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GOVERNMENT 2306 - EXAM 2

Terms in this set (68)

Campaign Reporting & Disclosure Act
-focus on disclosing campaign finances
-no limits on amount of campaign contributions
-did not provide any means of enforcement
grandfather clause
-common in the South but not used in Texas
-grandfather clause abolished by U.S. Supreme Court in Guinn v. U.S. (1915)
Guinn v. U.S. (1915)
Established the grandfather clause
Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966)
Poll Tax: abolished for state elections by U.S. Supreme Court
Information Cost
costs of acquiring and processing information
Literacy Test
Common in the south, but not used in Texas
LBJ Law
Many states passed laws to undermine the ability of African-Americans to vote
Non-Partisan Election
An election where you don't know what the party is of the candidates.
Poll Tax
-adopted in Texas in 1902
-abolished for national elections by 24th Amendment in 1964
Retail Campaigning
-"bio" ads
-contrast ads
-attack ads
Sharpstown Bank Stock Scandal
prompts passage of Campaign Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1973
-focus on disclosing campaign finances
-no limits on amount of campaign contributions
-did not provide any means of enforcement
Smith v. Allwright (1944)
White Primary : declared unconstitutional by U.S. Supreme Court
Split Ticket Voting
voting Republican for president and Democratic for state & local office used to be common
Straight-Ticket Voting
-straight-ticket voting in TX now favors GOP
Texas Ethics Commission
TEC provides means for enforcing requirements of the 1973 disclosure law
Transaction Cost
time & expense getting to polling place
24th Amendment
prohibits both Congress and the states from conditioning the right to vote in federal elections on payment of a poll tax or other types of tax
Voting Rights Act
bilingual ballots required when more than 5% of voting age citizens, or 10,000 citizens, do not speak or understand English well enough to participate in electoral process
•English-Spanish ballots in more than 100 TX counties
•Harris County (Houston) has quad-lingual (English-Spanish-Vietnamese-Chinese) election materials
White Primary
The basic idea was to explicitly prohibit non-whites (African Americans primarily, but also Mexican Americans in south Texas) from joining the Democratic Party or participating in its the primary elections.
Wholesale Campaigning
Definition. A mode of campaigning that involves indirect contact with citizens, such as running campaign adds.
Primary Election
-held in March
-majority vote (50 % + 1) needed to win
-if no majority, top two advance to runoff in May
Primary Runoff Election
-major party: win primary election with majority of vote (if no candidate wins a majority, top two candidates advance to a primary runoff)
General Election
-competition between candidates of different political parties (and any independents)
-held in November (first Tuesday following the first Monday - so always between Nov. 2-8)
Special Election
-called by governor to fill vacancies
-no party primaries, all candidates run together
-majority vote (50% + 1) needed to win
City & School Board Election
-held on second Saturday in May
-candidates not identified by party on ballot
-some require majority vote (50% + 1) to win while others require only a plurality
Critical Election
term from political science and political history describing a dramatic change in the political system.
Realignment
the change in behavior of voting groups.
Reconstruction
democrats dominated after
Solid South
Southern block was the electoral voting bloc of the states of the Southern United States for issues that were regarded as particularly important to the interests of Democrats in the southern states.
Yellow Dog Democrat
were Alabamans who remained loyal to the party even though they did not like the Democratic candidate
Geographic Distribution of Democratic and Republican Support Across Texas
Democrats : South, Major cities, and a few out west.
R: Majority of texas
Political Party Organization in Texas (Temporary)
local & state conventions held every two years to pick delegates to next higher convention, adopt party platform, and establish party rules

•precinct convention (night of March primary)

•county/state senatorial district (Sat in late March)

•state convention (early June)

-national convention held every four years
Political Party Organization in Texas (Permanent)
conducts party business between conventions

-county level: county chair & precinct chairs form county executive committee and are directly elected by voters in party primary

-state level: chair & vice-chair (one must be male and the other female) and state executive committee (one male & one female from each state senatorial district) chosen at state convention by delegates
Party-In-The-Electorate
people identify themselves with a party
Party-In-Government
elected officials represent a party
Party-As-Organization
paid and volunteer staff manage party affairs on an ongoing basis
Amicus Curiae Brief
Seeking change through judicial branch
Civil Disobedience
happened because of sit-ins and occupations during CR movement
Contract Lobbyist
is an external contractor, a "hired gun" who may work for multiple clients
In-House Lobbyist
works exclusively for their organization as a paid staff member
Interest Group Activities
Campaign assistance
Lobbying
Candidate scorecards
Issue Ads
Serving on advisory or regulatory boards
Coalition Building
Public demonstration
Media campaigns
Attending public meeting
Issue Ads
advertising focusing on an issue prepared and paid for by an interest group independently of any candidate
"Late Train" Contributions
campaign funds given to the winning candidate after the election up to 30 days before the legislature comes into session. Such contributions are designed to curry favor with individuals the donors may not have supported orginally
Political Action Committee (PAC)
an organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation, especially at the federal level.
Private Interest Group
promote policies to benefit their members (media & politicians often use the term "special interest group
Public Interest Group
Common Cause, Sierra Club, Texas Watch, etc.-historically weak in TX
Sharpstown Scandal
stock fraud scandal
Factors Influencing (Enhancing) Interest Group Power in Texas
part-time, low-paid legislature
-legislature only meets for 140 days every other year
decentralized executive branch
-lack of strong executive authority leaves agencies more vulnerable to interest group influence
one party rule
-with culture of non-participation (low voter turnout), public does not follow politics close
Texas ranks ____ among all states in terms of percentage of population born in another country
7th
voter turnout in texas among 18-24 year olds in the 2016 election was about
27%
Federal Law requires at least ____ of grapes to come from the state in order for wine to be labeled as "Texas Made"
75%
In 2016 Texas produced about _____ million gallons of wine
4
Interest groups influence in texas politics is
strong
lobbyists in texas must register with the
Texas Ethics Commission
Under Texas Law, how much can political action committees contribute to candidates campaigns for the state legislature or for an executive branch office?
unlimited
"Late-Train"
Between the election & start of a legislative session
The election of which of the following individuals represented a major step in reviewing the republican party in texas in the 20th century
John Tower
Democratic area of texas
Rio Grande Valley
precinct, country, and state conventions for both political parties are held every
2 years
Texas has largely become a one-party state since becoming part of the United States for time in the ____ Texas was a two party competitive state with both Democrats and Republicans winning statewide office
1980-1990
an old Texas/southern term to be used to describe a party loyalist is
a yellow dog democrat
elections for governor and other executive branch offices in texas are held
in off year elections
minor party candidates can be listed on the ballot in texas if the party received at least _____of the statewide vote in their general election
5%
Discriminatory laws used in texas suppress non white voting did not include
short voter registration window
compared to other states how does texas tank in voter turn out
among the lowest in turnout
interest groups influence in texas politics is
weak
when interest groups encourage their members to contact their legislatures on behalf of a policy position the group advocates this is called _____ lobbying
grassroots
position of TEGGA on HB 1514
don't back issacs bill
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