 75%.
Progressive Movement and the New Deal
In the modern era parties were weakened by what?
Direct primary and Civil Service Laws
Some progressive reforms were?
1800-Jefferson, 1860-Lincoln, and 1932-FDR
What were some critical elections for party realignment?
Winner-take all system, ignored by media, don't get automatic place on ballot, don't receive much public funding.
Why do third parties never win elections?
President and Party National Committee
Party chairs are selected by who?
Republicans
Historically which party raises more money?
Party in the Electorate
The weakest part of the party system is the?
True
True or False: Partisan ID is a reliable indicator of vote choice.
Republican
The south tends to be more linked with which party?
Democratic
The northeast tends to vote more for which party?
Democratic
The very youngest and very oldest voters tend to vote for which party?
Republican
Middle aged people tend to vote more for which party?
Republican
Married people vote more for which party?
Democrats
Single, Divorced, Separated, or Widowed people vote more for which party?
Republican
Executives, Professionals, and white collar workers tend to vote more?
Democratic
Educators, Lawyers, Labor Unions tend to vote more?
Winner-take all primary
Candidate who wins the most votes takes all states delegates.
Proportional Representative Primary
Candidate who receives a certain percentage of the votes gets delegates in proportion to the number of popular votes won if they get a certain percentage of the vote.
Caucus
Party members that meet in small groups throughout the state.
Redistricting, Scandals, and Presidential Coattails.
Why do incumbents sometimes lose?
Quality of the Candidate and The Campaign Team
The most important part of any campaign is?
Be able to convey ideas, project their message, and raise funds.
Candidates need to be able to do what three things to win an election?
Isolate Candidate, Staged Media Events, Use Spin, or Appear on Talk Shows.
Ways campaigns control media?
Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)
What act outlaws the use of soft money?
True
True or False: Most print media is not subject to govt regulation
1996 Telecommunications Act
This act deregulated segments of the electronic media and has resulted in the creation of multimedia corp giants like Viacom, Time Warner, and Comcast.
New York Times vs. The U.S.
What act made it so that the government couldn't prevent the publication of the Pentagon Papers?
Press has little effect on long term beliefs.
Is media influence successful?
About this deck
By: Marissa Moore
Created: 2010-12-04
Size: 194 flashcards
Views: 86
Created: 2010-12-04
Size: 194 flashcards
Views: 86
About StudyBlue
STUDYBLUE makes things that make you better at school.
Things like online flashcards with photos and audio.
Things like personalized quizzes and friendly reminders about when (and what) to study next.
Think of it as a digital backpack™: access to all of your study materials online and on your phone.
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“I have used this website for three exams, and I see a huge difference in my test results.”
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